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A young love story
Even while we were agreeing that Punjabi cinema has started making a mark and setting a standard, Haryanvi cinema follows suit. Tera Mera Vaada, a Haryanvi movie set for release on June 29, promises hi-tech entertainment.
Director’s angle
Bhal Singh Balhara, who hails from Panchkula, debuted in Haryanvi movies in 1980 with Bahurani’. He has also sung for many Haryanvi movies as well. Says Bhal Singh, “After being a part of the Haryanvi movie industry for so many years, I joined the Haryana Public Relations Department as the additional director. As everybody knew my work, I got the offer to direct Tera Mera Vaada; I agreed immediately.” We wonder what kind of audience he is expecting. “It is a love story and very youth-oriented. It is a mixture of Haryanvi, Punjabi as well as Hindi,” adds Bhal Singh.
Regional act
Bhal Singh’s eldest son Ankit, who is just twenty-six, has undergone training in acting at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Mumbai and is the lead actor of the movie. Says Ankit, “I’m very excited as it is my debut act and this being a Haryanvi movie, it is a different experience altogether.” How did he think of acting in a Haryanvi movie? “I have been living in Mumbai since a year-and-a-half and I have learnt that I just want to act be it Bollywood, television or Haryanvi cinema,” adds Ankit.
Screen tale
The lead actress Neetu Singh, who was earlier seen in Star One’s serial Yeh Ishq Haye and has also modelled in various advertisements, comes from Bihar. Generally, the trend is that telly artists try for Bollywood, what about her? “I wanted to do something different, so as soon as my serial went off air I was offered this movie. I agreed to do it because of its unusual treatment,” says Neetu. We wonder whether she faced any language problems. “The best part about my role is that I portray the character of a girl who comes from a city, so I didn’t have to speak much of Haryanvi. Although in future, I would love to speak fluent Haryanvi,” adds Neetu.
Melody man
Sanchit Singh, Bhal Singh’s younger son, 23, is the music director of the film. Says Sanchit, “I have learnt music at Delhi from Performers Collective, which is affiliated to the Trinity College, London. I later went for a year-long training in music to London.” Talking about the movie, he says, “It has six songs and one Haryanvi Ragni. I have tried to keep the tracks as folk as possible, which has a connect with the audience,” says Sanchit. All the recording has been done in the UK using the latest techniques. “I’m a composer as well and have written songs for some short British movies, including Spicy Money. The surprise element in Tera Mera Vaada is a Hip-Hop track in Haryanvi,” adds Sanchit.
Punjabi Touch Bawa Verma plays the role of a Punjabi Sikh and adds a comic element to the movie. “I belong to Ludhiana and was titled as Mr Patiala in 2009. In the past I have worked as a journalist, an anchor and have participated in a reality show as well.” We wonder how he feels about his first movie. Says Bawa, “I’m super-excited to see myself on the silver screen.” sabiatalwar@tribunemail.com
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Three’s company!
Revisiting the past and then coming back to the present: interviewing The Rodrigues is like moving to and fro between two time periods – the then and the now. While the oscillation continues, comes forward several interesting episode of the life of the three members of the oldest live band of Chandigarh. “When we used to play at the Chop Sticks, people stood beside us just to enquire if we were playing recorded music and doing a lip sync. We were so unbelievably good at our job,” says Errol Rodrigues, who plays the rhythm guitar and is also the lead vocalist of the band.
Good they were, better they are; that’s how they rate themselves today! “People have exposure to a lot of music forms these days, which means they have more knowledge of music as compared to earlier times. If we are able to cope up with the increasing demands of the audience and competing well with the younger bands, aren’t we faring better now?” quips Edwin Rodrigues. And after a gap of fifteen years, they will play Retro music at a lounge in Chandigarh. In the meanwhile, they have kept themselves busy with a lot of freelance performances. “Private offers have always flowed in,” adds Errol. If that’s to be explained further, then they have their hands full till January next year. But that has been possible because they have constantly upgraded their knowledge of music; kept themselves up with the changing trends. Chips in Ashok Kalhan for the first time during the conversation, “Be it the hit Bollywood tracks, rock music or for that matter any genre from the West, we practice them all.” But Retro - Indian and Western - still tops the chart for them. “Melody scores over everything else. Youngsters too like this genre of music.” At the same time, there is no denying the fact that a there was a phase when the popularity of remixes overshadowed live music. The trio accepted the reality and went on to work with a DJ. They are a hit among youngsters as well, “Only that after sometime they demand blaring music, on which they can shake a leg,” they echo. Brothers Errol and Edwin started as choir singers in the church, and gradually took to music as their profession. Ashok was Errol’s classmate in college and that’s how the three-member band came about. “We shared the same passion for music. And, we had arrived even before we realised it,” says Edwin. They are happy to put in all these years of experience into the album they are coming up with. It has seven tracks, four original compositions and three remixes. But live singing will continue; it’s still their bread and butter. Errol will continue on the rhythm guitar and as the lead vocalist; Edwin will keep giving backup vocals and harmonies, and Ashok will keep strumming as the lead guitarist and sing Punjabi folk numbers. Their story will move to the future now!
ashima@tribunemail.com
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Special on small screen
The last we saw her on the small screen, Mona Singh would flaunt her braces and her ill-fitted suits in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi (JJKN) before she transformed into a damsel. Years later, she transforms herself from ‘I-will-adjust-to-everything’ homemaker to a strong-willed independent woman. Mona takes on the television screen with Sony TV’s Kya Hua Tera Wada and you bet she has much to talk about the role.
“There was a long time between JJKN and Kya Hua Tera Wada, so thankfully I didn’t have to do similar kind of roles,” says Mona, who said yes to Kya Hua Tera Wada after listening to the narrative. “Ekta Kapoor is known to come up with woman-oriented roles. The narrative she gave me was so impressive that I said yes without listening to the script.” That’s what we call the K magic! “Indeed,” adds Mona. “In all the other serials you will see women crying because of injustice done to them in one form or the other, but Kya Hua Tera Wada is one serial where there is no endless sobbing. In fact, Mona (her on screen character name as well) stands for her rights and does not cry endlessly.” Strong -willed Mona — which is why she could say ‘no’ to a number of roles that she was being offered in films after 3 Idiots. “I had a great time doing the movie. But I started getting similar kind of roles after that, mostly of a pregnant woman,” she bursts out laughing. “As I had not said goodbye to TV and wanted to balance both, I took up Kya Hua Tera Wada,” adds Mona. With television one cannot get too far as the word monotony seeps in? “I would be the first one to quit the serial if I feel monotony is setting in. Jassi Jaisi finished in two years; I want that this serial also meets a fruitful end. I would be scared if people were to ask me when the serial is going to end,” she bursts into another spell of infectious laugher! jasmine@tribunemail.com
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Doc’s diary
Is there anyone who hasn’t been through those college flashbacks? When one fine day on a rainy morning or a lazy afternoon, there’s a sudden splash of memories of the days spent in the classrooms! “Years after I passed-out, when I had more time to myself, I thought of penning down all those memories,” says Dr Ketaki Patwardhan Nirkhi, author of the fictional work Those Enchanted Four and Half Years, of her four-and-a-half years in a medical college in Miraj, Maharashtra. She adds, “Even before I knew, I was actually writing a book.”
Like with most first-timers, the book covers real life incidents, takes inspiration from the far as well as near ones and weaves it all into a fiction. “The book is actually about all the things the medical students go through. It is basically about what every teenager who is a student goes through, but is more relevant to medical students because in other streams you are not dealing with human life.” Woven in between is a love story against the backdrop of events occurring in the college and the medical college. “The protagonist is Ruta; it’s basically her love story and her journey through those four-and-a-half years.” It’s perhaps a character that, to some extent, every reader will be able to identify with. “But I feel, if a boy had written that story about the same characters, he would have written it from a totally different perspective.” The young girl in the story is as ambitious as it gets. “She has lots of dreams, yearns to find friends; have everything in life, at the right time.” She adds, “I have written the book in ‘spoken language’; it’s like I am having a conversation with my friend.” After the love story, coming up is a suspense novella. “I am almost done with it, it’s a mystery fiction. I have always been intro reading thrillers and mysteries; authors like Robin Cook,’ says this anaesthetist by profession. Her part of the profession somewhere gets under the skin of the character too. “The protagonist gets these suggestive dreams throughout in the narrative.” A hint of reality, lots of imagination! manpriya@tribunemail.com
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A hit ride
It’s been an overwhelming ride for the movie Ferrari Ki Sawaari on the box office. Riding on a steady terrain, Ferrari Ki Sawaari has hit a beyond expected number of 26 crores net India theatrical collection till date. Since then the film has not seen a dip, not even for a day. Word of mouth, the biggest armour in a film-maker’s artillery for promoting his film, has played a huge role in the growing success of Ferrari Ki Sawaari. This is a huge success for a film which could have many odds working against it. For one it is a no heroine starrer film, the other being it marks the debut of Sharman Joshi as a lead actor. Though Sharman has been applauded for his performance as an actor for several films, it has never seen him in the light of a single lead.
Ferrari Ki Sawaari directed by Rajesh Mapuskar and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra released on June 15, 2012. One of the biggest reasons why the film is riding high on success is because of the exemplary performances by the cast of the film Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Ritwik Sahore.
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Make her laugh, win her heart
Gossip Girl star Blake Lively says she likes tall men who can make her laugh. The 25-year-old, who is reportedly dating actor Ryan Reynolds, said she loves to wear high heels and so wants a guy who is tall, reported a publication.
"I will always love somebody who makes me laugh and who's fun to be with. I love really high heels, so it becomes a problem sometimes when the guy is short. I just feel huge, you don't want to feel like the man," she said. Lively will soon be seen in the upcoming film Savages, which is a love triangle with Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson. "She is juggling between two men. The three of them are in a relationship and they're happy and they all know about each other and they're all equally in love. The boys love each other as much as they love the girl, which I find interesting," Lively said about her character.—PTI
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Caution, fake news ahead!
Reporting death of ageing superstars before their time comes seems to be one of the in-things which the Internet and social media have come to specialise in!
After fake rumours about Lata Mangeshkar and Rajesh Khanna’s demise this year, now the Internet has gone ahead and has reported megastar Amitabh Bachchan dead this week and that too in an accident. A Blogspot blog called 24musicvdo.blogspot.in reported Big B’s demise in a “car accident” on its home page a few hours ago; causing panic among Twitter and Blackberry Messenger (BBM) users who broadcast and discussed it, till they realised it was a false alarm. According to the said blog, “(Local Team News 9) Amitabh Bachchan died in a single vehicle crash on Route 80 between Morristown and Roswell. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics responding to the vehicle accident and was identified by photo ID found on his body. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor in this accident June 26, 2012.” (sic) Also carrying the photograph of a car turned over, the article added that “The Highway Safety Investigators have told reporters that Amitabh Bachchan lost control while driving a friend's vehicle on Interstate 80 and rolled the vehicle several times killing him on the spot.” (sic) “Memorial services for Amitabh Bachan have not yet been announced. The service is expected to be a closed casket funeral due to the severe head trauma,” (sic) it concluded after a further description of the so-called ‘accident’. Commenting on such misleading reports, Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar smirked, “The bol bachchan (talking big) attitude of the internet and social media often borders on irony when it keeps ‘killing’ superstars.” “Social media is a very influential and powerful platform, and everyone should be wary of what they broadcast without verifying. When the rumour broke out, Mr Bachchan was happily tweeting almost every 15 minutes. It just takes a little bit of patience and research to check facts, but sadly, not many do that before
they jump to conclusions and discussions on the net,” he analysed.
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Pooja Bhatt blasts Censor Board
Pooja Bhatt is upset with the Censor Board for giving an ‘A’ certificate to her much awaited film Jism 2, starring Sunny Leone.
“First music promo for Jism 2 has been given an 'A' certificate. And this was what one could call a truly watered down version. So the deal is this — You can't buy spots on TV for a promo with an 'A' certificate, which basically means you can't publicise your music!” the actor-director said. The actress, however, has refused to comply with the censor board and has decided to release the promo on the Internet instead. “So will I pare down the promo of Jism 2 to appease the censors? Or release it on the Internet and push forward a more sanitised song on TV? Absolutely refuse to pare my scheduled trailer down to pander to an over cautious Censor board. I will release the promo on the internet instead,” she added. The first promo of the film will be out on June 29. “So we've decided to throw all caution to the winds and go ahead and release our first music promo on June 29 as scheduled over the Internet. Delighted that T-Series is in absolute agreement with us with regards to not releasing watered down versions of Jism 2 trailers on TV!,” she continued. The film has six songs in it.
—HRM
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chatter box
Bebo recently made a statement saying that being fat is not cool and now Sameera Reddy opines that being fat is not nice. Well, it so happened that Sameera Reddy was on an episode of UTV Stars’ Lux The Chosen One wherein she was advising the contestants on their on-screen presence. She went to tell them about how she weighed 105 kgs when she was new to the industry and that she hated being fat! So much so that she suffered from water retention every morning. In fact, Anil Kapoor once commented on her water retention and weight. The lass obviously didn’t take kindly to it. She was upset initially but later she took extra pains to work on her problem areas and started working towards a fit body! She also went on to tell them that to be on screen, one has to look one’s best and being
fat and out of shape is never an option! Well Sameera, tell us something we don’t know!
Bridal Affair
Actress and singer Manasi Parekh Gohil (Gulaal, Star Ya Rockstar and India Calling fame) walked the ramp as the showstopper for a beauty event. Manasi was exquisitely dressed in a red and white bridal outfit as she joked about having become a bride for the seventh time. Manasi was seen not only confidently walking the ramp but she also won the audience over with her melodious voice. Makeup artist Zubair Qureshi was seen explaining makeup techniques as well as doing Manasi’s makeup at this beauty event.
Shivshakti Sachdeva is unhappy about her role in the show Raakesh Paswan’s Afsar Bitiya and will now quit the show. She got popular due to her role as Bebo in Sabki Laadli Bebo and grabbed a role in Afsar
Bitiya.
Surprise element
In Colors’ Balika Vadhu, Dadisa (Surekha Sikri) will question Shiv (Siddharth
Shukla) about marriage with Anandi (Pratyusha Banerjee) which he will answer in affirmative. During the surprise birthday party for
Shiv, he will be drawn closer to Anandi. Later he will tell Ashima (Reena) who will call Anandi to congratulate her and she will be shocked to learn about the same. Caught in the act
To promote his upcoming film Maximum on Colors TV’s Kairee, Sonu Sood will do an action scene in the show. He will save Ambi aka Preeti Chaudhary who will be caught in the riots and Inspector Pratap
(Sonu Sood) will rescue her.
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Stars and their secrets…
Here are some little-known facts about your favourite stars such as Anushka, Kareena and others... Ranveer spills the beans about Anushka
Ranveer Singh thinks highly of his co-star Anushka Sharma. He says she is hotter than Sonakshi Sinha. He also thinks she is gorgeous, hot, amazing, and has radiant skin and that too naturally. He says she is very restless and random and she thinks very fast.
Bips is a thankful soul
Bipasha Basu believes gratitude is the greatest virtue. She is thankful for her staff, her job, her health and her life. She takes the stairs to keep herself active and likes sleeping till late in the winter. She eats well and then works out. She also loves seafood. Kareena likes privacy
Kareena Kapoor feels that she does not have to announce her romance with Saif Ali Khan to the world. She likes working with her friends and doing blockbuster films for fun and money, of course! She likes looking pretty in movies.
Sonam loves smelling good
Sonam Kapoor loves that people talk about how good she looks and the clothes she wears. She says smelling good is also very important in making an impression. Her favourite stylist is her sister Rhea and she also works with her friend Pernia Qureshi. The style diva also has a belly-button piercing.
PC fears her songs might give her away
Priyanka Chopra is scared that people might come to know about her life from the lyrics she has written for her pop album which will release next year. She loves and lives to eat. She eats a lot of food and sometimes people have
to starve because of how much she eats! But thankfully she is genetically blessed to stay thin.
—HRM
Aditi Rao Hydari is going to be part of the third Murder film along with Randeep Hooda. A new female face is also going to be a part of it. What about Emraan
Hashmi?
Vivek gives Mallika goose bumps
Vivek Oberoi is shooting with Mallika Sherawat in New Delhi. He managed to scare her with ghost stories
about Meena Kumari.
A big happy family
Shah Rukh Khan will be joined by John Abraham, Boman Irani, and Abhishek Bachchan in Farah Khan's Happy New Year. Seems like a big film!
Zarine Khan loves cats and kittens. She now has twelve of them at home. She had eleven and adopted another one to make a dirty dozen. She says she is choosy about her roles now.
With Ek Tha Tiger releasing on August 15, the release of Sholay in 3D has been postponed because everyone knows that ETT is going to dominate screens for weeks to come.
Children’s day
Pop star Avril Lavigne has donated musical instruments to a children’s hospital following a visit to the facility in April. The Sk8er Boi hit-maker visited Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and toured the wards meeting with sick children before putting on an impromptu performance with them, reported a publication online. She returned last week and brought some musical cheer by presenting the youngsters with instruments to learn while they recover. The 27-year-old singer and her musician pal Evan Taubenfeld helped teach their young proteges the basics, with Lavigne taking to Twitter to write, “EvanT giving impromptu guitar lesson (at) UCLA Health Mattel Children’s! We just donated instruments to them! “THANK YOU EvanT for helping The Avril Foundation donate instruments.”
—PTI
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Maximum
Producer: Vainteya Films Pvt Ltd., Director: Kabeer Kaushik Maximum is directed by Kabeer Kaushik. The film showcases a war between Mumbai’s underworld and the police department. Dabangg fame Sonu Sood plays an encounter specialist. He had to meet real life encounter specialists to get the nuances of his character Pratap Pandit. Arshad Warsi was supposed to play one of the encounter specialists but later Naseeruddin Shah was selected for the role. Neha Dhupia, Vinay Pathak, Anjana Sukhani, and Arya Babbar play important characters. The Amazing Spider-Man
Producer: Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach Director: Marc Webb Sony Pictures releases this film in India today. This action-adventure fantasy stars Irrfan Khan, Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Campbell Scott. In this film there is humour, romance and action. The Amazing-Spider Man, a 3D action-adventure focuses on untold different side of the Peter Parker story. — Dharam Pal
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Astro turf
ARIES: Not much out of the ordinary is likely to transpire today. Do not overload yourself with work. Pearls of wisdom from an older person are valuable. Take stock of your plans and ensure you are looking after yourself. Tarot message: Boost your confidence with positive thinking. Lucky colour: Aqua blue. Magic number: 38
TAURUS: Business conferences and organisational meetings can go off smoothly under your direction, building your self-esteem and professional reputation. Romance with a friend can start up unexpectedly. Tarot message: Avoid situations that may turn nasty. Lucky colour: Mauve. Magic number: 59 GEMINI: Don’t worry about your health. You’ll prefer not to share your thoughts with people from your past. If you are thinking of rekindling a past love affair, make plan for a weekend and reignite the fire. Tarot message: Results are guaranteed if you stick to arrangements. Lucky colour: Navy blue. Magic number: 47 CANCER: Work life is good. Love life is controversial. Give more time to domestic duties. Sportsmen perform well. Do not suppress your feelings. Good vibes abound. Love and friendship are likely to take up most of your time. Tarot message: Do not let anyone take advantage. Lucky colour: White.
Magic number: 53 LEO: Travel plans need a double check. Though you will be surrounded by friends still you may feel all alone. Fantasy and romance can play a large part in actions, so try to exercise good judgment. Tarot message: Do not cover up your own mistakes and keep the emotions aside. Lucky colour: Saffron. Magic number: 30 VIRGO: There will be new projects to deal with. Friends will have useful ideas. Mothers should take proper care of your child. Send your apologies in order to avoid future confrontations. Tarot message: Don’t get embroiled in ventures where returns are spread over a large period of time. Lucky colour: Sky blue. Magic number: 31
LIBRA: Nothing will go wrong today. Home and family life run smoothly. You will get more time to do what you want. There may be a message from your conscious that will become clear through this process. Pamper yourself a little today. Tarot message: Avoid gossip sessions. Lucky colour: Orange. Magic number: 36 SCORPIO: Women will be bored with their daily routine. Your health can stand in the way of travel plans. Think about what you are going to wear to an upcoming job interview. Take care of your health. message: Don’t do anything at the cost of health. Time will heal all pains and wounds. Lucky colour: Pink. Magic number: 61 SAGITTARIUS: Avoid tiffs in the heat of the moment. Focus on hobbies and personal matters. Someone close to you might be sapping your energy. A day at home could be your best medicine. Tarot message: Be articulate to prevent people for making their own conclusions. Lucky colour: Silver. Magic number: 32 CAPRICORN: Inquiries for business will be encouraging. Your mind could be off daydreaming of the things you want; even though you know you probably won’t ever get around to putting them into action. Tarot message: You are advised to focus on professional changes. Lucky colour: Yellow. Magic number: 29 AQUARIUS: A strong independent streak will push
you to get things done your way and in your time. This might not sit well with your partner, so remember to be diplomatic.
Tarot message: Arrogance and pride will not be rewarded. Lucky colour: Green. Magic number: 43 PISCES:The wheels of progress and action will halt today. The vibes call for reflection and reevaluation. Contracts can stall, messages can get mixed up, and whatever is meant to be happening probably won’t. Tarot message: You need to be creative if you want to retain your grip over your business. Lucky colour: Peach. Magic number: 65
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The year ahead
If your birthday is June 29...
It is an average year for financial prosperity. At work, you need to be prepared for certain negative tendencies. You should be careful when handling personal relationships. Today will be a lucky day as you will connect with people who have positive vibes. Remember, that whoever is in the privileged position must be attentive to those who are not as fortunate. You can expect promising gains at work. Finances may not be perfect. Certain tough moments are likely. Your mind will be disturbed with certain concerns. The 2012-13 will turn out to be a less-active one. For you, this is a winning moment, which you must know how to make the most of. Remember you will obtain best results by joining with people who share your interests and aspirations. Your birthday on June 29 reflects a tone of idealism to your nature. You are imaginative and creative. Ruled by the Moon, the number two makes you peace-loving, gentle, considerate, and sensitive. Reschedule the day-to-day tasks. Don’t overlook the casual lunch option. This year you will be able to relax and have more time to yourself. Important people will be ready to finance anything that has a special class to it. It is a good time, which will bring success and happiness thanks to your efforts and the support provided by your family members. Your lover will bring you immense pleasure even as work pressure occupies your mind. Correspondence needs to be handled with care. People can always offer you ideas but it is up to you whether to accept them or not. People will sense there's something going on and they will want to know about it. If you love someone and want them to know it, tell them. Mood: Cautious but excited. Compatible signs: Capricorn, Aquarius. Lucky colours: Brown and light coffee. Lucky days: Thursday and Saturday. Lucky numbers: 2, 4, 9, 21, 24. Lucky gem: Howlite - The calming gemstone. Lucky flower: Water Lily.
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Creating the divide
In Pavitra Rishta on Zee TV, Archana (Ankita Lokhande) is trying hard to keep Arjun
(Rithwik Dhanjani) and Purvi (Aasha Negi) away from each other for her daughter Ovi’s sake. Though Arjun tries to convince her about his true love for
Purvi, she will claim he has no identity of his own. To prove himself Arjun will quit his family business.
Close to the end
Murder’s sequel without Emraan?
Zarine & her pet dozen
Change in plans
Shenaz Treasurywala (June 29, 1981) is a model, travel writer, and an actress. She made her acting debut in the 2003 in film Ishq Vishk, which earned Shenaz a nomination for the best supporting actress award by the Filmfare Film Awards. With her life-long love of travel, she has written travel articles for various magazines. Shenaz currently resides in Mumbai, India and serves as the host of Culture Shock on the Travel Channel.