Believe in his story. Without applying logic, without contemplating at all, go by whatever Nalin Singh had to say. "Accidentally, I found a photograph of Anupam Kher outside the press conference venue. In a usual situation I would have kept it with me but after what the veteran actor has done, I don't have a choice," and he tears the picture into pieces. Believe that he 'never intended' to do this and it was a 'spontaneous reaction'! Writer and actor of the film, Gandhi to Hitler, along with former Miss India Universe, Nikita Anand and, lyricist Pallavi Mishra were in the city to promote the film on Tuesday.

But the more important task at hand after what all happened seemed to be taking Anupam Kher head on. "Initially Kher was signed for the movie and even took the signing fee. He backed out later and didn't even have the courtesy to return the money," he says. Publicity — negative or positive — has always worked to the advantage of any film. And just when the film is about to hit the silver screen, Nalin's claims raise some doubts. This time, Pallavi comes to the rescue, "We didn't raise this issue earlier since we were busy with the production and post-production of the film. If Kher doesn't return our money, we will drag him to the court."

After waging a war against Kher, finally the team thought of promoting their film. Gandhi to Hitler, as Nalin says, is a Hindi International film that will be dubbed in ten languages. It's a story of how Hitler lived during his last days. He committed suicide and his loyalists followed. "We know a lot of movies have already been made on Hitler, but it's looking at his life from an Indian's prospective," adds Nalin. Nikita also explains the motive behind the film, "It's about clashing ideologies of two of the most influential personalities of the 20th century and how Gandhiji emerged stronger even through non-violence. Coming to Nikita's character, she plays Goebbels in the film, who poisons her six children after she gets know about Hitler's death. "Although she was married to Joseph, it was Hitler whom she was loyal to. So much so that she killed herself on hearing about the suicide of Hitler."

The cast firmly believes that the film will make people in the West see a different India in the film. Nalin cites some examples, "I don't support the kind of India that was projected in Slumdog Millionaire, Peepli Live and even Lagaan. We are an economic power, biggest democracy, financially stable, these are facts we need to tell the world; my film aims to do that."

"Considering the fact that India is surrounded by hostile neighbours, we are doing really well. Also, the civil society is doing its bit in fighting corruption." And Anupam Kher is a part of it. Remember he was seen sharing the stage with Anna Hazare in Delhi recently? Nalins begins again, "He should first learn some morals. It was so unethical of him to say that our film got mileage through this controversy." He adds that the film has done well at the Cannes and other film festivals and doesn't require cheap publicity. Well, tearing Anupam Kher's poster in a press conference suggests the opposite!

My phone was flooded with calls and SMSes like “R u ok?? We heard there were blasts in Mumbai.” I was at a film narration when I heard that. Mumbai, a city that never stops! Everyone here is running to make a living. It is a city that is always buzzing with activity. People constantly on the move, suddenly stopped with a jolt!

In one of the most densely-populated cities, where people in thousands do their routine stuff, carry on with business as usual and chai at the regular joint, discussions, rushing to another place, worrying about a tomorrow, how would they know, it was the last day for them, taking. Away all the tomorrows, dreams, tensions normal human aspirations, along with them!

Heard a lot of people say how come Mumbai got back to its feet and moved the very next day? Some apprehensive people didn't go to office or did not send their children to school, but most of them carried on with their routine life!

Life cannot stop. What led people to get over the tragedy and move on is the spirit the people have in them.

To unite in such crisis and lend a helping hand! To do whatever best they could for the victims and to make the authorities listen! “Aur bas aam aadmi can do only that but that really is the key to all the strength people get from one another. I remember during curfew days in Punjab, when we were kids and life had come to a standstill, neighbours were such a source of strength. Our grocery guy who was our neighbour would throw packets of grocery into our compound. When ma asked 'Kinne paise', he would yell back 'Koi na ji, ghar di gall hai. Tusin dawai bhej deyo sannu.” We all survived holding each others hands in crisis!

Today in Mumbai, when I see people holding up together, putting helpline numbers on Facebook, Twitter, Internet and that warm caring affectionate call from someone makes you feel that in this hugely populated city, people do care for you even though you don't meet them everyday because of their busy lives.

As I was going for a shoot last week, I got a call from one of our busiest directors. I was wondering how come he called. He said, “Oye! Sab theek na! I was worried." Ya, sab theek! Maybe not the times we live in but people in general, the spirit of warmth and care. Hum is des mein sabse badhiya. Jai ho!

(Dutta is a Bollywood actor)

Taking classes in acting from Jim Carrey, Johny Depp; sharing life experience and faculty streaming in from Los Angeles, 21-year-old Navinder Pal Sidhu, is living a dream. Student of Academy of Art University, San Francisco, Navinder is ecstatic after finishing his first year in the four-year course.

On a vacation in Chandigarh, Navinder shares, “I knew I wanted to do something related to movies right from my childhood.” When after school his classmates chose engineering, medicine or commerce, Navinder chose to do a degree in Motion Picture and Television. With a major in direction, Navinder chose to fly to California. "I picked up Academy of Art University, as this is the number two in the USA. I am fortunate that I got admission," he says.

A year there has left him ecstatic and a step closer to his dream. "I cannot believe that I am already shooting movies for unlike Indian schools, where the focus is on practical learning," says Navinder, who already has five short films under his belt that he has worked on with other fellows.

"I try to pick up different subjects each time. My film Snooz is on two competitive actors based in Hollywood with the same agent; Mangolia on love expression, Khwaja Ji on a fake fakir and gangsters on crime. “The theme of Gangster is dons doling out money to youngsters and if they don't give them back double the amount, they get killed. It's actually happening in countries like Uzbekistan,” shares Navinder.

Navinder is hopeful of a glowing future. “Whosoever has passed out from this university has been successful for sure. Hopefully, I will finish my course with flying colours,” shares Navinder. 

If you have a little black dress, keep it in the closet. For that small piece of fashion-must has been elbowed out by trousers and fashionistas like Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Priya Chatwal are busy flaunting their hour-glass figures in them.

For years the little black dress, or LBD, has been sought after for night outs or formal dinners, but not any more, says Bangalore-based socialite Anupama Gupta.

“LBD has been a style statement for ages with women trying out these sensuous garments on every event and party. But with such a wide variety of options available in trousers, women are no more hesitant in trying out pants. Besides, it's always good to break the trend," said Anupama.

Actress Sonam, known for her fashion sense, was one of the first to endorse pants and flaunted them at the promotional events of 'Aisha' last year.

Actress Deepika, socialite sisters Priya Chatwal and Charu Sachdev as well as Kalyani Chawla, the Indian face of French fashion Label Christian Dior, have also been making style statements in trousers.

Malaika Arora Khan was recently spotted wearing green skin fit trousers during the screening of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara; so it won't be wrong to say trousers are a woman's best friend these days.

From harem pants to skinny and ankle crop trousers to straight-legged ones, there is a wide range available in the market to fit various body shapes and suit different tastes.

"As an essential for a celebrity look, skinny pants or trousers are frequently spotted as a trendy style in the high street this year. Paired with a white blouse, a chic blazer or a cropped jacket, skinny pants can look very sexy and funky in a slim silhouette," said designer Troy Costa.

For stylist Varsha Kumar, straight-fit pants are one of the best options as they give a mix of the retro and modern look. “It looks particularly good with bright-coloured blouses or shirts. Also, boyfriend cut pants are in trend when teamed with a fitted tee-back top and stylish slim belt. This season, linen is the fabric of choice in bold hues such as orange, pink and purple," said Kumar.

The best part is these trousers are suitable for both workplace and parties.

While shopping for them, keep in mind four important tips given by designer Rishi Khurana - comfort, right fork length, material and colour. “When it comes to formal wear, try straight-cut and slim-fit trousers for a formal occasion. A good choice of colour in single tone can make them look interesting. Trends are many but one needs to learn the four basic factors required when buying pants," said Rishi.

Designer Lina Tipnis feels it is vital to highlight and enhance one's look and advises one to take care of length and size.

“It is better to pick pants or trousers that highlight and enhance your look than to blindly follow the latest trends. A 7 or 8 inch bottom is perfect for those who have beautiful or sexy ankles.

Also, you should have some signature shoes to go with it," Tipnis said. If you want to feel comfy during summer outings, you can also wear palazzos - pants with wide legs flaring at the ankle - or fisherman pants, lightweight unisex trousers wide at the waist or Jodhpuris. — IANS

Women are more likely to send nude photographs or sexually explicit text messages than men, a new study has revealed. In fact, two-thirds of the women surveyed in the study, 'Let My Fingers Do the Talking: Sexting and Infidelity in Cyberspace,' said that they sexted while only half of the men did.

The respondents were gathered from AshleyMadison.com - the 'most recognised name in infidelity'. "Cheating is alive and well, and sexting is on the rise," said Diane Wysocki, who wrote the study with Cheryl D. Childers.

One possible explanation of why women sext more is it allows the flirtation without the guilt or actually crossing a line.

For bored women, sexting provides an interesting diversion, a distraction from the mundane. An affair-that next step-might not be necessary. The sexting study, however, is - without a doubt - flawed. The selection was biased: likely to be less inhibited, 'richer and wrinklier', said Chris Matyszczyk who analysed the study. —ANI

Every person has a sense of style. Yet there are only few who'd attract a second glance, those who have the power to make the camera zoom in on them. It could be tousled hair, it could be torn jeans. This week's face in the crowd, Manika Chanana, a student of NIIFT, Mohali, who likes to keep it glam when it comes to dressing up.

Your sense of style is…

I would like to call myself, simple and sensibly fashion forward. I like simple clothes, love bright colours and absolutely love the English blue colour. My wardrobe consists of mostly dresses, in summers I prefer shorts and jumpsuits to jeans.

Latest addition in the wardrobe…

It's a cute pink top from Zara. It's a plain top with cuff sleeves

Brand freak or street smart?

For clubbing I like to wear branded clothes, for daily wear it would rather be stuff that I like, it doesn't have to be branded.

Choose one: Sporty, glamorous or chic

Glamorous that, I guess, says it all.

Favourite style icon?

I admire both Kareena Kapoor and Angelina Jolie. Kareena because of the way she carries herself and Angelina for her style, make up, clothes.

Who's the worst dressed celebrity around?

Rani Mukherjee. She dresses like an aunt. When you are in showbiz, you ought to look like one. Fashion faux pas once in a while is ok but not every time.

One fashion trend you don't understand

Girls who pair up shorts or skirts with stockings. I think it's going way too overboard and looks funny.

Your take on accessories

I do like to pair up my clothes with a watch or strings.

One thing that boosts your confidence

A compliment from dad. They are very rare but they make my day.

(If you think you too fit the profile, get in touch with us at lifestyletribune@gmail.com. We'll sift the best from the rest)

As told to Manpriya Khurana

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who will be seen in a film themed on caste-based reservations, says he doesn’t believe in the caste system, has never faced any bias because of his caste and is proud that his father gave him a surname that doesn’t denote any such thing.

“If ever I have faced a rejection or a failure, it has been on the basis of my incapability to do something and never my caste,” Amitabh, 68, said in an interview.

“I think rejection because of incapability is right because if I’m not capable of doing a particular work, the other person has the right to disapprove of me or reject me. Like, I lost in politics because I was not capable, not because I was of a particular caste,” added Big B, who is a legend in the Hindi film industry. 

In Aarakshan, directed by Prakash Jha and releasing Aug 12, Amitabh will be seen as the principal of a private educational institution. Themed on caste-based reservations in educational institutions, Aarakshan revolves around Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh), an idealistic principal, and his loyal disciple Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan).

Traditional Indian society is based on social hierarchy created by the caste system. But Amitabh said he never believed in the caste system because of his upbringing. “I never understood the caste system because I was born and brought up in a family and in an atmosphere that never ever preached caste or believed in it,” said Amitabh, son of late Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan.—IANS 

Katrina Kaif turned 28 on July 16. Her birthday present included housefull shows and positive reviews for Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. We found out what the pretty lass did on her birthday.

A source tells us, 'Katrina had a special screening of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara to attend on Friday night, her birthday. She almost ran into Ranbir Kapoor, who was also there to watch another movie. The cast of the film interacted with audiences to gauge their response, and they were happy with it. Kat left a tad ealier, to avoid Ranbir. She went to Shah Rukh Khan's party at his residence, Mannat, from there. Later in the night, she met Salman Khan at a popular night spot. She was a girl about town in a hot little black dress.'

Katrina said, 'My mother is the first person to wish me on my birthdays. I didn't want a bash because of the fight that happened on my birthday three years ago. I am happy meeting my friends individually.'

She added, 'It has been a very good year for me. I am very happy to have been a part of films such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. I have got a chance to try out new things in these movies. Even personally, it has been an interesting year, and I have learnt some lessons. —HRM

When news of Anil Kapoor being part of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol came out, it was said that he is playing the villainous lead in the film. Then we read stories of how he bonded with Tom Cruise. The trailer of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol was released recently and Anil Kapoor is not seen in it. In a recent interview, he said that he has only done a cameo in the film and he felt privileged that Tom Cruise and JJ Abrams even thought of casting him. Clever man!

Singer Robbie Williams has reportedly caused trouble within his band Take That with his bad behaviour and tendency to hog the limelight. Williams' attitude has led the rest of the members Gary, Howard, Mark and Jason to believe that he is creating a bad name for the band, reported a publication.

The band, which recently cancelled a show in Denmark after Williams fell ill, has made the members upset as this is the first time ever they had to cancel a performance.

"Major cracks are starting to appear with the lads. They aren't spending much time with each other backstage and it seems Robbie is causing most of the friction. There was talk of extending the tour and recording more material but that's now been scrapped. The other four are sick of Robbie stealing all the headlines with his bad behaviour - rather than people talking about the group's performance," a source said.

The members feel that Williams is doing this to relaunch his career as a solo artist. "It's once again turned into The Robbie Williams Show and the other lads feel like Robbie's just using the tour to relaunch his solo career," a source said. Now all talk of recording another album together as a five-piece has stopped despite being in the middle of a record-breaking comeback tour. —PTI

Jacqueline Fernandez is actually in a relationship with funny man and director Sajid Khan. He is besotted with her and they both are serious. They even have plans to settle down! Watch this space for more!

New mother Victoria Beckham is bracing herself for a hard workout to shed the flab she gained during pregnancy. 

After giving birth to a girl, Harper Seven, last week, the 37-year-old has hired Hollywood's favourite Tracy Anderson as her trainer, who also has Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cheryl Cole as her clients, reported a publication. "It comes down to whether or not you are a hard worker and someone who puts in 100 percent. I prefer to train with the dedicated and these women aren't afraid to work," Anderson said. Beckham's training regime includes 30 crunches, 30 one-armed side-lying kicks and 30 minutes cycling.—PTI 

Vidya Balan doesn't smoke. She will step out of her comfort zone and do a smoking scene in Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture. She has not smoked before and started coughing after the fourth cigarette but the shot went well.

She maybe making few appearances on the big screen but Bollywood actress Kajol is all praises for her actor husband Ajay Devgn's upcoming action film Singham. "It is a rocking film. And one must see the film," Kajol said on the sidelines of a book launch here last evening.

Tanisha, who was also present at the event, echoed what her elder sister said. Directed by Rohit Shetty, Singham stars Ajay and south actor Kajal Agarwal. It is a remake of the successful 2010 Tamil film by the same name. The Ajay Devgn starrer is all set to hit the cinema houses this Friday.

Even Ajay only has good words to say about the director of the film. "Singham rocks, growls and ROARS! AAAAWESOME!!! Kudos to Rohit. His best so far... And so says Kajol, I think she really meant it," Ajay had said yesterday on micro-blogging site Twitter. Kajol, who was here to launch Champa, the Punjabi Kudi Discovers the Himalayas, says she likes reading fiction.— PTI

Gracy Singh (July 20, 1980, Delhi) will be with you in celebration of birthday. She is best known for her role as Gauri in Lagaan. She began her career touring with the dance group The Planets and her first acting role was in the television soap, Amanat, later she got an acting role in the film Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain as Kajol's younger sister and in Hu Tu Tu which lead her to her biggest role yet opposite Aamir Khan in Lagaan. 

LIBRA: The Knight of Wands promises you a high profile day. Expert to be on the receiving end of kindness and generosity from those who genuinely like and appreciate you. Tarot Message: If you play your cards right you'll be able to reinforce your current position and avert future difficulties. Lucky Colour: Yellow. Magic Number: 52.

SCORPIO: Your card "the Fool" reveals deception, delays and unhealthy condition in your profession. If a beautiful person grabs your attention, strike up a conversation and see where it leads. Tarot Message: You have to push to succeed and your efforts will pay off. Lucky Colour: Forest Green. Magic Number: 50.

SAGITTARIUS: You may have to check your plans. Improve your health by paying more attention to diet. Reacting to aggressive taunts is a waste of time and a losing proposition. Tarot Message: Draw on those inner energies and begin moving from thought to action. Lucky Colour: Orange. Magic Number: 27.

CAPRICORN: Love life is in for a cool appraisal. Crazy suggestions for entertainment can intrigue but may not work too well. A positive mood can quickly turn to negative vibes. There is sure to be a reason for caution or delay. Tarot Message: Balance in all aspects is recommended. Lucky Colour: Peach. Magic Number: 29.

AQUARIUS: Clear the e-mail box and respond to all those calls that have been waiting on phone message service. Detachment does not mean indifference. An early warning of a health problem is a blessing in disguise. Tarot Message: Do not swing away from the course you have charted so far. Lucky Colour: Black. Magic Number: 64.

PISCES: Housewives may develop interest in social activities. Stick with a physical health routine that drops those extra pounds and maintain essential fitness levels. Tarot Message: Your efforts would gain momentum of your listen to what experienced people have to say. Lucky Colour: Saffron. Magic Number: 48.