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Fair deal
It was in the air for quiet sometime now, floating freely and we could only get a peek-a-boo. On Friday, we saw it in the clear sky, swaying and sashaying in the air. The kiss and tell story of Kites hit the theatres across the country on Friday.
The Greek god Hrithik Roshan in his curly mop enticed, and the firang babe Barbara Mori sizzled on the silver screen, pulling many curious people to the theatres. It was yet another firang babe romancing our Bollywood hunk. And what an eye they made! But what's with Bollywood's new fixation with 'ultra' fair skins igniting the frames? Who wants to see how well they act or speak (anyways they hardly get any further than main bhi tumsey pyar karti hun), as long as we have an overseas face romancing, dancing and blurting her crack-jacked Hindi! From Ilene Hamann giving sleepless nights to Irrfan Khan in Rog, Alice Patten and his patriotic fervour in Rang De Basanti, Jacqueline Fernandes spilling her innocence in Aaladin, Giselle Monteiro hushed romance with Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal, to the more recent Barbara Mori driving Hrithik crazy… these firang actors are getting a plum share in Hindi cinema.
Is their anything wrong with our own Bips and Kats? Have our actors found a new marketing strategy in the desi videshi pairing? Most importantly, are the audiences ready to see a 'fair skinned',' hardly Hindi speaking actor' opposite our Khans, Roshans and Deshmukhs? Gurpreet Singh Mann and his friends from Moga watched Kites for only and only Barbara Mori. "I wanted to see whether Barbara had any dialogues in the movie," laughs Gurpreet. "We weren't interested in her acting or anything else, but we were sure of seeing some 'hot' romance," the four friends reveal. Hitesh Chowdhry and his roommate Sandeep Singh from PU admit that our Indian actresses are any day better than these firang faces. "But they look hotter."
Is it only the 'hot' factor that pulls the audience to the cinema halls or they have more substance to add? "Alice Patten did a marvelous job in Rang De Basanti," offers Ritika Singla, who is pursuing mechanical engineering from Patiala. "Actresses like Barbara Mori, Kalki Koechlin are bad with their dialogues (they hardly have any), and they also look a wee bit out of place, but the directors of these movies have made good use of them." They could be a little out of sync with their dialogues or look awkward romancing an 'Indian mentality' actor, but they are definitely not all fluff! Take it from Vikas Mehndirata and his brother Vinay, Panchkula-based businessman, who had a different reason for watching Kites. "The movie generated a hype due to Barbara, but it has more to it — a strong storyline, loads of action, and it makes a lot of sense." With Kalki Koechlin walking away with the best Debut award, the audience sure is in an accepting mode. But what about our Hindi film industry, how are they seeing the entry of these women as? For actor Arya Babbar Kites is a movie on an altogether different platform. "It has an international touch. For the other firang girls, they fit the role, which is cut out for them. It is no big deal." jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Band of boys
Two generations are coming together to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of their alma mater. The St John's school bands of the past nine years have come up with an album comprising 16 songs dedicated to their school life and the days spent as St John's boys. The album is the second edition from the school; the first one was released four years ago.
"Out of the 16 songs, seven are original compilations and the rest are a mix of Bollywood and other songs. Compositions have been contributed by various bands, present and passed out, from the school," says Michaelangelo Francis, the man behind the concept, and the music and art coordinator of the school. He has also sung two tracks, "You are my No1" and "You are not alone", as a tribute to Micheal Jackson. Rahul Datta, from the Batch of 1987 is the senior most member of the team. The surgeon from the city plays the flute. There are other seniors like Ramit Mehra who was a part of the first school band and was the finalist in the 'Idea Indya Rocks' series. Vibhav Mishra is a vital part of this album and has sung three to four songs. Shivdeep Gaagat, who is an IIT student and nephew of singer Sukhwinder Singh, is also a part of the team. The Soaring Eagles has composed songs that talk of teenagers, school life et al. The 'Wingspan' is the youngest band in the album comprising students as young as in class 8, like Ritwik, who has sung 'Maa' in the album. — Neha Walia |
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Fruit of labour
The Herculean task is over; the final battle won and books put to rest (even if its only for a month or two). The two-year-long exile has ended and its time to let the hair down, relax, party, shop and do what the rest of the world has been doing while they were busy remembering the theories in their textbooks!
For tricity toppers, Class XII results have brought a lot - mail inbox loaded with congratulatory messages, 24/7 ringing phone and a room full of neighbours, friends and well-wishers. But amidst all the excitement, what gives them a high is that now its time to let off the steam. "I am on my way to Delhi with my family for a long holiday. The two things on my agenda right now are shopping and partying, which I haven't done in a long while due to my study schedule," says Jasika Saluja, the tricity ICSE topper. The 18-year-old can now act her age…by partying hard. "All my friends are waiting for me to return, as I have promised them a big party." And the icing on the cake is a surprise gift promised by her parents. "Maybe a car (her voice tells us it is definitely a car). But I need to learn driving first," she says. Sure, you've got all the time you want now! Another Delhi-bound girl is Garima Kaushal, the tricity topper in commerce. "The party will happen big time in Delhi and all my friends and relatives will be there. Since I'll be applying to colleges in Delhi University, I'll spend time shopping for my college wardrobe," she says. And about the promised gifts, well, the lady hasn't got down to business yet. "I haven't thought about it yet, but maybe a car or something expensive." For Saloni Singh, who is chilling out in the city of dreams, Mumbai, partying, shopping and a family reunion are on cards. "I am busy making a list of things and looking at catalogues for my gift. The budget that my parents have promised is Rs 25,000." With already 15 items on the list, that she says are selective, Saloni is having a ball. And, no negotiations! She plans to follow her sister's suit by applying for JJ school of Arts. For Tushar Dogra, tricity CBSE topper (non-medical stream), the celebrations and gifts will have to wait till next week. Although he is enjoying his moment of fame, "We didn't actually get time to celebrate as I was busy giving interviews, posing for shutterbugs and shaking hands continuously for the past one day," he says. Sounds like a star in the making. Oh wait, he is already a star! Anyways, Tushar's real party will begin after his IIT results are out. "I want to go for shopping and will probably watch 'Kites' since I haven't seen a movie in two years." But whatever he plans has to be with his parents. "They too have not gone for a holiday or a leisure outing for the past two years. Maybe a long vacation at some hill station will be good enough to relax for a while." nehawalia@tribunemil.com |
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Play act
The Akademi chairperson Kamal Tewari said 12 shows of four new short, 'socially relevant' plays would be staged in Karsan, Ramdarbar, Burail and Kaimbwala villages. Two plays will be staged on each day from 5.00 pm onwards between May 22 to May 27. Among the plays to be staged are Sadak Hamarey Baap Ki on traffic rules, Rishma Hun Mitti Hoyian on female foeticide, Main Eh Nahi Hon Dayangi on drug abuse, and Dilon Ki Hartal on junk food. |
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Special stepsz SD Sharma
Shakhon se tuut jayen, voh patte nahin hein ham/ andhi se koi kehde ke aukaat mein rhe… Such was the confidence displayed by 80 odd specially-abled child artistes who participated in the S-4 Trust, UT Social Welfare and Gurukul Vidyapeeth's mega cultural Olympiad for differently-abled school students at the Bal Bhawan on Friday.
The participants presented solo and group songs and dances with gusto, verve and vitality. The participants from Bhawan Vidyalaya-27, Sorem School-36, Prayas-38, Regional Institute of Mentally Challenged-31, Institute for the Blind-26. Divulging on the purpose behind the noble initiative, prominent vocalist Rinku Kalia and CEO of ongoing Sur Wid Taal-Talent Hunt-2010 said, "This is an effort to explore their talent bringing them into the mainstream of society. The short-listed children will perform with the winners of the Voice of Chandigarh-2010, Dancer of Chandigarh-2010 and Great Chandigarh Laughter Challenge-2010, at the grand finale to be held around September 28 as part of the birthday celebrations of legendary melody queen Lata Mangeshkar." |
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Digital delight
Microsoft has introduced an all new and cool Hotmail( www.hotmail.com ) that helps you integrate, share and cut the clutter in your inbox like never before. The innovative new Hotmail integrates Windows Live Messenger, other email accounts and updates from your social network all within a single intuitive interface that allows you to do so much more with your Hotmail be it on the Web, mobile phone or a PC.
The smart new Hotmail brings together emails from other services like Gmail and Yahoo right into your Hotmail inbox. You can stay active and connected in the social networking scene with updates from Facebook, LinkedIn, etc and Live Messenger integration all within your inbox. Hotmail users can access images and videos from Bing or photo albums from Windows Live SkyDrive without having to leave their inbox or having to worry about the size of the attachment - thanks to its 10 GB limit per message. With added capabilities to make your inbox clutter free by enabling views by conversations, highlights and sweep functionality. "Over the years, email has been staid, un-interactive and task based. With the new Hotmail, what people do in their inbox is going to change forever. With social network and other email account integration that can be accessed from within hotmail makes it a complete 360 degree view to the consumers' virtual world given today's busy lives. The new Hotmail is smarter, safer & customized to enrich every aspect of a consumers' virtual life", said Rathin Lahiri, Director — Online, Microsoft India. The fun and excitement in enhancing consumers' digital experience does not stop with just Hotmail, the new version of Windows Live Messenger that was recently launched brings Video Chat in High Definition for a fully loaded experience. — TNS
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Pen drive
How can you make any 'invention' sound intelligent? Simple, invent a complex abbreviation to describe it and an even more complex full form. So, Rohit Shekhar Sharma 'invented' a pen, named it as Photographic Memory Pen (PMP) and described it as a pen that helps improve memory.
How? "The pen works on the principal of visualising controlled imagination," says Rohit, who introduces himself as a brain scientist and career guru. The ball pen has numbers written from one to ten along with pictures of objects that rhyme with numbers. With one, there is a picture of sun, similarly with three is picture of tree, six has vicks, nine has wine! The pen has two variants, beginners and masters. Before giving a demonstration, Rohit made people revise the numbers and symbols followed by some exercises. "All you need to do is associate numbers with everything you learn. The user can then learn points of speech, order of things, shopping list, historical events…" adds Rohit. If only recalling which number is associated with what you learn wasn't required! And most important of all, the plastic pen accessorised with a blue thread costs Rs 2,500. The pen sure has some magic for it instantly made us recall the nursery rhyme…Johny Johny yes papa…telling a lie…ha ha ha! —
Ashima Sehajpal
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Bon Appetit
Apricots are very delicate in flavour and have a juicy texture which is a cross between squishy and crunchy. Their subtle taste needs to married to ingredients, equally light in flavour, or
else, their taste will be completely swamped. When we have a colour ‘orange’ and a ‘lemon yellow’ and a shade called ‘peach’, then why
is it that we seldom refer to any colour as ‘apricot’? Even a nobody like baingan has the colour, ‘aubergine’ named after it! The apricot does have a glorious colour, quite its own and distinct!
Both my recipes today involve baking with apricots. When you attempt them, you will find that the house is filled with an enticing aroma that will keep you waiting by the oven door,
lusting for the first bite! Trust me...it shall be love at first bite! Sunshine apricot and oatmeal squares n 225 gm butter n ¾ cup brown sugar n ¾ cup sugar n 1 tsp vanilla n 2 eggs n 1 vanilla n 1½ cups maida n 1 tsp salt n 1 tsp baking soda n 3 cups rolled breakfast-oats n 350 gm apricots diced into small pieces n 200 gm cooking chocolate(optional) Method Bring the butter to room temperature and blend it with the sugar in a deep bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sieve the maida, salt, baking soda together. Tip the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar. Preheat the oven
to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13"x9"pan and keep it ready. Chop up the chocolate (if using),into small bits. Add them along with the oats and chopped apricots to the mixture, stirring to blend evenly. Spoon the mixture into the greased pan and flatten it down evenly.
Score the surface into square sections, using a blunt knife. This will enable you to break them away later. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Be vigilant during this time, lest you overcook the scrumptious delights. As a variation, omit the chocolate chips and add a cupful of dessicated coconut to the mixture. |
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Star power
In between the not-so-intelligent questions -Who is your favourite female actor? Which movie do you like the most? What music are you fond of? - There came several intelligent questions as well - What all it takes to be a filmmaker? When did you decide you want to direct movies? Why do you make such off-beat films? - and Onir's purpose of holding an interactive session with students of Ryan International School a couple of weeks back was served. "I didn't go there just to share my personal choices. The bigger idea was to de-glamourise the film industry, educate students that film industry has a wider scope than just dancing and singing," says Onir. The idea was same when Anurag Kashyap, director, and Piyush Mishra, ad guru, interacted with students of Dikshant International School; Anupam Kher, actor, and Amal Allana, theatre personality, met students of Vivek High Public School. Says Mitul Dixit, director, Dikshant International School, "Career alternatives have increased in the last few years. Students now have more options than just becoming a doctor or an engineer." And each time a celeb is invited to the school, the idea is to expose students to these off-beat career options. Raj Kumar Gupta, director of the movie Aamir, visited the school last year and talked about how one can achieve success in the film industry without the support of a godfather. Arvind Sharma, a professional photographer discussed nuances of photography. Meenakshi Reddy, author of You Are Here shared her idea of writing a book and Charu Soni, art critic, taught students the basics of art. "These personalities are achievers in their respective fields. They serve as role models for students," says Dixit. Sitting with celebrities and sharing experiences infuses confidence in students; gives them a first-hand account of the world. "We could see the difference in the approach of students when MK Raina, a veteran theatre artiste, or Anupam Kher talked about their work. Students took more interest than usual and asked questions," says HS Mamik, Director, Vivek High Public School. In case of Anurag Kashyap, more than his films his success story fascinated students. Coming from a middle class family, Anurag has made it big in Bollywood but it took him 15 years of struggle to prove his calibre. Mitul adds, "He also shared with students facts about his life like he left the house to make films with just 5,000 rupees in his pocket and without the support of his parents; something that nobody knew before. Such experiences encourage students to follow their passion." For the film festival at Ryan International, Utkarsh, Marwaha, director of the festival, invited Sanjay Suri and Onir as he wanted students to know about the existence of parallel cinema. "Who else could have made them understand better that cinema is beyond pot- boilers? Both of them explained so well that becoming an actor or a director is as difficult as becoming a scientist or an engineer. It is more than just posing in front of the camera or touch ups every few seconds. You have to be creative, honest and sincere in anything you do," asserts Utkarsh. What makes inviting celebs a fruitful activity is that students also take the initiative to learn about a certain subject. Mamik explains with an example, "When Bittu Sahgal, an environmentalist came to the school, students researched extensively on the Internet to update their knowledge on environmental hazards and what can be done about them. It helped them come up with intelligent queries." And celebs serve another purpose. "As they are experts in their field, they can explain better," adds Mamik. Something Onir too believed, "I can answer queries on film-making just as any expert can do with his subject." That's what we call star power in real terms! ashima@tribunemail.com |
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Mann ka radio…
It is a tried and tested remedy for so many problems. The doctors too advocate it as a daily dosage. And now the celebrity RJ with Big 92.7 FM is promoting the same. Bhagwant Mann, the comedian, is all set up to brighten the mornings with Laughter Mornings on Big 92.7 FM.
So, what is Bhagwant Mann whipping up - satire, comedy, jokes? "Everything. Laughter Mornings will be a good mix of entertainment made of news, spiced up with jokes and comments, all in a good humour." Adds the comedian, "My episode will be based on current news, something like examination results, water shortage. I will also take into account special days and days when something important happened." It goes without saying that radio does provide wholesome entertainment, which is why we have Bhagwant Mann on it as well. "Radio is the medium of entertainment these days, and the most convenient too. New songs, movie reviews, news, current updates, radio provides everything," shares Mann. "With an association with Big 92.7 FM I plan to reach to the listeners all around North and provide them the much-needed fun in their lives." Laughter Mornings will be aired in 7-11am slot, a reason enough for this comedian to smile. "This is the time when people are getting ready for their morning work. This is the time when they require a good dose of laughter, and I will be giving it, in unlimited package." Busy with a couple of things, Bhagwant plans to cut a solo album of eight songs, Awaaz the voice. "The songs we hear these days are either popularising arms and ammunition, hard drinks, or showing girls in some derogatory light. With this album I plan to bring forth the real picture of Punjab," puts in Bhagwant. We are looking forward to it as well!
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Playing Jackie
Actor Rachel Weisz is already feeling the huge responsibility of playing Jacqueline Kennedy in husband Darren Aronofsky's new film — because she's a Brit portraying an American icon. The Mummy star will be play the role of Jackie and the film will portray Jackie's life and how she coped with her husband President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
Despite being eager to start shooting for the film, she can't help being a little anxious as to whether the American audience will accept a Brit actor playing the role of an American icon that everyone loved so much. "It's a recent project so the script is being developed and it's a great script. I will have to start to do some reading," she said. "Jackie Kennedy is an American royalty and a 20th century icon, so it's extremely scary, daunting, challenging and a huge responsibility. I don't know exactly how I will play her yet because I haven't started really working on it, but of course it's a big responsibility," she added. —
ANI |
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Manish Malhotra says he has designed Kareena Kapoor's costumes for her stage performance at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards 2010 in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo next month."I am doing the finale fashion show there and also designing Kareena Kapoor's costumes for her performance," Malhotra said. Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots has bagged the maximum number of nominations at the IIFA. It has received 14 nominations, including best film, best actor, best director and best actress among others.Malhotra believes that director Rajkumar Hirani's film deserves all the awards."I think 3 Idiots deserves all the awards. I loved the film. It's a huge hit. It should sweep all the awards," said Malhotra. The IIFA awards are being held June 3-5. — IANS
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Saif act
Saif Ali Khan sketched cartoons in Hum Tum, and following in his footsteps is actor Tusshar Kapoor who will play a cartoonist in Rajsrhi Productions' next Love U...Mr. Kalakaar.Tusshar plays an artist called Sahil who derives his inspiration from everything, including nature, a scrap of paper or even a spider's web. Featured alongside him is Amrita Rao as Ritu, a management trainee whose world revolves around debits, credits, turnovers, profits and deadlines.
She falls in love with Sahil and helps him sketch new rules of business and what comes forth is an artist's simplicity amidst the corporate world.Directed by debutant S. Manasvi, who has also penned the story, screenplay and dialogues, Love U...Mr. Kalakaar is being produced by Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Rajkumar Barjatya and Ajit Kumar Barjatya. Sooraj R. Barjatya and Rajjat A. Barjatya are working as as associate producers on the film. The movie will go on floors early July 2010. —
IANS |
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Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor is planning to screen his upcoming home production Aisha, starring daughter Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol, at the upcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards."I am trying my best to complete the film. We are running against time. If we are done with it we might screen it at this year's IIFA awards," Anil said.
The 50-year-old was present in the Capital for an event organised by Wizcraft to announce details of a charity cricket match that will be held in Colombo during the IIFA weekend starting June 3. The proceeds of the charity match will go to a fund that will help people who were displaced during civil war in Sri Lanka.Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was also present at the event. Asked if Anil was prepared to face Muralitharan's doosras, he said. "Yes, I am ready. I will be nervous but since I am an actor I will not let it show on my face. I will keep a calm outlook." Any preparations for the cricket match?"I don't need any preparation. I am a good cricketer," said the actor. Anil was at his joyful best at the event and got along well with Muralitharan. He even tried to mimic the cricketer's bowling actions and expressions. — IANS |
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Encouraged by the overwhelming response of the rural audience to theatre festivals in UT villages during 2008 and 2009, the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi is all set to repeat the feat this weekend.
They arrive in the fruit market like a breath of fresh air and then, they are gone in a blink! The apricot season in India is really really brief. I always watch out for them like a hawk on alert since apricot jam is an absolute favourite with my husband. There have been a couple of tragic times when I've missed doing the preserve and believe me, I have neither been forgiven, or allowed to forget the horrific sin I've committed!
