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Like a flowing river
Some corner in the mind needed cleansing; some forceful yet vague thoughts had to be aligned, and certain realisations were allowed to seep in…. actor-cum-screenplay and dialogue writer Piyush Mishra had to put himself to litmus test. Today, sitting on a staircase of the Law auditorium, he tells us about the outcome of the test. A life and career that is not entangled in expectations or recognition! “Sirf ek aam admi ki zindagi, this is how I live now,” he is not going to leave anything to imagination. He has a story, and he wouldn’t hesitate to share. A guest lecture at the finale of Chandigarh Literature Festival 2012 organised by Adab Foundation brings this almost-everything-is-sorted-out actor to Chandigarh.
There is no rush, there is no urgency, Piyush Mishra has fallen in love with the word ‘easy.’ “You bet it has made things much simpler. When I came out from the long drill in theatre, I wanted to be noticed; I wanted to do so many things. I had become slightly arrogant and adamant,” he talks casually about the chapter in his life when he wanted to do everything perfectly. “I wanted to do so much that I began to burden my mind with it. It wasn’t giving me happiness. I turned to vipaasna, pranayaam, meditation to finally come out with the answer that I did not want to push myself around for mere recognition. I did not want to be a perfectionist,” shares the actor who made his debut with Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se and then went on to write dialogues and screenplay for many Bollywood movies-- The legend of Bhagat Singh, Ghajini, Agneepath. At this moment, we see a man who doesn’t want to think much about whether he is doing well in career, whether Indian movies need better dialogue writers or the scuffle between screenplay and dialogues. “Why get into this thought provoking circle. If the industry and people around have accepted me the way I am with my flaws, I would do the same with anyone else. The confusion from my life has gone. It was probably some signal from the nature that told me to streamline myself,” he shares looking at the people coming in for the Literary festival. It is the peace of mind that is placed over everything else. No creative tussle and no seeking for recognition. “At one time I would look for recognition from some people. I realised I will eventually do what I have to, I just have to be a little easy,” says the actor who is scared to go back to theatre! “I did that when I had to, I am out of it, I might go back into it tomorrow, who knows…As I said no contemplating over it.” You cannot take the maverick out, traces of it despite all tests and re-building exercises remain. Piyush, who is set for Ghayal Returns and Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypure for which he is also a guest music composer, the debate over the importance of dialogue over screenplay or vice a versa is a natural one. “One cannot write real dialogues for unreal screenplay. The same is true other way around as well. Writing dialogues or screenplay is not about using Urdu or some affective words, it is about understanding a situation and then allowing it to flow in a believable manner,” adds Piyush who suggests that life eventually takes its course. “Some amount of humility and a cool head always helps. When I look at young and curious faces who want to prove themselves, I want to tell them don’t push yourself too hard, find a middle path, accept certain things and work on the ones that require immediate attention.”
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Letter
comes home
Tagore is Bengal and Bengal is Tagore. Try placing the Noble Laureate’s works in a Punjabi setting and the result can fray tempers, raise hackles and irk sensibilities.
But call it the right to interpret, creative freedom or the beauty of Tagore’s universality…. when celebrated theatre person Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry created a Punjabi play based on Tagore’s short story A Wife’s Letter, it not only became the talk of the festivals where it was staged but also a subject of seminar at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles.) That it has taken more than a year and a half to reach home that is Chandigarh where the director lives and draws her energies from, however, is a different matter. Neelam is in no mood to complain, nor to cast fingers at those who organised Tagore festivals in the City Beautiful and did not consider it “fit” to include her play. Today as A Wife’s Letter (Streer Patro) is all set to open on April 19 at her favourite venue Rock Garden, all she would say is, “I am thankful to Payal Sodhi of PFA for her initiative to organise five shows of the play.” On the play, however, she has much to say and share. When asked by Tagore Society to create a play as part of the great master’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations, why did she choose this particular story? She smiles and reasons, “There is never ever a concrete or tangible reason except that we all make choices according to the resonance it strikes within us.” When she read more and more of Tagore and arrived at the story that talks of woman’s freedom, she was fascinated by his genius and his ability to take the lid off restrictive domestic spaces. The female bonding, hint of an erotic one between the two females, amazed her even more. Says she, “Just imagine, he could think of this dimension more than a century ago.” Interestingly, Neelam has amazed viewers from West Bengal to Kerala to Delhi not only with her acumen to transform classics but also her unusual casting. While two actors play the role of lead protagonist Mrinal, she even has Vansh Bhrdawaj playing one of the female character and that too sans impersonation or androgynous makeover. Neelam reasons, “Theatre is a language and if one can make a piece of cloth symbolise a snake… what is so perplexing about a male actor playing a female part? Does it not happen often enough in our classical traditions?” Yet another twist in her casting is that one of her seasoned actor Gick Grewal essays the part of 14-year-old Bindu. Many more theatrical ingenuities have gone into the making of the play translated in Punjabi by eminent poet Surjit Patar with whom she has “complete empathy.” Neeelam agrees that language brings its own impulses and idioms. Yet she also asserts that as compared to Western classics to which she has often lent her multi-layered perspectives this one was far simpler “for literature from your own country has the same codes and values.” Nevertheless, taking Tagore out of Bengal and placing in Punjabi milieu sans Rabindra Sangeet can’t be a cakewalk. But she makes no promises to the viewers except, “It’s a beautiful story that I enjoyed doing and hope audiences enjoy it too.” So watch it for while we all know Tagore’s writing is extraordinary, watching it in Punjabi set to traditional Punjabi songs with Tagor’e universal, humanist tone intact, is an opportunity that won’t come your way everyday. The play, however, will be staged for five days. By the way Neelam lays no preconditions like “must carry the pass” on those desirous of watching the play except, “ Be there on time that is before 7pm.”
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success mantra
Sitting at the bakery café restaurant Oven Fresh in sector-26, Bobby Garg, the director of this place is lost in the menu. He sifts through the leaves, makes a few notes, looks around and then goes back to the menu again. Looking for something to order, we wonder! He laughs, “I am looking what more I can do with menu,” he looks at us. “Business is not moving ahead of others, it is about improving my own self,” shares the director of Oven Fresh, director of Leena Mogre’s Specialized Gym Fitness and director of SOBE Finman an IT venture management company.
Bobby Garg has more than 12 years of executive management experience in the USA, UK and India. He also acquired negotiated and executed exclusive master franchising license from Hard Rock cafes and Hotels, Beirut, Lebanon for Indian subcontinent in 2002. His success story is easy and achievable. No substitute for hard work If things could work out with planning and brain storming sessions alone, there would be so many success stories around. The fact remains one has to work really hard consistently. There is no substitute for hard work. One cannot put in effort in one go and then sit back, the efforts have to keep rolling, says Bobby who is also a mentor and guest speaker in Punjab Engineering college, Chandigarh for the Entrepreneurship development centre. Fast forward For a successful venture one has to think ahead of time. If you are thinking about the venture keeping the present situation in mind it you will not go too far with it. You have to visualise the project keeping in mind tomorrow and how the situation will be. You have to be a far sighted person to run any venture, not forgetting the pros and cons and risk factors involved. You have to be unique Uniqueness in products is what drives a successful venture. Nobody would be interested if you are giving people the same thing which others are also. In order to be there in the long run, one has to offer unique products and services. There has to be something different in the product whether it is a food chain or a retail industry. This involves reading, travelling, meeting people that enriches experience. What’s in a location The location in retail sector matters a lot. You have to understand the footfall if you are creating a place. For instance, if there is any nice school then parents will invariably come to drop their kids wherever it is. What most people don’t realise is that location or placement is what draws clients. You can’t expect to open a place in an extremely posh area and then wait for clients to pour. Meet the expectations It is important to understand what customers expect from you. If you create a standard you have to justify it as well and meet the expectations. You can’t just create a brand and sit there. A smart worker will always try to better the expectations of people because this defines the success of a venture.
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Changing with times…
In the six decades that eminent Punjabi poet Surjit Patar, recipient of Padma Shri, has been writing, literary scene has undergone a huge change. In Chandigarh, for the Literature Festival, he shares his insight on that with us, “When I started writing, there was a hope of having a better world which was very much considered achievable. Today, not only that hope is dimmed but the system itself is being questioned. Old concepts are giving place to new and it’s time for rethinking.”
Surjit Patar has been recipient of numerous awards. Recently, this week, he received yet another. What do these awards mean to him? “For any writer, his readers are the biggest reward. If my poems have resonated with my readers, have helped them in life, it’s of immense value. But awards aren’t meaningless either. Probably, they are the only occasion when media highlights writers. That helps connect with newer readers.” Any literary event helps promote cause of literature. Calling Chandigarh Literature Festival (CLF) as one, this poet is sure of poetry’s need in any society, at any given time and its bright future. But insists that it’s time that writers changed their medium. “Poetry would always be an integral part of life. Be it in the form of songs or through movies. But to make more readers pick up the book, poets need to tap online resources. If there are poem recordings on Youtube, it might just encourage youth to go back to the books,” says the poet whose own poems put by his readers and singers online are enjoying immense response! CLF by Adab Foundation that concluded on Sunday, is an effort to provide a platform for authors and artistes to share their work with literature enthusiasts from the city. Mitul Dikshit, chairman, Adab Foundation, says “The idea is to have an open interaction, unhindered by parochial considerations of genre, language, age, gender or eras.”
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Hip hop hurrah!
It all started with the Real Slim Shady and everyone since then has been paying attention, standing up and taking a note. Not that hip hop didn’t exist before, just that nothing put the spotlight on the culture and music originating in African American communities in the 1970s in New York City as much as Eminem’s cult song that came 12 years ago.
For laymen, it’s a breathless account of emotions spitted out continuously. Well, isn’t it what most of the rap artistes do? Having last updated you on the Rock stars, it’s time we hip hopped, spoke of the genre, its artistes and their works. Hopping away to glory Do we begin with the artistes or the works? It’s truly a genre where the performers are bigger than the performances. Don’t we have the billionaire rappers club? The Forbes list of wealthiest hip hop artistes, starting from Sean Diddy to Andre Dr, Dre Young to Curtis 50 Cent, being a case in point! The likes of Kanye West and Jay Z, who are the ambassadors of hip hop! Jay-Z has ruled the hip hop scene since 90s building up a dynasty and selling millions of albums. Or Eminem or LiL Wayne! Never mind the lyrics, but which club hasn’t played his Lollipop or which crowd hasn’t swayed to his A Milli? The popularity of hip hop can be judged from the fact that Bollywood too has adopted it. Singh is King felt the need to rope in Snoop Dogg. Almost everyone caught the rapping bug, if not the lyrics. The success of hip hop’s top earners shows just how powerful the genre has become. Why hip hop? “A lot of people say, it’s vulgar and violent but the truth is nothing connects like hip hop. It’s pure lyrics rather than deafening noise of instruments. That’s what makes rap and hip hop connect with the youth,” says Sharan Sibal, or S2 from a city based rap crew. His personal favourite include the very commercial Akon and Eminem’s collaboration Smack That. He adds, “The success of this genre can be judged from the fact that every singer is collaborating with a rapper and coming up with musical lyrics coupled with rap lyrics.” The success of this genre can also be judged from the fact that we have a deluge of Hindi to Punjabi artistes remixing their tracks with rap and the fact that we have rappers in Punjabi language in almost every college of the city. Jannat Chawla, a B Com student, counts Kanye West’s Good Life and Heartless among her all-time favourites. She opines, “Be it failures, frustrations, heart break, there’s no issue that remains untouched by rap lyrics. That’s where the strength of this genre lies.” We bet, many would not just understand but agree. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Young Voice
Samiksha Sufi is 10-year-old and she is already out with her own music album Tu Hai Sab Ka Pita. Impressed by her dad, this girl has learnt gayaki from him and it is in music that she wants to make her career. “I am really fond of Lata Mangeshkar. I would love to be a playback singer,” says Samiksha chirpily. Recording was ‘fun’ and ‘not difficult’ at all. It’s her father who offers more insight, “Samiksha is a singer in the real sense. During recordings, I would give a go ahead but she would insist on taking another shot till she was satisfied.” Also, a part of a reality show, this little girl is thankful to her parents. “My father teaches me music and my mother helps me prepare songs especially all Lata Ji’s numbers,” she says. And music sure is on her mind, and riyaz continues-morning before school and evenings after studies. Way to go girl.
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All pumped-up
It’s that time of the year when you just can’t wait to stop wearing your warm-weather wardrobe and along with it unwrap your pretty feet from layers of wool. Well, it’s time to make your feet happy and try the trendy footwear for the spring/summer 2012. And first and the foremost footwear trend for the season is that we see a shift from rounded toes to pointed ones. Though it’s not a sweeping trend as rounded toes are still on shelves, but it is mostly in sandals and booties. Another hot style to look out for is the metallic toes.
Talking about the city market, from braided sandals to wedge heels and the ever-loved stilettos, we find everything stylish, but it’s the colourful footwear that attracts the attention. Making a colourful splash from sunshine yellow to emerald green, sparkling silver to orange, those who love to make accents with their bright shoes can step in as bright shades will rule despite the obvious rein of pastels this season. “Silver is a hot colour in footwear this season so is red, green and purple,” says an employee of Steps at Paras Down Town Mall. Spelling trends he says, “From super mega platforms to transparent shoes, this season we see dramatic use of embellishments on shoes. Pearls are quite a rage, so is lace and ribbon.” Well, if you like glittery stuff, shinning shoes is another trend to look out for. Silver and gold is the obvious choice on the runway, but you can try different colours to stand out of the crowd. “Rivets will be a great hit during Spring/ Summer 2012 season. They come in all types of footwear: from high-heeled pumps to biker boots and they can be small and almost invisible or large and made to focus attention on them,” says footwear designer Swati Mehrotra. “Lacing still positions high in the world of fashion and we would be see lots of it on shoes and sandals but it’s no longer as trendy on boots,” she adds. Stepping into heels wedges and espadrilles are still hot though they would be less colorful. So, unleash the shoe shopper in you.
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Learn to be HAPPY
Renee singh
There are so very many events in life that are constantly keeping us hinging on the stress threshold. We learn to create habitual thought patterns which can help overcome some of these stressors or they can even deepen some hurts and generate more stress in us. Any which way, they give us a very clear picture of where the stress is coming from. As our thoughts race from one thing to another, dealing with the nitties-gritties of life we many a time allow fear to take over much of our lives. This constant shadow of fear is one of the reasons that we go into a negative spiral. It normally stems from various stresses like job, financial, relationship stress and many other attitudinal stresses. Our current lifestyle is a hugely pressurised situation and giving fear plenty of space to raise its ugly head from time to time. Effective time management is just one way from the many available to keep from succumbing to stress overload. Long hours and lack of appreciation are great contributors to building up stress in our systems. It is immensely important that we understand our own individual selves and learn to handle our personal stress levels in our own unique ways. Many of us feel that our lives are controlled by our own selves, and yet there are others who think otherwise and seem to live with the fact that there are forces beyond our control which are shaping our life. I believe that having an internal locus of control is very important and it is these people who come from within that are actually happier people. They are far relatively free and carry less stress. You can allow your life to take any direction but once you understand that stress is eating away your happy moments you have to beat it at its own game. We must learn to understand and handle the factors causing us stress. There are some frequently tried and tested methods that are absolutely great in helping us overcome stress. Experiment with these and see what works best for your situation. l
Find a time and place in the day where you can have complete privacy.
Take time off from other pressures. Short timeouts during the day can
help in efficient functioning during the rest of the day.
l
Open
yourself to new experiences. Try new things, cuisines, places.
l
Keep
your thoughts positive and practice relaxation consciously.
l
Associate
with people whom you enjoy with and who support you.
l
Protect your
personal freedom and space. Respect the rights of others but please do
your own thing.
l
Flow with the tide.
l
Don’t let one thing dominate
your life such as school pressures or work, relationships, job, sports
or any other.
l
Do not drift along troublesome and stressful situations
and relationships. Don’t try to avoid the problem. Take action to
change it.
l
Take some calculated risks. Taking chances is the key to
emotional well being.
l
Take responsibility for your life and your
feelings.
l
Never blame yourself.
l
When worries start building up
share your problems with a friend.
l
Please don’t be harsh on
yourself. Remember you have always handled things in the best way
possible.
l
Review your obligations from time to time, if they are not
good any longer just let them go.
l
The human mind is so malleable that
we can infuse it with happy thoughts and ideas to learn to live a life
of constant happiness. Trigger these happy thoughts by managing yourself
well.
l
Think positively and learn to empower yourself. Be
Happy. (Singh is a Chandigarh based psychotherapist)
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Lunch break
Swapana Singla
To meet our daily requirements the meal consumption has been divided into breakfast, lunch and dinner. An average normal individual requires approximately 40kcal/kg/day. So if you weigh 60kg you approximately need 2400kcal in a day. But the distribution should not be equal, 600kcal, 1/4th of the 2400kcal, should be consumed for breakfast, 1000 for lunch and 800kcal for dinner, making lunch the largest part of the meal taken in the day.But then lunch should be lighter as it keeps us active, limits our overindulgence of food when at rest or off work, as it is not stored as fat, a light lunch helps reducing weight and also reduces indigestion and bloating. However, lighter lunch does not mean less in calories, but it means more in nutritive value with simple food compositions. Lunch should be further divided into three parts—pre-lunch, proper lunch and post-lunch. Pre lunch and post lunch being approx 200kcal each and proper lunch is 500kcal and still we keep 100kcal for your evening tea and biscuits. The key is keep it simple, but change it daily. Here are a few tips: l Vegetable/chicken sandwich, not grilled l Vegetable roll/chicken roll l Vegetable salad/chicken salad l Pasta veg/chicken preferably in home cooked red sauce (tomato puree) l One scrambled egg with plain toasted two bread pieces l One boiled egg white salad l Two pieces of French toast made of one egg l Boiled potato chat. l Puffed rice bhel or chat l Boiled chick pea/boiled kidney beans chat l Steamed momos/steamed idli with one teaspoon chutney l Boiled vegetables (peas, American corn, broccoli, French beans) mixed with a dash of lemon salt and pepper for seasoning. Any of the above options can be taken and combined with fresh fruit juice/fruit/buttermilk. It sounds like party time but, these preparations gives you less than 200kcal and for those who are trying to lose weight, keep these things in mind. l Avoid tea, coffee and biscuits. l Go for brown bread over white. l The rolls should be made of atta and not maida. l Avoid cheese, butter and mayonnaise, jaggery and chutney. Instead have fresh home-made mint and coriander chutney. l Stick to small portions. l Prefer full fruit, makes it easy to carry over fruit juice. This was all for pre or post lunch, and now let’s come to the main course of lunch. And for this stick to a normal Indian pattern l Two rotis, one katori sabzi veg/chicken and one katori curd. l One bowl rice with one katori veg/chicken curry and curd. l One katori rice with one katori veg/chicken curry one roti and two tablespoon of sabzi and curd. Some people have sweet tooth and just can’t help it. Go for two pieces dates or one piece of chocolate. (Dr Singla is a Zirakpur-based cosmetologist and obesity consultant)
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Star track
Besides the enormous buzz created by the new upcoming movie Ishaqzaade, what many are oblivious about is that, the title of the movie was not the primary choice.
They then came to a conclusion that it’s not just attitude but the combination of a love story and attitude, thus the film is now titled as Ishaqzaade as we now know. It was however a collective decision taken by the team after a few meetings took place. The entire team loved the title Ishaqzaade and felt it perfectly fits the film, also it precisely justified the nature of the film. One of the leading light of Ishaqzaade, Parineeti Chopra has already swept mostly all awards as a debutant for her previous film, Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl. Arjun Kapoor is first cousin of Sonam Kapoor who is seen supporting and cheering her brother, by regularly tweeting about the film and its new songs which is also trending at a large scale on the internet. The film releases on May 11. The first trailer created quiet a buzz on social networking titles. Arjun already has created a fan following waiting for his first film to release.
John’s thoughtful product
Bollywood actor John Abraham says his maiden production venture Vicky Donor is a clean film despite dealing with a taboo subject like sperm donation.
Vicky Donor deals with the concept of sperm donation and infertility and stars newcomers Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam. The film releases on April 20. “It is a different and edgy film but it is a clean film, a romantic comedy. I am hopeful that the film will spread awareness about sperm donation as a viable alternative to childless couples. It is a very taboo subject and it is looked upon negatively,” said John. The 39-year-old is happy with the positive response to the promos. “The reaction to promos has been incredulous. It is absolutely outstanding. Ever-since the promos started airing, we’ve been getting mails and calls from fertility centers on how they can pitch in, without even seeing the film,” John said. Describing himself as an “odd-ball”, the actor-producer said, “I wanted to test the water as a producer. After seeing the film, people will look at the issue of sperm donation far more positively.” Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the film is shot in Delhi. The actor is confident that he will be able to create a space for himself in Bollywood as a producer. “I believe Vicky Donor has the strength to sustain. I’m confident of my space. In 3 years from now, JA (John Abraham) Entertainment will make its mark. I want my cinema to go overseas. “When the spectators get out of the theatre, they should say this is the first film from JA entertainment but it is such credible and such wonderful film. That is my guarantee,” he said. John has acted in about 40 films including Dostana, No Smoking, Kabul Express’, Dhoom and Jism. “I am very proud of Indian films. We have got world-class cameramen, directors and actors but we need great screenplay writers,” he said.
—PTI
Identical issues
Waiting for more
The promos of Priyanka-Shahid starrer Teri Meri Kahani and Emraan Hashmi starrer Jannat 2 have met with a great response. The films release in June and May respectively.
The charmer
Shah Rukh Khan has the Gift of the Gab. He charmed students with his speech at Yale University. He was invited by the Ambanis because their daughter studies there. He impressed one and all.We feel sorry that King Khan was detained at the airport.
Soul attachment
Actress Charlize Theron pines for her baby son Jackson when they are apart because she has gotten so used to doing things with him in her arms.
The 36-year-old, who announced last month that she had adopted Jackson, misses him when she has to go away for work, reported a website. “It’s amazing what you can do with one arm. I hold Jackson in one, and we play and do things with the other. It’s like he’s permanently attached to my body,” Theron said. As well as raising Jackson, Theron has been kept busy by promoting Prometheus. “I’d have to kill you if I told you! Of course stuff happens, but that would spoil the film for you and everyone if I revealed it. You have to wait and be patient,” she said. —
PTI
Hush hush about him
Minissha Lamba is in love with a new man who is not from the film industry. She goes on holidays with him and is spotted with him often.
She will not reveal his name but we are happy for her. She could consider getting married soon.
Bonding well
Hrithik Roshan and Vivek Oberoi are having fun with each other while shooting for Krissh 3. Vivek is supposed to have a good role Hrithik thinks he is perfect for it.
Wanna be a vampire
Underworld star Kate Beckinsale’s daughter became so obsessed with the Twilight books that she demanded to be treated like a vampire.
The 38-year-old British actress is an avid reader and has passed on her thirst for books to her daughter, Lily, and says Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series left a huge impression on the youngster, reported a magazine. “She read Twilight and was completely obsessed with them. It actually almost ruined Christmas one year because all she wanted to do was be a vampire and she didn’t want anything on her Christmas list,” Beckinsale said. — PTI
Not just a dog!
Legendary Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor’s dog is at the centre of a custody battle between her son and former manager.
The Maltese breed, named Daisy, was long a companion of the late Cleopatra star, who died last year of congestive heart failure. Her son Christopher Wilding took her after her passing but Elizabeth’s former manager Jason Winters is keen to have the pooch himself, reported a website. “It was chaos after Liz died last March, and Chris took Daisy home to live with him. But Jason coveted that dog and felt it would connect him to Liz. He was devastated when he didn’t get her but he hasn’t given up hope,” a source said. “Jason pleads with Chris by phone to let him have Daisy. He points out he’d give the dog a wonderful place to live at his opulent homes in Palm Springs and Hawaii,” the source added. Jason also claims the British-born star would have wanted him to look after the dog. Taylor had a love-affair with animals, once claiming she thought of pets as like humans. — PTI
Kalki loves being natural
Kalki Koechlin has carved a niche for herself in Bollywood. She will be seen next in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Shanghai. She talks about her beauty and fashion tips.
Natural slant I try to use as many few chemicals as possible in my make-up, toiletries, and diet. I drink a lot of water and nimboo pani and have vegetarian, home-cooked food as much as possible. Mane talk I apply sesame oil once a week and use a soya-based conditioner and shampoo. Hair has to look good and be taken care of because of all the styling and heat damage. I like going to spas for massages. Skin care I love body butters and creams from The Body Shop. They keep my face and skin moisturised wonderfully. I also like lip balms. I may not wear make-up but I wear lip balm. I do not endorse fairness creams because I was born with fair skin. I like using aloe vera as well, straight from the plant. Ideally beautiful My beauty icon is French actress Juliette Binoche because she is gorgeous naturally and has not dome any artificial treatments to look younger. She is so talented and such an international star!
—HRM
Brawns and brains
High School Musical star Zac Efron says he didn’t recognise himself after putting on 18lbs of muscle to play a war veteran in his new movie.
The 24-year-old actor bulked up to play a war veteran in The Lucky One and said he was impressed with his own willpower, a website reported. “By the end of the movie I didn’t recognise myself. I’ve always wondered if I had the willpower to actually do it. And I’ll always have pride around the sense that I can,” he said. Although the actor said he doesn’t have any special talents, he thinks his willingness to work hard has played a huge part in his successful career. “I could pick up almost anything. If you put it in front of me, I could always find a way to tackle it. I’d get this strange sense of power as those weights increased. I was never a natural at anything.” —PTI
Hello? Is it me, you are looking for…
Soul star Lionel Richie is facing a hefty tax bill over allegations that he owes more than USD 1 million to the US government.
The Hello hit maker owes USD 1.13 million in unpaid income tax stemming from 2010, according to official documents, reported a publication online. The debt shouldn’t put too much of a dent in Richie’s bank balance as the singer is said to be worth an estimated USD 200 million. —
PTI
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Say cheese!
Marinating Films, launched a calendar featuring beautiful TV actresses, including Pooja Gor, Barkha Bisht, Shveta Salve, Juhi Parmar, Sara Khan, Divyanka Tripati, Mouni Roy, Sukirti Khandpal, Giaa Manek, Shweta Tiwari, Hina Khan, Ankita Lokhande, and Anita Hassanandani. Here are some actresses talking about their experiences
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Mutual admiration society
No problem in playing mother
Narayani Shastri is looking forward to playing a mother to a grown-up girl in forthcoming show Phir Subah Hogi and says she doesn’t think much but makes the best of the opportunities that present themselves to her.
Her choice is guided by the fact that rural stories are soon becoming more and more popular.
Meaningful television
Actor Varun Badola is back on TV after a long hiatus. In his upcoming show, Phir Subah Hogi, he will be playing a rich Thakur. He feels it is important that the society be informed regarding the meaningless and insensitive customs, which grip it.
Action packed presence
Khiladi Kumar or Rowdy Rathore, Akshay Kumar’s fan following knew no limits when he reached the sets Dance India Dance Season 3 to promote his upcoming Prabhudeva directed flick Rowdy Rathore.
The Top 5 finalists of this season- Mohena Kumari Singh and Sanam Johar from Remo Ke Rangeelay, Rajsmita Kar from Geeta Ki Gang, Pradeep Gurung and Raghav ‘Crockroaz’ Juyal from Terence Ki Toli had all the tricks up their sleeves to impress the Akshay Kumar in his new brawny and colorful avatar. Akshay donned his movie look replete with a slick handlebar moustache, bright yellow pants and a striped orange shirt loosely hanging over a printed kitsch tee shirt, looking every bit a ‘rowdy’.
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Astro turf
ARIES: The day will fill you with confidence. You will be able to make the efforts needed to realise all your dreams. Whatever you do, will start showing will results now. You have the ability to be a leader.
Tarot message: Don’t be bullied into accepting situations you dislike. Lucky colour: Fuchsia. Lucky number: 61 TAURUS: Relationships will improve and you will be able to relate to others with sensitivity and consideration. Work will move smoothly, with just a few glitches. There may be some conflict regarding property with some of you. Tarot message: Do not let opposition faze you. Lucky colour: Pink. Lucky number: 40 GEMINI: It is essential that you don’t get drawn into speculative ventures. Also, avoid lending and borrowing money today. At home, your spouse or partner would be understanding. Tarot message: Take one step at a time and avoid being hurried and over-anxious. Lucky colour: Golden. CANCER: Take care of issues right there and then, rather than pushing them under the carpet. This is the quality that will be highlighted today. However, you may need to get others to see your point of view also. Tarot message: Try not to get carried away by your initial success. Lucky colour: Maroon. Lucky number: 49 LEO: It would be wise for you to be cautious. Be focused on the tasks at hand and don’t try to do too much at one time. That would only lead to mediocre results. Relationships will give you stability and security. Tarot message: Don’t be too certain about obtaining a clearance. Lucky colour: Black VIRGO: Many of you would have to work doubly hard, since co-workers may not be very helpful. Family would bring warmth and joy, showing you their love and support in various ways. Tarot message: Do not swing away from the course you have charted so far. LIBRA: Your tendency to be stubborn may lead to some difficulties at work. However, these would only be small obstacles. Your power of intuition would be heightened and may help you in making decisions. Tarot message: Unfinished business will unleash new problems. Lucky colour: Navy blue. Lucky number: 55 SCORPIO: You would have been working too hard lately and all that would take a toll on you, if you don’t relax and take it easy. It would also be advisable for you to change certain old habits. Some respite from spending is expected. SAGITTARIUS: This would be quite a productive and profitable day for most of you, especially, business people. Socially, you would be meeting friends, spending time with family and generally, having a good time. Avoid unnecessary spending today. Tarot message: Take things one at a time. Lucky colour: Green. Lucky number: 44 CAPRICORN: The atmosphere would be light, optimistic and entertaining today. You may get some positive news at work and this would motivate you. The situation of planets is particularly positive for professionals in the technical industry. Tarot message: Beware of judging people too harshly. Lucky colour: Copper. Lucky number: 36 AQUARIUS: There may be someone who could be trying to outshine you and hence, you would need to pull up your socks and put in extra efforts. Some of you may get news of a promotion while others may receive bonuses or increments. Tarot message: You gain by being practical; do not be emotional. Lucky colour: Silver. Lucky number: 54 PISCES: Spending time in the company of your beloved will make you feel calmer and relaxed. Some friends may not be of the same opinion as you. Playing outdoor sports or mind games would stimulate your body and mind. Tarot message: It is no longer necessary to take risks. Lucky colour: Peach. Lucky number: 27
The year ahead
If your birthday is April 16...
It is time to relax and enjoy your love life. After the never ending fights, you are sure to taste success. There will be a lot of support when it comes to your love life from your friends and family this year. Especially the second half of the year 2012, for both the singles and married couples will provide stability and strengthen your love, emotional bonding, and intimate relationship. Your 2012 begins in the mood to help out your family, friends or those less fortunate than you. During the second half of the year, your thoughts turn to home. You adjust to the changes you’ve faced. During the year 2012, good companionship can enhance your mental and physical well-being. You are likely to get emotional sometimes which in turn will affect your health. So, it is not safe to get angry, which may even reduce the energy level. The year 2012 is full of travel. People who are into business will go on a business trip this year. May be you can even go on a vacation with your family. Be proactive with vacation plans and learn about new cultures you might visit ahead of time. Aim high during this week, ask for more than you want and you’re likely to get the green light. This year work relations could be slightly torturous and difficult. Luckily you will be able to extricate yourself and express clearly what’s going wrong. If you are self-employed, you will be fascinated and attracted by the possibility to set up short term projects. Keep checking that mailbox for a welcome surprise. Although an extreme shift makes adjustment arduous, help is on the horizon. Invest only in essentials. You will soon need funds in reserve. Some kind of good news may launch a last minute celebration; keep costs reasonable. Guests are likely to bother you this week. Spending does escalate if you do get company. Mood : Heavily invested. Compatible signs: Gemini, Libra. Lucky colours: Light blue, maroon. Lucky days: Saturday and Sunday. Lucky numbers: 1, 11, 16, 18. Lucky gem: Aquamarine - gemstone of love. Lucky flower: Honey flower.
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Former Miss Universe Lara Dutta (April 16, 1978 , Ghaziabad) too joins in singing the Happy Birthday song today. She was crowned Femina Miss India later Miss Universe and in 2000. She made her Hindi debut in 2003 with the film Andaaz which was a box office success and won her a Filmfare Award. Her box office “hits” include Masti, Kaal, No Entry and Partner. In 2006, she starred in the comedy, Bhagam Bhag which did well at the box office. She married the Indian tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi. She excelled in Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai and Chalo Dilli. After motherhood, she will again enthrall the filmfans.