Stars and their tantrums, will we ever get enough of them? Ever wondered what makes them throw their weight around? In this case, the star in question is Lara Dutta.

What makes her throw her weight around? Maybe her petite shoulders cannot shoulder the weight of her attitude. Or after a string of flops, she's tasting the sweet pie or is this former Miss Universe and her break up and reunions whip up more spice than anything else? Or the last reason that fits the bill as of now…was she instructed enough to smile and smile and smile? Or, the reason that we were told, she is getting late for her flight (the overrated reason). Whatever, but Lara Dutta, the actor who is normally soft spoken and doesn't shy away from taking questions head on, in the city for the official launch of Aircel in Punjab came with a pre-designed attitude — 'lesser the better.'

Clad in a red sari, the actor made a blink and miss appearance at the launch of Aircel, the company that plans to revolutionise telecom communication. Once the company heads were done with their brief introduction that lasted for a good 15-20 minutes, Lara made a smiling appearance on the stage. And before we could even take out our notepads and pen, the lady was seen leaving the dais. But yes, she did make her first official call and showed us how well she had mugged up Punjabi - "Sat sri akal Gurdeep Singh ji (chief operating officer of Aircel," she spoke into the phone. And of course, followed by the thanks-giving note on Aircel. (Inevitable). "I am happy to be in Chandigarh. I am glad that now Punjab too can avail the services of Aircel. The company has changed net technology by offering the best. There is much more that they plan to offer and more possibilities to be explored," smiles Lara.

The briefest ode we ever heard. Amidst all this, the actor didn't forget something - photographers. "I will give you the photo opportunity, she smiles yet again. And she did. Posed for the photographers, smiling, holding the phone, smiling, holding the phone in left hand now. Like a cloudburst that swallows life in a go (a cloud burst in Leh killed 85 people on Friday morning), the dark lights just made her vanish from the stage. We were left wondering for eternity. Then came in the news like the one that comes from the government after the tragedy. "She was getting delayed for the flight. You understand," smiles an official.

Of course we do, we understand and see beyond what is shown. Sometimes all we can do in a situation is…come back and file the story! jasmine@tribunemail.com

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu are members of the 'mutual admiration club' as far as fitness is concerned; the lady recently announced that she would release her second DVD on fitness by December and, "John would do a cameo in it." Then followed the 'secret sharing ceremony' in which they revealed that motivating each other and working out together whenever they find time keeps them fit. We check out whether this holds true for every couple that goes to the gym, does yoga or attends kickboxing classes together.

Gaurav Sanotra, manager, Elemention Club, confirms the increasing trend of couples coming to his gym together and its advantages. "We have at least 40 such couples who do cardio, weight training, pilates or other exercises together. Who else can be a better company than your life partner?"

Parul and Malhar Jakhu ensure that they go for kickboxing sessions at least thrice a week. "It's like a competition between us. A lot of stamina is required for this exercise, which comes from motivation that we give to each other," says Parul. And she can explain the difference between exercising in the gym with or without her husband. "There is a comfort level when my husband is working out in the gym with me. I don't get conscious; rather focus on burning more calories." She also lists the advantages of being together at the kickboxing classes: "A session that earlier used to last for not more than 20 minutes can now go up to 50 minutes due to our increased stamina."

"People are more aware of lifestyle disorders now. Also they want their partners to keep fit and look good. There are cases where one of the partner, despite being fit, attends classes just to give company to the other," adds Gaurav.

The scene isn't different at the FnY studio of Anil Juneja, where he conducts yoga classes. "Some asanas require stretching, which are done better when you do it with your partner." As for the number of couples attending his yoga classes together, he says, "It's one way of spending quality time together. Doing meditation together infuses positive vibes in the husband-wife relationship."

It's been two years now that Aarti and Rajnish Jain, owner of Meena Bazaar, have been attending yoga classes together. "I don't remember when I missed the last class ever since my wife has joined me." And he says his performance has also improved. "There are certain asanas, where it's very difficult to hold your body in the required posture. And it's natural to feel encouraged when my wife is able to stay in an asana for a longer duration."

Now we know why John and Bipasha have always been in shape!

ashima@tribunemail.com

Debutant director Siddharth Malhotra feels his cousin Kareena Kapoor has surpassed Julia Roberts in Stepmom in his remake We Are Family.

According to me Kareena has surpassed Julia Roberts from the original," gushes Siddharth. He also confesses that getting Kareena to work in the film was not easy though they are cousins."Kareena's grandmother Krishna Raj Kapoor and my grandfather actor Premnath are siblings. So I've known her from my childhood. We've practically grown up together. When I went to Karan Johar with the idea of remaking Stepmom I told him that Kajol and Kareena were my first and last choices. Karan not only got me the remake rights he also got me the two actors."

"The two actors are the best we have. And there was never an ego issue. Both actresses were super-professional. That is why it took two years to get remake rights and only 64 shifts to make my film. Kajol was a dream. She'd arrive on the dot at 9 am be on the sets for the first shot at 9.30 and we would pack up at 6 pm so that she could return to her baby. To me she was the ideal actress wife and mother, and that's what she plays in my film."

Siddharth can't wait for Kajol to have her second baby so he can make another film with her. Says the besotted director, "Kajol is addictive. No one can wok only once with her. She kept me on my toes. If you work with her you better do your homework, or she will grill you. Karan has taught me to know my characters on my finger tips.

"Siddharth says he knows no other life than films. I watch 3-4 films a day even today in every language. I don't go out to socialise. No parties and no late nights. I couldn't have made a young with-it cool-and-hip film even if I wanted to. It had to be a film about family values. I have grown up in that atmosphere. And I assisted Sooraj Barjatya and Karan Johar. "So how different is We Are Family from the original Stepmom? Siddharth Malhotra ponders. "If you remember Sooraj-ji took the heart of Nadiya Ke Paar and made Hum Aapke Hain Koun. Likewise I've taken just 6-7 key elements of Stepmom and then written it on my own."

Next Siddharth returns to his first script, a family comedy. "I was actually going to make that first. Then I got stuck with the last 20 minutes. Now I've got it worked out." — IANS

She played a swashbuckling heroine smashing sixes out of the cricket field in her last film Dil Bole Hadippa and now actor Rani Mukherjee has turned spokesperson for the cause of women cricketers.

The Bollywood actor who launched the first sports docu-drama on women cricketers, Poor Cousins of Million Dollar Babies here, said that cricket is wrongly termed a 'gentleman's game'."Since childhood, girls are always discouraged from playing sports and are told that cricket is a gentleman's game, which is incorrect. Learning it for the film made me realise what a beautiful game cricket is. It is about technique, not power," said Rani. The 25-minute-film directed by Sunil Yash Kalra features members of the national women's cricket team of India, over a period of 4 years and focus on their lives on and off the pitch.

"I know girls from humble backgrounds that join the sport for the love of it. That inspired me to do Dil Bole Hadippa,"Rani added.The docu-drama sees the protagonists, cricketer Anjum Chopra and captain Jhulan Goswami, along with other members of the team, facing disparities and discrimination but fulfilling their long cherished dream of playing at Lord's cricket ground in London."We were working on a book when I saw a poster of WG Grace's mother, who was the propagator of women's cricket and we thought we'll do a film as well. The movie is not just a tale of disparities among men and women in the cricketing arena, but a story of the triumph of women's cricket," said Kalra. — PTI

Wright Penn, 44, filed for divorce in August 2009, putting an end to the couple's 13-year marriage.According to court papers filed in Marin County, California on July 22, the stars recently reached a private agreement concerning spousal and child support for their 17-year-old son Hopper Jack, who is their only remaining dependant child.

Penns are also parents to a daughter, Dylan, 19. — ANI

The announcement has come as little surprise to the industry, which has watched 24-year-old Megan Fox’s relationship with the veteran Giorgio Armani go from strength to strength in recent years.

She is a regular at his catwalk shows, and wore an Armani Prive gown for her recent wedding to 90210 star Brian Austin Green.Fox even replaced Victoria Beckham as the face of the label's underwear campaign earlier this year, a role Beckham had held since 1998."She embodies the spirit of the women of today... Her beautiful features reveal femininity, sensuality and strength," said the designer about his muse.

Fox is the latest in a line of high-profile actor to front a beauty campaign for a major brand.Scarlett Johansson is the current face of D&G cosmetics, and Julia Roberts was named as the latest face of Lancome earlier this year.And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who replaced Fox in the Transformers series, can currently be seen pouting in the campaign for Burberry's newly launched make-up range. — PTI 

The 24-year-old actor Robert Pattinson is struggling to deal with being one of the world's biggest stars and his co-star Kristen Stewart, whom he is constantly linked with, is said to be worried about him."Kristen's absolutely frantic about Rob. She's never known him to get so upset. He's gone from obscurity to being one of the biggest stars on the planet and the pressure he is under is unbelievable. She's trying to keep his spirits up but she's worried he needs more support than he lets on," a source said.

Meanwhile, the duo are considering to quit Hollywood in order to focus on their relationship."They are considering changing their lives so they can concentrate on their relationship and get away from stardom.Kristen has suggested they try theatre work and indie films.They are both incredibly talented actors and very well thought of in the industry. Despite starring in big-budget productions, they've managed to retain credibility, so theatre is the perfect option," the source added. — PTI