How low is very low? That’s the million-dollar question! Million dollar because pick up any brand or even those Chinese ones available for only Rs 300… all jeans are available in low waists. One inch below the waist or an inch above the hipline or strategically placed just right there in the centre of the length from navel to beginning of the pelvic bone! Authorities in Dublin, in the US state of Georgia, have made it clear once and for all - “low pants, no chance.” And anyone found sporting a low waist, exposing the underpants could also be fined.

Back home too, we believe, we have had enough of those peeking Jokeys and Hilfigers. So do youngsters need to raise their ‘standard’ here to look just fine or are we already decent enough?

“We are better off any day. Even if people here wear low waist jeans, they know how to carry it off well by teaming it up with a long tee,” comes from Rahul of designer duo Rahul and Gunjan. We don’t blame it on Rahul if he suspects US of playing a trick considering their track record, “It’s a smart and intelligent gimmick to promote the mid-waist well-fitted jeans, a trend that’s now catching up in the US. Just as major international brands have their stores in India, they have them in almost every country, which means more market for the new fashion trend.”

The socio-cultural changes are making youngsters ape fashion trends of the west blindly. Navjot Kaur, assistant professor, SGGS College, holds parents responsible for trends that are actually fashion disasters. “Children are exposed to fashion and films at a very young age now. Party culture makes them further conscious of what they should wear. The sole way to ensure that fashion doesn’t freak out people is to make sure parents keep a check on what their kids are wearing.”

Since the sagging baggy pants are now being considered a faux pas, chances are India fashion industry might also bring in the required changes. Cyrus Sahukar, an actor and a comedian, is seriously not interested in knowing the ‘little facts’ about anyone’s wardrobe. However, he is for the freedom to wear anything. “As long as it’s not an eyesore for me, I am fine with what people wear around me.” He says that people who think they make a fashion statement by exposing need to get a reality check. “May be posters in campuses or pamphlets mentioning how irritating the sight can be!”

But Archana R Singh, associate professor, School of Communication Studies, PU, has a positive take on the dressing sense of youth here. “I haven’t seen a lot of youngsters wearing low waist jeans and even if they do, they know how to carry it well.” She doesn’t deny a few exceptions. “We should just ensure the number of exceptions don’t increase. One should wear what one is comfortable in and not blindly ape the West.”

Are there still any takers for the ‘designs’ of the West! ashima@tribunemail.com

It isn’t depicting kings in their stereotypical courts or with ceaseless ornaments on. “The rajas haven’t been shown the way we are used to seeing them. In fact, some of the kings in the play have been depicted as playing chess, while others in a bathtub,” Lalit Chandra, final-year student, Department of Indian Theatre, emphasises on what all’s new in their latest production Madhavi.

Students at the Department of Indian Theatre have gone a little experimental with the latest production, so much so that there are two playing the same character. He adds, “There are two Madhavis, the protagonists on whom the play is based.” The play is based on a woman and takes the audience through a journey.

It’s a complex story of Madhavi, her trauma, the tragedy, the conflicts, the dilemma…no wonder, the relevance of the issue makes the time setting immaterial. Adds Lalit, who plays the role of Ghalib, “The play depicts the compromises that the protagonist Madhavi makes throughout her life. In the story she’s blessed in the sense that whosoever she gives birth to will become a king.”

He adds, “Even after a life of tribulations, at the end when she’s really old, her lover rejects her.”

The play by Bhisham Sahni has been experimented with against the backdrop of simple yet new sets. “It’s basically a satire on a woman, how she makes compromises all year round.”

“We were initially debating between two plays, the other being the Man Without Shadow. But during the readings we found this one strong and the characters strong. Moreover, we wanted the student production to be challenging.” As of now, it’s been a month of rehearsals. “We’ve been practicing and preparing for over four weeks now.” They are excited. The final is up to the audience!

(To be staged at studio theatre, Department of Indian Theatre, PU on 12th and 13th)

— Manpriya Khurana

A six-year-old Harry Potter fan writes about his Alsatian, bags a six book publishing deal! By the way, he wants to be more famous than JK Rowling. Nityasya Belapurkar, a high school student, reflects a Mumbai teenager's life in You're Not Alone.

She's literally not alone! Just out of boarding, Tisha Khosla penned her way to glory about making people choose between 'pink or black'. Somewhere yet another eighth grader is turning blogs into books.

It's the tangent to chic-lit; love them, hate them, can't overlook them; publishing industry is dotted with out-of-school litterateurs. Invariably, each shelf in the market boasts of new arrivals by those barely out of boarding. Somehow, they squeeze into the bestsellers section. Just like thirties are the new twenties, very young authors are the new young authors!

"I think there have always been young writers, there is a global trend regardless of geographical and economical position…of about one finished manuscript there are about 200 works by youth between the ages of 12 and 26," Marianne Rugard Jarvstrat, founder, Bombadil Publishing, a youth-to-youth publishing house, shares a couple of statistics. The publishing house, founded in Sweden in 2007, is out with its latest You're not Alone.

Whoever considered writing a salt and pepper affair, associated first book with 15 years of experience, two years of sabbatical? Internet has loads of forums and blogs for teens and tweens that love to write. If anybody counted those twenty plus, the list would grow exponentially. "At our age book is a big deal, especially it's something that you associate with oldies. I have been scribbling poems on what a typical teenager goes through for almost three-four years now, had put these up on a blog and from there the publisher approached me," shares Aayush Gopal Dawra, Class XIIth student, author of Playing Flipside. He adds, "After writing the book, definitely there's no apprehension because now the barrier is broken."

Till now, even if it were a kid's story or about school life, it wasn't less than grey-haired Ruskin Bond or RK Narayan that touched them. Then came the young Chetan Bhagat. Does anybody see a flipside to an era where writing for the school or college magazine is no more the novel thing? Opines Marianne, "In my opinion there is no flipside, because sharing of ideas and sharing of literature through freedom of speech is positive at all times, young people are increasingly being taken more seriously…as a publisher what gives the confidence to go ahead with their manuscripts is their unmatched passion. Everyday, new, amazing manuscripts filled with such wonder and passion are submitted that you cannot but get involved."

The teen tagged brigade is out writing about themselves, about love, agony, peer pressure, heartbreaks, first kiss, friendships, love triangles, career blues, parents…they are tackling it all. Says Sumrit Shahi, Class XIIth student, St. John's School, author of Just Friends, "I think we connect with youngsters on the same platform. There's a lot of difference between when you're going through that phase and when you've been through that phase. The way we look at things is different." It's been the similar scribbling to compiling to the book story. He adds, "I always had this dream of writing a book, initially there was apprehension, especially as I was a first-time writer, but surprisingly it's been a smooth ride for me. Currently, my book is into its fourth edition. For me, writing is about connecting with readers, I would rather write for teenagers till I am on the same platform."

No wonder, just out of school and laughing their way to publishing houses, multi-books deal are a consolatory add on! Opines Aayush, "There's prolific writing now, maybe because of so many writing clubs at school level itself. Earlier youngsters used to write, but it's only now that they have the confidence to approach publishers, share their ideas and put across manuscripts." The barrier is broken!

manpriya@tribunemail.com

Go, splash out the bright hues, pick up a few decoration pieces, crockery to fit into your kitchen shelves, tapestry to light up your home and furniture to go with it! Well, presenting a one stop-shop for your home requirements — the newly opened mega home store, EVOK, at Paras Down Town Square in Zirakpur.

Spread over an area of 14,000 sqaure feet EVOK brings with it the concept of home fashion, where you can choose from home furniture to soft furnishing, home decor items and accessories, bath accessories, modular kitchens, lighting and floorings.

Besides the retail foray, the store will also work in close association with architects, interior designers et al and present the customers with a complete home package. Elaborating, DK Jairath, COO of Hindware Home Retail Limited, says, "In addition to home décor items, our store also provides designs for the interiors. We have a team of designers with us who will not only help the customers decorate their home, but will also visualise for them and present it in 3d images." And how much does the service cost? "It's a minimum of Rs 1,500 and in certain cases the cost is included in the complete set up of decorating a house."

Talking about the things available in the store, he says, "From Hawaiin sofa sets in earthy hues to bright Alaskan sofa sets, here you can pick anything from sleek, trendy dining tables, coffee tables, nest of three tables, side lamps, flower vases, paintings, beds, bed-sheets, towel sets to clocks etc." Jairath adds, "Today furniture or home décor items are not just the items to be displayed, people want stylish things for their home and keeping that in mind we have exhibited everything that is contemporary in design, has high product quality and is designed to suit the taste of the younger generation."

Well, a walk inside the store and it confirms the taste is contemporary, furniture chic and décor items elegant!

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com

Emerald, ruby, sapphire studded in 92.5 sterling silver in patterns, both ethnic and modern, Utkalika, Orissa State Emporium-35 recently unveiled their brand new silver collection.

"Orissa is a state rich in gemstones. They are mined, cut and finished by local artisans. Here at our store, we have now added jewellery to give our customers the best and purest that our state has to offer," says SK Nanda, branch in-charge.

Utlalika has a rich collection of silver chains, payals, bracelets, rings and pendant sets. There are beautiful patterns of gems studded in pure silver. Their designer collection is as packed as ethnic. You can pick up a trendy piece or completely ethnic one - an ankle kada, enamelled ambi pendant in silver or small baliyan. The collection has traditional designs from all over India and not just Orissa. "Chandigarh represents mini-India, so we have picked up ethnic designs from all over the country," says Nanda. The collection has enamelled silver jewellery from Rajasthan, temple jhumkas from down South and tribal jewellery. For those who believe in stone solutions, this place has rings and nav graha bracelets as well. The icing on the cake is that Utkalika takes orders for custom-made jewellery.

Along with jewellery, this emporium has famous Cuttack filigree work, and amazing collection of stone carvings. A sandstone Shiva or pink stone Nataraj, that took a year to complete, is what you can find here. "We are a state emporium and one can trust us with purity and pricing," offers Nanda.

mona@tribunemail.com

Music is an unending quest, an eternal pilgrimage and practicing it is the journey of our lives," claim Indore-based twin sisters Abha and Vibha Chaurasia.

The first-ever and only female 'jugalbandi' pair in Hindustani classical music, both share a common passion for melody and propagation of art.

Their father Ram Naryan Chaurasia initiated both of them into music. Later, they completed doctorate in music and cleared the National Eligibility Test. They now teach classical music at the Sharda Sangeet Akademy. Having learnt from gurus of Gwalior Gharana, they are presently under the tutelage of Guru Kalpana Zokarkar. The duo is in the city for a vocal recital at the Pracheen Kala Kendra.

"One must sing from one's heart so as to take the listener into the realm of eternal bliss. The sole motto of our singing is to elevate our own consciousness and only then can we uplift the consciousness of the audiences," shares Abha, while commenting on reality show singers who come to them for 'instant results'.

"Government, private sector, and especially the media, should do more to preserve and propagate our rich heritage of music," says Vibha.

Looking for good books for adolescents or teenagers? You'll find many, but what makes a difference is a book that can cater to the core issues and solve the basic problems that teenagers face today. And what better than having a book by a man who has over three decades of varied experience of working with national and international organisations engaged in the fields of youth and social development, training, empowerment and management.

Life Competencies for Adolescents by Devendra Agochiya is a book that comes with a variation because of the way it has been put together. There are 12 modules in the book and any module can be selected to work with the adolescents independently. "My book is for adolescents, between 13 to 17 years of age, and the idea was to present a comprehensive and holistic approach to the growing years of a teenager. I wanted to move away from the clichés and write a book that helps in the growing up process of teenagers, builds interpersonal skills, self-awareness, confidence and management of stress, besides various other things."

Talking about how his book is different, he says, "There are 12 modules in the book and every chapter has some 10,000 words that anyone can take independently and solve problems accordingly."

Agochiya's attempt is to build stronger, happier and confident individuals. "The book is not just text, it has a CD, some powerpoint presentations and worksheets at the end of every module that can help develop happy children, step-by-step." He adds, "This is not a mere book for me, it's a mission. I want my book to be implemented in every school because it has everything that a growing teenager needs and has answers for the parents and teachers on what they should do to help them."

Having also penned, Every Trainer's Handbook, we ask how he picks his topics? "I have been closely associated with whatever I have written. Every Trainer's Handbook, is no different. This book talks about how to train people. From genesis of training to its evolution, this book talks about enhancing interpersonal effectiveness, management of intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts, interpersonal communication, bonding with people and self-esteem. In a nutshell, it's a practical guide on how to handle people."

Presently, he is working as a freelance consultant with a number of national and international agencies in training and development, self-improvement and other related areas. What next? "I am a PhD in psychology, maybe my next book is something related to psychology."

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com

ITC's Wills Lifestyle announces the launch of their Autumn-Winter 2010 Collection. Internationally, this Autumn-Winter season is marked by a lively demonstration of stylish interplay of various textured patterns and weaves on ensembles. The season lays emphasis on the English heritage collection, elegant and feminine styles and the luxuria range.

Reflecting on the onset of celebratory and festive season, this collection introduces innovative vibrant colour story. The colours of the season range between simple shades to vibrant tints.

Wills Classic collection for men pays homage to the grandeur of the season with rich fabrics and deep shades.

Wills sport autumn winter line for men brings design elements inspired by the English heritage. Wills sport women's collection blends casual street and heritage design elements together into a country rock mood.

Wills cublife for men is inspired by London architecture, the look is chic, and edgy. Wills clublife women collection is a nostalgic collection reverberating to a more delicate and layered look. — TNS

Lawman Pg3 has launched the famous ‘Y-fi’ stitch, the first Indian patented denim product to the International market and is launching another international patented product called "VERTEBRAE" in India.

LawmanPg3 "Vertebrae" is a combination of clinically accurate wash and stitch put together and gives you a pair of jeans that has an exciting new uber-cool designer look and feel, which shows off a vertebral column.

LawmanPg3 "Vertebrae" denim collection is available in over a dozen styles and fits. The seasonal palette focuses on traditional blues, blacks and greys. Specially designed addictive accessories complete the look for every persona.

Vikas Jain, director, Kewal Kiran clothing limited says, “Apparel is one segment that will draw new customers every season. And they say ‘Fashion never goes out of Fashion’. Kangana Ranaut the brand ambassador for the brand says, “Lawman’s denim wear has an exciting new uber-cool designer look and feel which I think will be very popular amongst the youth. I am very happy and excited to be its brand ambassador.” — TNS

This week there is only one release the over-hyped Salman Khan starrer Dabangg, which also has Sonakshi Sinha (Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter) as the heroine of the film. The film is in fact a home production for the Khan brothers. Arbaaz and Malaika Arora Khan have produced it and Arbaaz also plays the second lead while Malaika does her best to sizzle in the controversial item number  Munni Badnaam Hui. First time helmer Abhiinav Kashyap, Anuraag Kashyap’s brother who has also co-scripted the film, shows that he can wield the megaphone in a style best suited to Bollywood mainstream cinema.

Dabangg is an out and out masala film, it’s old-fashioned vendetta plot retro-fitted with a vivacious chirpiness that is altogether infectious- the kind of cinema that would fit in well with the 70’s and 80’s Bollywood hits.

The story is just a reason to give Salman, the megastar ample opportunity to showcase his stylised buffoonery and newcomer Sonakshi Sinha a feature role that would highlight her to the best advantage.  Abhinav wants us to forget the kind of cinema that his brother Anuraag (Black Friday, Dev D) and Bollywood’s other new age directors have tried to create. A space that was won over after tremendous struggle and is now being lost to the herd mentality of the creatively challenged.  

Anubhav puts in all the old potboiler ingredients and serves it in a style that is facetious and spuriously entertaining. From the real world that we have been experiencing in cinema of late, we are drawn back into the Bollywood superhero mindset. The hero even when he is doing wrong can never be said to be in the wrong and he always comes up trumps even when he has to face innumerable baddies. In this film Salman plays Robinhood Chulbul Pandey, an inspector with the Police force in Lalgunj, UP.  

When he was just a little boy his widowed mother (Dimple showing off great acting chops) marries Pandeyji (Vinod Khanna) and gives birth to mundbuddhi Makhi (Arbaaz) who is the apple of his father’s eye. Pandeyji dislikes Chulbul (we never know why) and the film takes off from that scenario to Salman’s meeting Rajjo (Sonakshi) while chasing the goons and deciding to marry her in an instant.

A scene that is ritualistic Bollywood to the core. Of course none of this makes sense in the real world. The action is vicious, violence is given full rein and most of the performers appear to be having a whale of a time. The serious actors in fact balance out the mayhem beautifully. Vinod Khanna, does his best to imbue his sketchy role with some pride and grit. Dimple Kapadia does the Maa bit with great elan, Sonu Sood’s Chedhi Singh political goon act is very convincing, Mahesh Manjrekars drunken act is also bang on target, Om Puri’s corrupt Police officer role is well done and so is Anupam Kher’s wily politician act.  

Salman takes up all the footage playing to the gallery with buffoonery that was once the realm of Shakti kapoor, Anupam Kher and Kader Khan.

So, the rest of the cast had to fill in the spaces to root the film in order that the audience find something worthwhile to cheer about. Sonakshi holds her own in a sea of familiar faces, oozing fresh sensual appeal and performing with a confidence that is a credit to her genes. Mahesh Limaye’s cinematography is the highlight of the film. His choice of camera angles and colour is very well suited to this type of a film. His camera captures everything that Salman can put together (even his extremely awkward dance moves, walking style, lack of height, lack of expression, stylised unnatural behaviour, etc.) and magnifies it all to such a level that you actually get the feeling that everything that transpires is so larger than life.  So as an audience you can never feel foolish even though what you are watching is insanely so.

The music of the film has the right flavour and tang, appropriate to the dehati setting and therefore attractive to the ears. Abhinav’s narrative is smartly manufactured.  It is unapologetic about its implausibility and doesn’t ever feel the need to dress it’s characters in realistic hues. And it’s definitely not meant for people who utilise their brain cells while watching a film!

Supermodel and a party animal, Kate Moss, has declared that her days of excessive partying are over. The model, who became famous as Cocaine Kate after being exposed for drug-taking five years ago, said that she has decided to change her lifestyle and is ditching her wild partying antics to look up to clean living.

"It's about time I got myself in order because I'm no longer a little girl. So it's early to bed and early to rise," a publication quoted her as saying in an interview to an Italian magazine.

Moss, 36, is in a long-term relationship with rock guitarist Jamie Hince and took a break in the country a while ago. Whereas, in previous years she was regularly photographed partying during her holidays, this time she cut a far more sombre figure. The English model was also spotted in a local disco in an island of Sicily and the onlookers were amazed to notice that a woman previously known for her hardcore drinking didn't have anything stronger than tonic water and fruit juice. It had been claimed that Kate was planning a large party at her home in the Cotswold, yet she had nothing stronger than a pub lunch with Hince, 40. Kate met Hince, guitarist of the band The Kills, in 2007 and it is said that he has had stabilizing effect on her, which helped her out of hedonistic living. — ANI

Director Siddharth Malhotra got his first break from producer Karan Johar and vouches to work only with Dharma Productions until he is kicked out even though he is getting big offers from others.

"Karan Johar is my guru. I saw his Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and that day I decided I have to make a film like his," Malhotra, who made his directorial debut with We are Family, he said. He says he looks up to Karan. "I learnt everything from Sooraj Barjatya and Karan Johar. I was associate director in Sooraj Barjatya's 'Vivah'. I have already started getting offers from many big production houses, but I will make films only with Karan until he kicks me out," Malhotra said.

On the making of We are Family, Malhotra said that he was working on a family comedy like Chupke Chupke initially. "Karan approved the story and I was signed. But we got stuck on a point in the second half of the film." "I always wanted to make 'Stepmom' and was sure to make it at some point. My writers started working on it early on. Luckily, the first draft of the script was ready," Siddharth said, adding We are Family started from there.

The Rs.20-crore film starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal is an adaptation of 1998 superhit Hollywood movie Stepmom. Kajol and Kareena respectively play the roles of Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts . Malhotra says he would not have made the film if Kajol and Kareena had refused to be part of 'the family'. "I had always planned to take Kajol and Kareena. I would not have made this film without them. While I was in the process of writing this film, I couldn't see anyone other than Kajol. When you see the film you would realise that no one except her could play that character."

He said Kareena is his second cousin but he always maintained a formal relationship with her. "My grandparents are actors Premnath and Bina Roy. So Kareena's grandmother is my grandfather's real sister. That way she is my second cousin. I don't have a brother-sister relationship with her. We used to meet very formally at RK functions. Now we share a good rapport," said Malhotra.

Actor Arjun Rampal was the perfect choice because he fits best for the requirement of a strong and silent character. "We needed a man who looks so good that two women would fight for him. He is strong and silent. We saw Rock On and thought he is perfect."

"When you are making a film where the heroines are the hero, you needed a hero who understands it and still gives his cent percent. In Stepmom there is not much of Ed Harris; here I wanted to show that here is a man who is a failure as a father and husband. Arjun is there in every frame of the film," said Malhotra. And how does it differ from the original version? "I always wanted to adapt the story line and not make a remake. I didn't want to copy scene by scene. I wanted three children. In Stepmom, there is an illegitimate relationship, here they are already divorced and legitimately he is seeing another woman. Here intentions are very clear."

"There are around eight scenes, which are similar to Stepmom because those scenes are what you remember Stepmom for," he said. Malhotra maintains that it took him around a year to transform the American comedy-drama into an Indian story.

"It took us around one year. Karan came with his ideas, I came with mine. We knew that it's a hit Hollywood film, made by Chris Columbus, one of the biggest directors; seven writers had written that film; to adapt it and see that it should not look dated, the characters were made contemporary and the feelings were Indian; that took a lot of our time," said Malhotra. — IANS

‘Who is coming, Brad Pitt?" asked a passer-by as he tried to navigate his way through the growing crowd outside Elgin theatre. The huge queue across the street was not for any Hollywood actor. It was for Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who was here to attend the screening of his wife Kiran Rao's directorial debut Dhobi Ghat at the ongoing 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The 45-year-old actor, who plays a painter, is one of the three characters in the movie, but the Bollywood enthusiasts had eyes only for Aamir. Thousands of people, a medley of Indian and other origins, lined up the streets and the crowd grew in size every minute. And for those who could not get a ticket to the film, lined up the other side of the street to get a glimpse of their favourite star. "He is a little man, I have to be careful otherwise I will miss him," said Atika, who left her work early to see Aamir. "I love him, he has not given a single flop in the last ten years," she said.

The chants of Aamir, Aamir, Aamir," was defeaning as the actor stepped down and gave a flying kiss to his fans. Most of them rushed through the traffic to get a closer look and maybe, if they are lucky, a picture. And they had come prepared.

Aamir, dressed in a black shirt and brown suit, did not disappoint his fans. The actor was more than willing to step out of his security cordon to oblige a few lucky ones. Navdeep, a young school student, who risked her life as she rushed through the moving traffic, got Aamir's autograph on her jacket. She said she had a special marker, so that the autograph does not go even after washing it.

Supriya, who had come with a poster of Aamir, got a picture and an autograph of the actor."Oh my God, I got a picture with Aamir," the die-hard fan said, adding that it was heady to meet and see the actor at such a close distance. The buzz around the film, which has been dubbed as new "Hindie" cinema by the International media here, is rivalling the Hollywood premieres here. And the crowd, which was the biggest so far for any premiere, proved it. About 1700 tickets were sold out days before but for those who could not manage it tried to get into the rush lines to grab a seat. Some even tried to buy tickets in black by paying double the price. Interestingly, the movie's director Kiran slipped unnoticed into the hall as Aamir was busy giving autographs to his fans. Most of them did not even know that the actor had come with his wife or the film was directed by her." It is huge for the Asian population here. There is lot of buzz around the movie. Bollywood premieres rival even Brad Pitt. They are in fact bigger," Jennifer Bell, VP Communications of TIFF said.

The film will have three shows, two for the media and industry people. Aamir, who is known for his strategic film promotions, reportedly does not want the Indian media to write much about the movie at this stage because the film will release later there. The film is being hailed as a product of the "new wave" of Indian cinema. Other Indian films that have people curious is Aamir Bashir's debut Harud (Autumn) and Anurag Kashyap's The Girl In Yellow Boots, which are having their gala premieres here. — PTI

Katie Holmes has revealed that she and husband Tom Cruise spend many an evening playing Scrabble. Katie married the Mission Impossible star back in November 2006. "My husband is very romantic and can do very big gestures," a publication quoted her as saying.

"He takes me on helicopter rides, flies me to special places and he makes me feel very good. "It is also playing scrabble together, it's being together," she added. — ANI

Burglars raided Ashley Cole's mansion while he was away on England duty and have apparently stolen precious mementos from Cheryl, including cards and love letters. Ashley, 29, arrived back at his 350,000-pound flat in Esher, Surrey, hours after England had won 3-1 in Switzerland. The Chelsea defender was devastated to discover that the last memories he had of his four-year marriage to Cheryl were missing.

Love notes, poems and two packets of letters were found missing along with jewellery, cash and the keys to his sports car. Cheryl, 27, shares Ashley's fears that their marriage secrets could be splashed across the media. "Cheryl's written lots of stuff to Ashley over time, while she was touring with Girls Aloud and on the other side of the world with work commitments," a publication quoted a source close to the star as saying. "Their paths didn't cross as much as they would have liked so they tried their best to be romantic in other ways. "Notes, little poems and letters were a big form of Cheryl's communication and this could all be published soon." There are lots of secrets that no-one knows a thing about," the source added. Spokesmen for Cheryl and Ashley declined to comment. — ANI

Padma Lakshmi's 40th birthday party was celebrated with a Moulin Rouge-theme at Indochine. Hosted by Teddy Forstmann, the bash included guests like Anna Wintour, Diane von Furstenberg, Barry Diller, Richard Meier and Katie Couric. "Padma and Teddy looked romantic.

He filled the room with flowers. He planned the party and did the toast. She looked beautiful in a silver sequined dress," a publication quoted a source as saying. IMG chief Forstmann booked a marching band, cancan dancers, contortionists and Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto. — ANI

Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi is back doing what he does best -- kissing. And this time, he has gone a step further by locking lips with a foreign actress in his upcoming film Crook-It's good to be bad. Emraan has earlier locked lips with most of his co-stars like Mallika Sherawat, Udita Goswami, Kangana Ranaut and Sonal Chauhan.

The film, directed by Mohit Suri, is produced under Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt's banner Vishesh Films. It also features debutante actress Neha Sharma and actor Arjan Bajwa of Fashion fame. The film, slated for an Oct 8 release, is said to be about racial attacks on Indian students in Australia. — IANS