Left alone, he would lock himself up in a room, draw the curtains, pull out a DVD or a book from his bag, depending on his mood of course, and immerse himself in the amazing world of cinema or words. Quiet unlike his profession we thought. And he smiles, not surprised by our observation. VJ Yudhisthir, unlike the blabber that you hear on screen, needs to be coaxed to speak. A curious case that we found pretty interesting!

In Chandigarh to anchor an IPL match, Yudi, as everyone addresses him, has many exciting things up his sleeves. As we said before, it took a while before he shares what they were, over a hot vegetable soup.

“I like food,” he says. I like to taste good food whenever I travel. For a channel V VJ, this telegram conversation comes as a ‘not-done’ thing. He smiles, an activity he doesn’t mind indulging in, “Maybe, but this is how I am. Or let’s say this is how I have become. I am a been-there-done-that case, and now I want to channelise my energy in something different,” says Yudi. We’ve hit the nail. Something different, let’s hear it from you.

“Cinema,” the one word reply comes faster than we expected, along with an unexpected explanation. “I was always interested in cinema. Veejaying came out of nowhere, leaving me busy. Finally, I had to tell myself that I have to get back to my heart’s calling, which is cinema. I am writing something and would definitely want to direct a movie soon,” adds the VJ, who appreciates the work of directors like Raju Hirani and Dibankar Banerjee .

Veejay and direction…is someone linking the two? He laughs, “No connection. Direction is something I want to do. Bollywood is changing; we have better scripts and good actors. Besides, there are many inspiring stories, which can be translated onto the screen. Before that I want to go abroad to learn how to organise scripts and things that would help me in direction,” shares Yudi, garnering brownie points for the new Mike Mirza act on Channel V.

As the conversation slips from one subject to the other, we don’t find the ‘usual’ edginess and ‘yo-man’ attitude synonymous to the new-age VJs and anchors. “I meditate everyday, which helps me get over this edginess.” The new-age VJs probably need to enrol in the art of living classes! “I can’t understand the beeps in every dialogue these days. It probably gives them a false sense of bravado. Do we need this? No, I think we need a leader, someone like Nelson Mandela or Anna Hazare,” he says. “I think probably we will get a leader soon,” he gives a reassuring end to this part of the subject.

It’s movies again. Shawshank Redemption, Invictus, Do Dooni Chaar, Manorama 6 Feet Under…. He likes cinema beyond any barrier. It holds true for music as well. “I have taken after my mother in this case. She believes in letting things come our way. Be open to life and see what it has to offer. Take it up as and when it happens and move on,” Yudi reveals his curious case. We couldn’t go without a mention of cricket, our game. “Live commentary is exciting, thrilling and I am liking it,” he keeps it brief. Lesser the better, that’s Yudi for you!

jasmine@tribunemail.com

There was a time when reading comics was a coveted hobby — Billo, Pinki, Chacha Chaudhary ruled the Hindi scene, while Astrix, Tintin and Archies was a favourite with the English readers. The picture has changed much since then. While the readers of Hindi comics have declined substantially, the ones for English are also dwindling at a rapid rate.

The growing popularity of the Internet is one of the major reasons behind the trend. According to Devaki Anand, a young lawyer, “Growing up on Archies was fun. However, these days the trends have changed a lot,” she says. She adds, “I recall getting into a fight with a friend over a comic book, which she wanted and I just could not part with. Now, children have a greater interest in the Internet and end up downloading comics. So the concept has changed.”

Shares Gurjot Singh, owner of a telecommunication franchisee in Manimajra, “I remember when I was young, Tintin was a huge it. There is no doubt that kids today no longer read comics. During our times, teachers would make efforts to inculcate the habit of comic reading. This is no longer the case now. It is vital that children understand that reading is an essential part of growing up.”

However, all is not lost and a walk into the Capital Book Depot in Sector 17 is enough to understand that. Om Parkash, the proprietor of Capital Book Store, shares, “We have a dedicated section for children since the time we set this up. Though the popularity of Hindi comics is going down, we still have patrons who come and pick up comics on a regular basis. Popular reads include Archies and Tinkle.”

Arushi Kalra, a B-Tech final year student, goes back into her childhood days, “I used to love my mother’s comic book collection. I started off with Archies and gradually moved towards Astrix, Amar Chitra Kathayen and Shakuntala. I still hide my comics in my books and read them.”

Then there is the flip side. Gulshan Rai, Managing Director, Diamond Comics, has a totally different take. According to him, “There is no dearth of young comic readers in India. We are constantly introducing new characters and are planning to enter the electronic media with comics like e-comics, m-comics etc. We will soon be launching a 24-hour kids’ channel in Hindi, English, Bengali and Malayalam to reach out to the masses.”

Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor, who will be seen sharing screen space with Amrita Rao in the upcoming film Love U…Mr Kalakaar!, says he is inspired by his co-star’s work ethic.

“She (Amrita) is a very professional actress. Methodical, meticulous and a detail oriented person, which I didn’t really know. So it was very motivating, very inspiring for me to work with her,” the 34-year-old actor said.

“Working with such an actor keeps you on your toes all the time because someone who is a perfectionist can only make you want to do better.”

This is the first time that Tusshar and Amrita have worked together. Love U…Mr Kalakaar! is directed by debutant S. Manasvi and slated for a May 13 release.

— Agency

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has co-produced small budget films like Udaan and the upcoming Shaitan among others, says Bollywood wastes too much money on luxuries while making a film.

“The industry wastes so much money. We waste more money than we make. So the industry needs to gear up,” the 38-year-old said.

“When I produce films, we do it at a very tight budget and I think every filmmaker should know how to make a film at a very tight cost, specially the first-time filmmakers,” he said.

Controlling the budget can lead to box office profits, he said. “I have seen enough shoots and lots of money gets wasted on lifestyle. People travel first class, stay at five star hotels. All you need at the end of the day is a good bed to sleep in. I practice that and don’t waste money on unnecessary things.

“We make films on an extremely tight cost and we don’t like wasting money on lifestyle. The more money you save, the more possibilities are there of making money for the financers and that gives you longevity in terms of being able to make more films,” he added.

— IANS

If you never thought of having kababs with the mundane dal, Punj Spice, a fine dining restaurant at hotel Park Plaza has put the two at a food festival. The variety of the dishes would not cease to amaze you. The cuisine here combines the variety from all over India in an effort to go beyond Punjabi and Mughlai dishes.

The festival brings a great variety of the two dishes in classic combination, claim the organisers all to the performance of Raks, an Arabic dance traditionally performed before royalty, by Shahnaaz from Lucknow.

The festival has an array of 32 delectable varieties of dals and kebabs. Executive chef Sudhanshu Rajhans and his team are excited about presenting their fusion spices like Khus Ki Jadd, goond katira, Persian spices and kebabs like 'Bakhtiari kebab (in which chicken and mutton are cooked together), Caspian kebab (a combination of sole fish and tiger prawns, or the dora kebab (tied and cooked with a string) to mention a few.

For vegetarians there is a fusion known as til tinka lentil patties topped with potato crispies and sesame seeds or luscious potato kebab, which has potatoes filled with eggplant and mozzarella cheese or ambi or khajoor ke kebab. Rich morels (gucchis) and olive kebabs are sure to win hearts.

The mundane dals too have been got a makeover and the chefs have made 10 combos to give a rich feeling to the pulses besides increasing their value on the table by naming them exotically. An exotic combination of red masoor dal with methi leaves called 'romance of flavours' while the Frontier Fusion has the lobia dal cooked with lemon leaves and laced with coconut cream. "Rainbow view has seven mixes of lentils and pulses cooked together for that powerful taste while the healthy combo has sabut masoor and saboot moong to mention a few.

Combined with various Indian breads and soups and in the backdrop of the rich dance of the Rakkasah dancer of the sultan era it sure becomes a 'not to miss' experience in the town. "We have been looking for ward to this unique food festival and really the kebabs are out of this world," says industrialist Jaininder Singh.

(On till May 15)

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be playing the lead role in National Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming film Heroine.

A formal announcement of the movie, a joint production of Bhandarkar and UTV, is expected to be made at the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie is being touted as a hard-hitting and realistic take on a heroine's life.

"Aishwarya has agreed to be part of the project. Madhur and Aishwarya both will make the final announcement of this project at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13," a source said.

Earlier, Kareena Kapoor was approached for the role but after several meetings and discussions on the script, the actress politely turned down the offer for reasons best known to her, the source added.

"The main story of 'Heroine' by and large remains the same, though little changes have been made in the script," the source added.

— PTI

Director speak: Rohan Sippy

Director Rohan Sippy is very happy with the success of his latest film, Dum Maaro Dum. The director talks to us about his experience while shooting for the film and more…

It is a hit!

Yes, it's a hit and I am very happy. Any producer makes a film expecting it to become a hit. We have worked really hard on Dum Maaro Dum. Doing research on the Goans, police, their mafia, the drug racket and shooting. When people like what you have worked on, it actually gives you pleasure. And the film did really well in South-India where Rana has a great fan following. The second week onwards, it did well all over India. So, DMD picked up slowly but it's still running in theatres. The film was liked by audiences because of its style. Youngsters have liked it a lot.

Goa

Even Goans loved the film. They all took the film in a positive way as it was a pro-Goa film. We didn't show anything against Goa.

Memorable moments

Being a director, every day was memorable for me. You know it's like I am the head of the family and have to take care of everyone. Shridhar Raghavan and I approached Abhishek to play the character of DJ Joki. He told us he wanted to play Cop Kamath. When he gave his first shot, we knew he was best suited to play the drug-busting cop. Being in Goa, we all partied after the shoot and Abhishek played pranks and entertained everybody.

Favourite character

Being the director of the film, every character is close to me. But I believe Rane played Govind Namdev superbly and he has done justice to the role. He is a brilliant actor.

Surprise package

I will not say surprise package but Prateek is one of the best actors to look out for. I guarantee that. He is a natural actor and has done a great job in the film. You can see so much of his mother in him.

Sequels?

Though everyone is making sequels I am not a sequel fan. If only some exciting script comes I may think of a sequel. Our writers have so many ideas. Once the film is made and released that is the end of it. Yet, if some interesting script for Bluffmaster or Dum Maaro Dum comes up I will surely do it and the sequel will have the same star cast.

After singing for the big screen in films like Singh Is Kinng and Khatta Meetha, Bollywood hero Akshay Kumar is going to lend his voice for the title song of his upcoming action-adventure reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi 4.

"Akshay is singing a couple of opening lines," said a source.

The title song will be turned into a music video featuring all the contestants for the fourth season of the show, which has been shot in Cape Town, South Africa.

For this season, the channel has chosen 13 female celebrity participants , each teamed up with a male partner.

The celebrity participants include former Indian women's cricket captain Anjum Chopra, models Diandra Soares, Alesia Raut and Poonam Pandey, actresses Aarti Chhabria, Smita Bansal and Aashka Goradia, item girls Sambhavna Seth and Kashmera Shah, two VJs - Bani and Mia Uyeda, singer Mauli Dave and Dina Singh who is actor Vindu Dara Singh's wife.

—IANS

Vanita Sahni pursued her love for the weave of Banarasi sarees and embraced modern fabrics into the fine weave to bring us an exquisite exhibition of Banarasi sarees…all breathtakingly beautiful.

As you get to see the sensual Indian drape-the saree, Vanita narrates the story of falling in love with Banarasi silks eight years back to the three-day exhibition 'Motifs and weaves' at her Sector 8, Chandigarh.

Yes her love affair began years ago when she accompanied her nieces to shop for their trousseau in Benaras along with her sister Pramita Khanna. Madhubani, meru pallu, jacquared, khaddi and dhakki….are the kinds of silks used in Banarasi sarees, she tells.

"I have specially sourced these varieties of Banarsi silks directly from their hometown Benaras," says Vanita Sahni.

Finding the creators of these sarees was not easy, she says as the weavers keep to themselves. They do not want their art to get copied mercilessly in the West. The secrets are guarded zealously and you need extensive legwork to get to them and not without strong recommendations.

She shares the apprehensions of the weavers. "They are hesitant that if their produce finds too many takers in the western market, replicas will be created. This will have a huge impact on their exclusivity. They are keen on keeping the weave only for the classes and not the masses," she says.

Ever since she wanted to bring the sarees to Chandigarh but her own interpretation of the tradition called Banarasi sarees, she says.

As your eyes are glued to an intricately done sari, she tells how "this specific sari is called 'Marriage of India'. The weave of the saree flows into an entire wedding ceremony. "There is only one weaver of this specific style and he has the copyright on the concept. He only makes five sarees a year. Though I wanted to pick two of the same kind, he only agreed to give me one," she laughs. "I just love how they have depicted the entire wedding ceremony in one sari," she says.

Another modern masterpiece you can find here is a meru pallu saree, where the skirt, pleats and the pallu all have different designs. "It is truly graceful. The select handpicked and laboriously handcrafted also boasts of a blue-gold combination with a delicate open lotus. "Its Buddha inspired," informs Pramita.

Benarsi silk is mostly heavy and formal. "The reason why I chose these fabrics for the Chandigarh market was because these weaves are formal but very light. Chandigarh is popular for it loud choices in clothes. In fact, when I discussed my exhibition with the weavers, or 'gaddis' as they are called, even they were surprised. I have also sourced kurtas for men as well as salwar suits," she adds.

(On till May 12 at House no 91, Sector 8, Chandigarh)

Vivek Bhasin from Forno-35 shares the recipe of Tiramisu dessert. Tiramisu, which is a popular Italian dish, is a dessert for the summer.

Ingredients for the Tiramisu cream mix

500 gms milk

3 egg yolks

35 gms clear fine flour

½ lemon skin

150 gms Icing sugar

1 -2 gm vanilla stick

Whisked mascarpone cheese 150 gm.

8 savoiardi lady finger (Italian biscuits)

Ingredients for the dip mixture

1 cup strong coffee

14 -20 ml Amaretto or kahlua liqueur

Mix them together

Method

Heat milk to luke warm temperature over double fire (indirect heat) and keep stirring. Add egg yolks and stir. Continue heating, split vanilla stick and add along with lemon skin.

Add sugar and bring the mixture to boil. Add flour and stir to semi thick consistency.

Remove from the fire, strain the mixture and pour into a bowl.

Cool it and add mascarpone cheese.

In dessert glass pour layer of Tiramisu cream. Dip savoiardi into the coffee mix, soak and put on top of cream to form layer;

Pour another layer of cream on top; cool down in fridge and serve.

Teenagers who drink alcohol spend more time on their computers for social networking, downloading and listening to music compared to peers who don't drink.

These results are based on an anonymous survey of 264 teenagers by Weill Cornell Medical College researcher Jennifer Epstein.

"It seems likely that adolescents are experimenting with drinking and activities on the Internet," Epstein was reported as saying by the journal Addictive Behaviours. In turn, exposure to online material such as alcohol ads or alcohol-using peers on social networking sites could reinforce teens' drinking, added Epstein, assistant professor of public health at Weill Cornell.

"Children are being exposed to computers and the internet at younger ages. For this reason it's important that parents are actively involved in monitoring their children's computer usage, as well as alcohol use," she said, according to a Weill Cornell statement.

"According to a national study..., more than half of parents of teenagers had filters installed on the computers their child uses to block content parents find objectionable, yet many parents do not use any form of parental monitoring, particularly for older teens."

The Weill Cornell survey was completed by participants aged 13 to 17. Drinking was also linked to more frequent social networking and listening to and downloading music. There was no strong link between video games and drinking or online shopping and drinking. —IANS

A study has found that teenagers are distinctly unrealistic about how much they will earn as an adult. The survey revealed the average teenager expects to be paid more than 60,000 pounds a year by the time they are 35.

On leaving education, they anticipate a salary of about 16,600 pounds, rising to 35,400 pounds by the time they are 25 and hitting 61,700 pounds by their mid-30s.

But the reality is rather different, with the average 18 to 21-year-old earning just 8,595 pounds - rising to only 18,705 pounds for workers in their 20s and 24,333 pounds for those in their 30s.

The survey of 12,000 teenagers by Royal Bank of Scotland revealed they are equally unrealistic about climbing on the property ladder, with 53 per cent expecting to have bought their first home by the time they are 25, while 82 per cent are confident they will have done so by the age of 30.

But figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show that the average age of a first-time buyer is 31, while in the past five years just 20 per cent managed to purchase their first home by the age of 25.

— ANI

united we stand: Rubina Dilaik, Ankita Lokhande and Sara Khan

Mom’s world

Television serials have given birth to some iconic characters of mothers. We take a look at few of such actors who portray the purity of a mother’s love for her family.

Supriya Pilgaonkar

She is heart of the Kashyap family who only wants to give her best to her loved ones. Shailaja (Badi Maa) has seen many ups and downs in her life but never gives up and strives harder. Her character is an inspiration and personifies the definition of selfless love.

Kshitee Jog

The character of a mother played by Meeta portrays the beautiful bond she shares with her daughter in the serial Navya. She is a very caring, loving and protective towards her daughter Navya like every mother. Being a woman of today’s age, she tries to balance things between her husband, son and daughter’s wishes, dreams as well as aspirations. She only wants the best for her children.

Vaishali Thakkar

The character of Ammo in Uttaran played by Vaishali Thakkar is a pillar of strength. She portrays a character, which has faced tough times. She lost her husband when Ichcha was a baby but she never gave up and single handedly brought up her child. Her character evokes respect and she finds support from everyone when in need. She has given her daughter Ichcha who only knows to give love and always support truth has inherited the qualities from her mother.

Lata Seth

Being the eldest bahu of the family, the character of Rajshri played by Lata Seth in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai shoulders several responsibilities and enjoys taking care of her family. She is affectionate, strict with her daughter Akshara but at the same time pampers her a lot. She metes out the same treatment to her daughter-in-law Varsha too. She never negates or confronts her husband publicly and fiercely guards his image. She is the only person who understands that behind his stern facade is a vulnerable man, who has to play many roles to protect his family.

Savita Prabhune

Kind, considerate and humble, Sulochana in Pavitra Rishta is a typical Maharashtrian housewife who wants the best for her family and daughters. She is very close to her eldest daughter Archana and even fights with her family for her. Her character stands for what she believes is right.

Smita Bansal

Sumitra from Balika Vadhu played by Smita Bansal has always stood up for her family. She is very loving and caring towards her daughter and son. She is very close to her younger son Jagya. She loves and supports her daughter-in-law Anandi and giving same amount of love to her. She is Anandi’s mother in true sense. She stands by her daughter- in-law when she learns about Jagya’s extra marital affair. She depicts a modern day mother, who is traditional in values yet modern in their approach.

Indira Krishnan

Krishnaben from Krishna Ben Khakrawala played by Indira Krishnan is a 45 years old hard working, energetic woman. Her neighbours think of her as the ideal mother. A sensitive businesswoman, who faced many difficulties in her life, Krishnaben has always lived up to every challenge in life. Raising four kids after her husband, Krishnaben is a picture of undying spirit. She is also a loving, caring and religious woman. She has principles, positive thinking and a strong will. Even though Krishnaben is a widow, she dresses up well for the sake of her children. — HRM

Shaheer dating Smiley?

Shaheer Sheikh aka Anant of STAR Plus' new prime time show Navya was spotted with director Mohit Suri's sister Smiley, who played the lead role in Kalyug. Shaheer's current status on a networking site says that he is single but people in the industry know that Shaheer and Smiley are dating. Love is in the air.
Pair up: Smiley

Real life hits Ankit

While working in STAR Plus’ Pratigya playing mom and son, actors Monika Singh and Ankit Gera fell in love. But soon the relationship fizzled out. More than Ankit, Monika was pained with the break up and perhaps had some issues to resolve. So, recently when she had to slap Ankit for a scene, she hit him hard. Ankit was shocked to say the least and walked out of the sets holding his swollen cheek. It was only after an apology before the unit, that he began shooting again. Reel and real life merged too closely for Monika.
Hard hit: Ankit Gera

Wedding bells for Riddhi

Apart from working long shifts to complete regular and special capsules for her show Maryaada Lekin Kab Tak on STAR Plus, actress Riddhi Dogra aka Priya who will soon tie the knot with her on-screen husband Aditya aka Raquesh was spotted shopping in Delhi with her relatives in tow. She shopped for her bridal trousseau and jewellery.
shadi shopping: Ritika Dogra

LIBRA: Consolidate your gains. Hidden relationship proves a headache. Help others. Be decisive. Meditate. Get in touch with your thoughts and feelings. It will allow you to understanding your inner motives and align your consciousness with your highest potential. Tarot message: You will get the help you need if you ask for it. Lucky colour: Black. Magic number: 37.

SCORPIO: Concentrate on personal life. Influential people will not be helpful. Avoid speculation. If you want change, you’ll have to get out there and make it happen. A change leaves you depressed. Don’t let low self-esteem affect you. Have faith in your own abilities. Tarot message: Don’t overspend. Lucky colour: Golden. Magic number: 25.

SAGITTARIUS: Postpone property deal. You will find new opportunities opening up for you. Maintain a low profile. Attraction for a co-worker can upset your equilibrium. Keep your professional and persona life separate and you won’t have to worry about gossip. An opportunity to work from home comes your way. Tarot message: Don’t be over optimistic. Lucky colour: Royal Blue. Magic number: 27.

CAPRICORN: Your plans meet stiff opposition. Your reputation could be on the line. Act impartially. A stepchild may be unwell. Workaholics should join a club or interest group. Drama, music and public speaking groups will appeal. Personal growth can be fun. Tarot message: You can stabilise your financial situation if you make property investments. Lucky colour: Purple. Magic number: 63.

AQUARIUS: Not a good day; money wise. Friends may lose your confidence. Turn your energy towards artistic work. Your beloved will be in a lively mood. Women: avoid impulsive buying. Mercury, the planet of communication, starts to move forward. Business negotiations and isunderstandings will be cleared. Tarot message: Avoid gossip session at work place. Lucky colour: Silver Magic number: 26.

PISCES: Improve your position at work. Chronic patients seek doctor’s advice. Students: new love relations can be formed. Spend time with yourself. Watch your self-esteem blossom from nurturing your creativity and emotional being. Start a journal or make your own video and record this personal journey of self-discovery. Tarot message: Look towards lucrative opportunities. Lucky colour: Golden Brown. Magic number: 54.

Pooja Bedi (May 11, 1970) actress and currently a television talk show host, and daughter of Kabir Bedi shares her birthday with you. Apart from dabbling in theatre she was seen in films like Vishkanya, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Lootere, Aatank Hi Aatank etc. She also took part in dance contests like Jhalak Dikhlaja and Nach Baliye (Season 3). She also took part in Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2008. She has been a brand ambassador for Kaya Skin Clinic, Allergan India and the Country Club. In 2011-12, like her mother late Protima Bedi, she may shoot into fame with some exceptional act. Pooja must be careful while performing stunts or shooting in December due to Rahu-Mars period, which denotes likelihood of accidents.