Yet another Chandigarh product, the new kid on the block, routed through the similar modelling-to-acting channels and finally en route a Bollywood career. Thrown in is an off track tangent, a lead role in a heroin-oriented film. By the way, he has even played country cricket in England. Actor Mohit Bhardwaj shares some new beginnings, couple of early experiences, and some offbeat choices.

Starting with his debut Simran, a Punjabi feature film, he says, "I play the lead role in the film. It's a movie based on female foeticide, which is a problem in many parts of the country but especially in Northern part of India."

Perhaps, that's where the offbeat and bold beginnings lie…debut in a heroin-oriented role, female-centric issue, add to it, the lead role as the protagonist's brother.

He shares, "For me, the story and the concept are more important than anything else. Moreover, I had full faith in director Darshan Bagga." He adds, "It's a story of a girl, Simran and the problems she faces. I play her brother who is settled abroad. I come back when I hear about her problems." The film, releasing this October, has been shot in around two months.

As for Chandigarh? "Oh I did my schooling from St John's and then college from DAV-10 and then started with modelling." From where it all began; landing the role wasn't an instant thing. "I won the best upcoming male model North, then Mr Chandigarh title in 2007, Gladrags happened in 2008, a couple of ramp shows, a stint with MTV…of all the things acting is the most creatively satisfying, needless to say brings in more fame," he shrugs. Does he have any role models, any icons? "I admire Salman Khan and Hrithick

Roshan and his character in Kaho Na Pyaar Hai would be a dream role for me."

Currently for him, it's a brief halt in the city for a family function; post the release, it's pack up again to Mumbai. "There are a couple of projects in hands. A movie with Mahesh Bhatt banner is in the pipeline, then there's Vijay Tandon's Do Gallan Pyaar Diyaan, a romantic musical comedy."

Which brings us exactly to the man behind Sarhad Paar, the writer and producer of award wining Kachehri and now upcoming Do Gallan Pyar Diyaan. Vijay Tandon shares a couple of tit bits on the Punjabi film industry and the conversation graduates…He shares, Do Gallan Pyaar Diyaan is a romantic musical comedy." Here's adding to the stable of rare movies sans the NRI theme. He adds, "That's because the overseas is a huge market. Rather it's the main market for any producer of Punjabi films. Until and unless it's a Manmohan Singh film, no movie does a business of more than Rs 40 lakh in this part of the region."

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She may be the dreamgirl for many but not everyone has the courage to go up and propose to Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone. But the 24-year-old actor was shocked when a youngster went down on his knees and asked her, "Will you marry me?" An amused Deepika turned down the proposal saying, "I am not ready for marriage yet." "But I am ready for you," shot back the youth, which left the former model laughing.

Deepika, who turned up in a gorgeous white saree to promote her upcoming film Lafangey Parindey along with co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh and his father, has constantly been linked to liquor baron Vijay Mallaya's son Siddhartha. The actor, who was previously dating Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, was first spotted with Siddhartha at an IPL match cheering for his team Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Deepika had earlier said that she would not stop leading a normal life because of the media's excessive interest in her personal life.

"It does not matter if you link me up with someone because I know that I am leading a normal life. I have my guy friends with whom I go out like everybody else," she had said. And at the ongoing India International Jewellery Week in Mumbai where she walked the ramp, Siddhartha was in the front row cheering for her.

Her latest film has been directed by Pradeep Sarkar of 'Pareenita' fame and releases on August 20. The story revolves around a group of youngsters living in the backstreets of Mumbai and sees Deepika playing a blind girl. — PTI

Bollywood actor Gul Panag, who is also a member of the Commonwealth Games sub-committee feels that lack of proper infrastructure and dearth of women members on selection boards have discouraged the fairer sex from taking up sports as a career in India.

"There is no proper infrastructure support… not much encouragement and also there are no women in the Federation, be it hockey or wrestling or any other.. which chooses women athletes. This itself shows where we stand," Gul said.On India's prospects in CWG 2010, the 31-year-old actor, who has been a long distance runner and swimmer said, "I see Australia, UK and South Africa in the forefront of the Games as they have proper infrastructure support. I think India lacks it." Also, I think Indian Olympic Association (IOC) must encourage young girls from smaller towns and cities to take up sports. We must bring in school and college girls, Gul said.

When asked why she did not take up sports more seriously, Gul said, "In India, there is only limited potential for an athlete. I never took it up because I did not see a future in that. Only few like Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and others have made it in sports."

The former beauty queen will be seen in Subhash Ghai's up-coming film Hello Darling, a comedy that highlights the issue of sexual harassment at work place.When asked if she ever had any such personal experience Gul said, "I think there are some people who can't handle propositions and some people who can. And I think I belong to the latter category." Directed by debutant Manoj Tiwari, the film releases on August 27 and stars Eesha Narang, Celina Jaitley and Javed Jaffery. — PTI

Some rare photographs taken between the shoots of 1961 film Misfits, the last film Marilyn Monroe completed, show a relaxed side of the Hollywood icon, who is synonymous with old Hollywood glamour.

In the newly released images, the actress is dressed-down in a simple white shirt and her hair is plaited in pigtails. She looks sombre but relaxed.Monroe committed suicide only a year after completing the film, which was written by her ex-husband Arthur Miller.It was directed by John Huston and also starred Clark Gable.The film tells the story of a depressed divorcee's chance encounter with an ageing cowboy.Other photos also show a fresh-faced Marilyn caught off-guard wrapped in a towel, reading the script between takes and standing at her trailer door sipping coffee as she chats to co-star Montgomery Clift.

These eight intimate images have been captured by photo-journalist Eve Arnold and are on display in the US.Recalling his association with the star, 98-year-old photographer said: "She was going places but she hadn't arrived. She liked my pictures and was canny enough to realise that they were a fresh approach for presenting her - a looser, more intimate look than the posed studio portraits she was used to in Hollywood."It became a bond between us...Marilyn was very important in my career. I think I was helpful in hers too," he added.

Fifty years after her suicide, Hollywood is planning to make a film on the last two years of Monroe with Angelina Jolie playing the troubled star. The film is based on a novel by Andrew O'Hagan The Life And Opinions Of Maf The Dog, And Of His Friend Marilyn Monroe' and tells the story of Marilyn's final two years before her death in 1962 through the eyes of her pet Maltese terrier Maf, a gift from Sinatra in 1960. — PTI

Actor Jennifer Aniston may have made a successful career in films after appearing in hit sitcom Friends, but her co-star Courteney Cox says she's is too shy to be a part of the industry.

The 46-year-old, who played Monica Geller in the show, admits she did not have the confidence to go to auditions.

"I always talked myself out of going in to read. I don't know if I had that much confidence. I was always thinking I needed to do something else, be more mysterious," she said.

Cox, who is currently seen in popular comedy TV series Cougar Town, admits she is "much more content" but says she is still hurt by having been the only one of the Friends cast not to have been nominated for an Emmy award.

"My ego got really bruised. When everyone did but me, that doesn't feel good at all. There were certain years I thought, 'Maybe I have a shot', like the Monica-Chandler years. I don't know how it happens and why. Maybe I wasn't ready," she said. — IANS

His baritone is as famous as his face, but Hollywood superstar Michael Douglas who has been diagnosed with throat cancer, may lose his voice to the disease.The 65-year-old actor who is the son of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas will undergo an eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and had said that he is optimistic of a full recovery. But sources close to the family say that the actor has a locally advanced cancerous growth and if the 'synchronous' therapy does not work out, he will have to undergo surgery, which would leave him with a changed voice, or no voice at all.

The Wall Street star had decided to consult a doctor some weeks ago after his voice became hoarser and he started having trouble in swallowing.The actor who was a smoker for decades, will begin the treatment in New York and reports indicate it is due to start this week.Douglas's camp has let it be known that his doctors think that, although the situation is frightening, he will make a full recovery.

Douglas himself released a statement saying, "I am very optimistic".There is also no word yet on how the treatment will affect his work schedule, as Douglas has a lot on his plate, including promotion for his return to the character Gordon Gekko in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps which opens in September.

Former Friends star Jennifer Aniston has revealed the secret to her age-defying skin - a 1.99-pound soap. Aniston, 41, revealed that she owes her fresh-faced look to Neutrogena soap bars, which are available in supermarkets and on high streets across the UK.

"I've used it since high school," she said before the premiere of her latest film, The Switch, in Hollywood.

Aniston, who uses the soap Peaches and Cream, also insisted that a good diet and exercise are the key to maintaining her incredible physique.

"We have known for a while that Jennifer is a fan," a spokeswoman for Neutrogena said. — ANI

Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron was in awe after actor Tom Cruise took him for a tour to his motorcycle warehouse.

The two stars met at the office of their agent and Cruise invited the High School Musical star over to his house for a guided tour.

Cruise also taught him how a motorcycle engine worked, and showed him the hangar which houses his collection of two-wheeled wonders, including the Triumphs he rode in the Mission Impossible movies.

"It's just so cool that he gave a s**t, the fact that he cared at all," he added. — IANS

ŠkodaAuto India and Seventy Event Management Group have come together to create and present a prestigious award, which celebrates contemporary art in India called the Škoda Prize.

The Škoda Prize will be an annual celebration of outstanding work in contemporary art in the country. It is a first-of-its-kind award that strives to recognise and reward young Indian artists under the age of 45. Each artist will be judged on the exhibitions or other presentations of their work produced in the 12 months preceding the award.

The jury panel for the award is chaired by one of India's prominent art experts, Tasneem Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum. Other jury members include Rajshree Pathy and Kavita Singh, a well-known art historian. She is associate professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her publications include 'New Insights into Sikh Art' (2002) and essays in several international and national journals and edited volumes. Rajshree Pathy is founder of Contemplate, an arts initiative that will collaborate with artists and art organisations. Apart from the jury panel, there's also an advisory committee headed by renowned art critic, Girish Shahane, an independent writer based out of Mumbai. His articles on art, film and cultural politics have been published in leading newspapers and journals in India and abroad.

Says Thomas Kuehl, director sales amd marketing, ŠkodaAuto India, "Art reflects a higher and an intellectual interpretation of the society at large. We look at this association as a great opportunity to provide a platform of recognition for contemporary Indian artists who have been contributing richly to the global art scene. Associating with art is a natural extension of the brand positioning for an audience aspiring for premium and clever choices in life."

Artists can enter their nominations for The Škoda Prize based on guidelines given on the official website www.theskodaprize.com. Top 20 shortlisted artists will be featured in the Škoda prize catalogue and the artworks of the final three artists will be exhibited in New Delhi. The final winner will be announced in January and shall be awarded Rs 10,00,000 apart from earning the prestigious title of the Škoda prize winner for the year 2010-2011. —TNS

When the CEO of an international brand claims that they waited for a year-and-a-half to find a suitable location in Sector-17 to open their exclusive store, he implies Chandigarh is a very important market! Celio, a men's wear brand from France, opened its store in the city on Wednesday, which is also their 13th in the country.

"People of the city are well-travelled. They are aware about fashion trends and brands — the reason why all major brands are present in the city," says Rajat Luthra, CEO, Celio.

The store has on display complete spring summer collection, which suggests they have arrived late by a season. However, Rajat defends the time of the launch, "The sale season has ended. The stores have added new stuff to the collections. Also summers are here to stay for at least three more months, which means people will have more options to add to their wardrobe." The collection comprises tees, pullovers, casual trousers, shirts, denims and accessories.

The brand does not believe in customisation and prefers to maintain international standards. "The designs and silhouettes are the same globally. The only change we bring in is in terms of fit, as body stature of people in the West is a little different from those in India. But we don't alter the DNA of our clothes." He feels that people of Chandigarh have an inclination towards international brands. And their immediate plans are to open similar stores in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar. "There is a lot of potential in the Punjab market, since the NRI population is maximum here."

About the brand, says Rajat, "Every second youngster in France wears a Celio. It has a presence in 66 countries with 1,000 stores."

It is stating the obvious; a poetess who started writing during the mid-1970s has to be inspired by the legendry poet of those times - Amrita Pritam. With seven books published in her name, Paul Kaur has never forgotten to give credit to Amrita. "She always highlighted my poems in her books and introduced me to the literary world," says Paul, who is working on her next book on the cultural history of Punjab.

Written in the form of verse, her latest book will cover the cultural history of Punjab from the prehistoric period to the present times. "My book focuses on the dilution of the culture of Punjab due to invasions of Mughals and British. Also, the culture of Punjab has undergone a change due to globalisation. On one hand it's going global while on the other, it is getting affected by the culture of the West."

Paul has also mentioned in her book, the change Punjab saw during tough times like Partition and terrorism during the 1980s. "Political, economic, social, every aspect brings in some change in the culture," adds Paul, who is a professor at SD Jain College, Ambala. She is a proud recipient of the Shromani Kavita Award. — Ashima Sehajpal

Mitashi, a name which is synonymous when it comes to electronic products, has recently launched an all new range of DVDs and home theater systems. Mitashi's new and competitive range comes with a sleek and revolutionary DVD player - 2711 with amplifier and a state-of-the-art Sub woofer system - PH 60T.

Mitashi's new player DVD - 2711 comes with advanced features like built in amplifier, USB port, memory card port and CD ripping. It plays almost all types of video formats, including DIV X and XVID. With the 2711 you can rip your favourite CDs and DVDs and copy the content directly to an external storage device like a USB Drive. The Dolby digital sound 5.1 along with the MDDI technology enhances their customer's audio and video experience and makes movie watching an exhilarating affair. — TNS 

What's a better deal than offering a custom-made bike as the award for the contest? And that too when the contest doesn't require one to answer a GK question, perform thrilling stunts or test aptitude. All one needs to do is strike the right pose for the camera and mark a present on all social networking sites. Also make online friends with as many people as possible (The friend limit of Facebook is 20,000).

Del Monte, the food and beverage brand, has introduced this unique contest that gives the opportunity of winning a bike. "The bikes will be displayed at various centres that are popular among youth. Youngsters will be invited to get pictures clicked with bikes and Del Monte products. The photographs will then be uploaded on the Del Monte website," informs Charul Tiplani of Del Monte. To win the contest, youngsters will have to upload the link of the photographs www.worldfoody.com on various social networking sites.

Adds Charul, "The two youngsters that will enjoy the maximum number of hits will the declared winners of modified bikes." Each bike costs Rs 2 lakh... all the more reason to strike the right pose.

The campaign was earlier launched at other metro cities in India. "It enjoyed a tremendous response from youngsters, which is why we are now taking it to the mini-metro cities."

In the city, the bikes will be displayed at the DT Mall, Punjab University, Sukhana Lake, Barista cafes, Coffee Day Xpress outlets and various BPOs. Del Monte will shortly unveil an online biker game as well. Gamers will be able to improve their scores and win prizes. "Improving the scores is another way of winning modified bikes," Charul adds. — TNS

Modern lifestyles have definitely brought luxuries, but on the flip side, a lot of stress as well. Constant hammering by cellphones, emails, long and odd working hours, have all led to a decrease in patience levels. The recent incident of two fatigued doctors clashing over a trifle in the city highlights how stress is taking its toll, not only on our health but relationships as well.

Anureet Sidhu, who works as sales support with an MNC, finds dealing with home and work, at the same time, stressful. "The present work scenario is such that one is continually embroiled in it. Before one reaches home, the stress of another tomorrow at work is already on you," she avers. "Long working hours, especially at night, cuts one off from the society. Constant stress makes one irritable and impacts all spheres of life, including relationships," she adds.

"Stress is so high that many a times one doesn't feel like going to work the next day. Yet, one needs to be really brave to tackle today's stress and we have devised our own ways," says Anureet. So she does yoga in the morning and tries not to bring work to home. "Though my husband works in same company, in different departments, yet, we never talk about work at home," she avers.

Most modern jobs not only have long and odd working hours, but also make sure one is working 24X7, which makes it difficult to take out time for the family. This leads to further stress. And be it any field, people are hard-pressed for time. "The ever-increasing workload does make it stressful," says Dr Sarabjit Singh, surgical specialist at Government Multi Speciality Hospital-16. "Family is the best stress buster for me. But with a spouse in the same profession, it gets so difficult to take time off together. Still, we make sure to have a vacation together to refresh ourselves and get ready to face the challenges of life," he adds.

So stringent are the demands of life that one feels suffocated in the web created around us. "Today, competition is harsh and targets are tough,' says Deepak Sharma, an executive with a private bank. "Work takes almost your entire waking hours, one goes home only to sleep," he adds. "It is difficult to break this stressful pattern," he feels. And to unwind, Deepak prefers to hangout with family or friends. "I spend at least one relaxed evening a week with my loved ones," says Deepak.

And what is the expert opinion? "Modern lifestyles have increased the stress manifold," says Seema Aggarwal, psychologist with JP Hospital, Zirakpur. "Counsellors have techniques that help reduce stress, but little changes in lifestyle can also help. Make exercise a part of your routine, take out time (howsoever little) for yourself, bring music into your life, take pleasure in small, beautiful things that life offers and you are all set to face the challenges," she says.

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A recent research has revealed that adults who have Internet access at home are more likely to be in romantic relationships than adults without Internet access. "Although prior research on the social impacts of Internet use has been rather ambiguous about the social cost of time spent online, our research suggests that Internet access has an important role to play in helping Americans find mates," said Michael J. Rosenfeld of Stanford University and the lead author of the study.

According to the study, 82.2 percent of participants who had Internet access at home also had a spouse or romantic partner, compared to a 62.8-percent partnership rate for adults who did not have Internet access.

The paper uses data from Wave I of the How Couples Meet and Stay Together (HCMST) survey, a nationally representative survey of 4,002 adults, of whom 3,009 had a spouse or romantic partner.

Rosenfeld and Reuben J. Thomas of City University of New York, also found that the Internet is the one social arena that is unambiguously gaining importance over time as a place where couples meet.

"With the meteoric rise of the Internet as a way couples have met in the past few years, and the concomitant recent decline in the central role of friends, it is possible that in the next several years the Internet could eclipse friends as the most influential way Americans meet their romantic partners, displacing friends out of the top position for the first time since the early 1940s," Rosenfeld said.

The study also found that the Internet is especially important for finding potential partners in groups where the supply is small or difficult to identify such as in the gay, lesbian, and middle-aged heterosexual communities.

"Couples who meet online are much more likely to be same-sex couples, and somewhat more likely to be from different religious backgrounds," Rosenfeld said. — ANI

Girls and boys are not as different as previously thought, according to a new study. The research suggested that although girls tend to hang out in smaller, more intimate groups than boys, this difference is diluted by the time children reach the eighth grade.

"Girls and boys aren't as different as we think they are," said Jennifer Watling Neal, of Michigan State University.

Neal's study has analysed how girls' and boys' peer networks develop across grades.

Because children's peer-group structure can promote negative behaviours like bullying and positive behaviours like helping others, she said it's important for researchers to have a clear picture of what these peer groups look like.

"Although we tend to think that girls' and boys' peer groups are structured differently, these differences disappear as children get older," Neal said.

The reason may have to do with an increased interaction with the opposite sex.

"Younger boys and girls tend to play in same-sex peer groups," Neal said. "But every parent can relate to that moment when their son or daughter suddenly takes an interest, whether social or romantic, in the opposite sex." Neal examined peer relationships of third- through eighth-grade students at a Chicago school and found that girls in the younger grades did, indeed, tend to flock together in smaller, more intimate groups than boys.

But that difference disappeared by the eighth grade. While the size of boys' peer groups remained relatively stable, girls' peer groups became progressively larger in later grades. — ANI

Life with siblings is great. One can not only share his or her happiness and sorrows with siblings, but also fall back upon them in times of crisis. Siblings understand every aspect of your life more intelligently because they grow up together in the same environment. The meaning of sharing better understood. There is at times no need to make friends at all as siblings fill up that gap. The saying, 'relation of blood is the greatest of all relations', is absolutely correct in my opinion.