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The new love story
Just because everything looks good, which undeniably it does, we cannot ignore the flip side. The tremendously ‘doing-well’ Punjabi film industry is drawing in a number of people. Result: those ready to invest money has increased manifold as compared to film-makers and actors!
We shift to another crew that is passionate about film-making, acting, singing, directing and producing. On a balmy Tuesday, the cast of Punjabi film Dil Tainu Karda Ae Pyar (DTKAP) comes to Chandigarh for the music launch of their venture. Two young boys, Gulzar Chahal and Rohit Khurana (of Uttaran fame), along with a fresh face — PTC Miss Punjaban 2008 — Neetu Singh share notes with us.
Punjabi within Just when you thought the poor guy shouldn’t have been killed mercilessly, he returns back from the ashes. If you have been watching Hindi serial Uttaran, you couldn’t have missed the rustic and handsome-looking Rohit Khurana who played Vansh in the daily soap. And now this boy from Delhi gets tough with his debut Punjabi film DTKAP, where he plays a cop. “I was doing television and films Down South, so when I got the offer for a Punjabi film I said ‘why not’ since I am a Punjabi myself,” says Rohit. Unconventional looks, long hair (definitely not flowing) and an intense gaze, Rohit believes in taking risk with his character as well as look. “Most actors play safe, but I feel an actor’s look is very important. I worked on my look for Vansh; I grew my hair long for the same.” Rohit is definitely looking forward to the audiences’ reaction to his first Punjabi venture and this is definitely the first step. “I am getting offers for Punjabi films and for television as well, but the only thing that entices me is how substantial the role is,” adds Rohit, who is thankful to his parents for having supported him fully.
Creative line He is one of the few people in the Punjabi film industry who has so many things on his plate. Punjabi film actor Gulzar handles his production house that solely believes in promoting and making good Punjabi films, and pulls out time to act as well. “Production satisfies my entrepreneurial hunger whereas acting is my creative need.” With DTKAP, Gulzar wants to make an addition to Punjabi cinema. “It is an entertaining project produced by Cinema Capital Venture Fund that has backed many prestigious Bollywood projects,” adds the actor who gives preference to people who are passionate about Punjabi cinema. Gulzar would rather stay in Punjab and work for cinema here; Mumbai doesn’t allure much. “I think we are moving towards a decent phase in cinema and want to give it my best,” adds Gulzar who would want to produce a Punjabi film in the near future that will be liked by non-Punjabi audiences as well.
First take A pretty face, a confident smile and slight hitch, Neetu Singh too makes her debut with DTKAP. She has been selective about projects after winning PTC Miss Punjaban in 2008. “I have always dreamt of doing movies. After I won the title, which gave me a wonderful platform, I decided I wouldn’t be all over TV,” she says without batting an eye lid. “I did only three music videos with the best of singers — Harbhajan Mann, Sukhshinder Shinda and Malkit Singh — and now I am doing this film.” No Punjabi film actress can avoid the name Neeru Bajwa! She smiles, “She is an established star; I am here to give my performance.” jasmine@tribunemail.com
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Soothing notes
It’s always an ‘either-or’ situation. For, very rarely, is music, both soul-stirring and foot-tapping. “Live music is where the excitement lies. You may not know the language or the lyrics but if the music is good, it communicates and gets you on your toes,” says the singer, song-writer and violinist Michael Greilsammer, while walking in with his band, all set to give a slice live action.
In Chandigarh, on an invitation by Alliance Francaise, Chandigarh, and Embassy of Israel in India to present ‘The Magical Violin Tour’, he guarantees to lift the soul and sweep the audience. “We’ll be playing songs from our albums; classics from reggae, including Led Zeppelin.” He adds, “Our kind of music is reggae, rock, dance music, Trance and Irish folk. Basically, everyone from the group brings in different elements.” Others in the band include Ohad Eilam, the bass guitarist, Uriel Yitshak Sverdin, on the drums, Tamir Gross, on the keyboard, and Amit Sagies on the guitar. From Israel to Kathmandu, the influences have been many. “We’ve been playing and touring together for three to four years now,” they echo. All this while, they have been holding concerts in Barbados, the UK, France, Israel…and Jaipur, Delhi, IIT Kanpur etc. India experience
The five-member group, including visual artist VJ Mira, has been on India tour for a week now. “Chandigarh is the last city we perform at and after this we go back. So far, we have been pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the crowds. They are so receptive to our kind of music.” Chips in Ohad, “We held some of our great performances here. Not to forget the great feedback from the crowds.” Something they hope to replicate in Chandigarh as well. “It’s a great city, though we haven’t explored it as yet,” there’s almost a chorus followed by vehement nodding. As for the others, “We went to this temple in Jaipur and performed for street kids in Delhi in collaboration with an NGO.” Meanwhile, they also heard Bollywood music. “We believe that’s the mainstream music here; we also interacted with some of the local bands in Jaipur and can relate to the Indian rock music.” On the cards is a tour to Canada and USA. “We’ll also make our clippings from India and post them on YouTube. Apart from this, we are working on our third album, for which I’ve started writing in English; there will be some hardcore rock music in that.” Watch out! manpriya@tribunemail.com
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Spirit of devotion
The acceptance, the undying faith and deep love for the creator is what keeps us all going. It is precisely this belief that keeps actor-singer Rajinder Ricky cross the hurdles of life with ease.
In Chandigarh to talk about his second devotional album Tu Hi Tu on the occasion of Navratras, the multi-talented Rajinder never seems to give up on work. "Tu Hi Tu is a collection of 13 compositions composed by Nimma Gurwali. The music has been given by Rajwinder Singh, Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh's brother," says Rajinder, who is a trained singer. "As I started acting, I couldn't devote much time to singing. Sukhwinder Singh's father late Master Baldev Singh taught me nuances of singing." The next level is acting and Rajinder is more than ready to talk about it. "I have been associated with singing for the past two decades. After I moved to Mumbai in 1993, I worked with Raghuvir Yadav in Chacha Chaudhary. Thereafter, I did Astitiva for Sahara One and a number of advertisements." He was ready for more; so Rajinder moved on to films. "With god's grace I could get roles in movies like Stop, Pehchaan and Hollywood movies like Bollywood Bride and Indian Ivory," says Rajinder, who is inspired by Sukhwinder Singh.
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Chipping – practice with the leading arm
Jesse Grewal The chip is a shot played with a de-lofted club face and a steep angle of approach. The club head comes with a shallow angle of approach due to three possibilities – an inside to out path, the body falling back or a casting or flipping of the club caused by the excess or early work of the right hand (in right handed golfers). This is a common problem amongst most high handicapped golfers. It happens due to trying to get more height on the shot and tend to scoop the ball up or to get more speed as the player feels they would leave the chip short of the hole. Practicing chip shots only with the left arm for right handed golfers helps in improving chipping. To have the club hit the ball in a de-lofted position the hands must be ahead at impact which is achieved when we work with the left arm only. The second improvement happens in the plane of the swing. When we take a backswing with the left arm it cannot go inside or behind the body. Thirdly the left arm begins to create a ‘pulling’ force on the downswing which improves direction control and reduces the need for force from the right hand. The role of the right arm is basically to stabilise the backswing and provide feel for distance. This exercise is not only good for chipping but can be used for the long game too. Place a ball on a tee and hit half shots with the left arm to improve the plane and the pulling action of the left side. (Grewal has coached several national champions and professionals apart from being coach of the Indian golf team for the Eisenhower Cup (World Cup) in 2008. He is currently the Director of National Golf Academy of India and CGA Hero Honda Golf Academy. If you have any queries get in touch with him at parexcellence@tribunemail.com) |
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Silent song
Blue and its varied shades appeal to 21-year-old Abhimanyu Pratap Singh. This pistol shooter represents Punjab at the national level and is pursuing his masters in Human Rights. He is out with his first exhibition of paintings Silent Metaphors which is on at Pujab Kala Bhawan-16.
Thirty eight frames in total are in water colour and acrylic. You will see lots of boats, water settlements, a hut amidst the hills and flowers. He draws inspiration from pictures that he has clicked or sent to him by his friends. “Many pictures that I received of Swiss and Swedish landscapes along with Himachal’s are what I love to paint,” says Abhimanyu. Being confined to a wheelchair doesn’t deter his enthusiasm. The credit goes to his parents Namita and MS Sekhon who have encouraged their differently- abled boy’s talent. “In fact, his mother has just brought a pile of colours and brushes, including 16 shades each of blue and purple from her visit abroad. Meanwhile, this self-taught artist is confident posing for pictures and showing his paintings--bright orange flowers, colourful meadows and typical Himachali curvy road.
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Bips fond of Goa
Bong bombshell Bipasha loves Goa. She could actually live there as she visits it two-three times a year. Many of her films such as Jism, Jodi Breakers, and Dum Maaro Dum were shot over there and they are work-cum-holiday experiences for her. She hogs on seafood and burns calories by running on the beach, swimming for two hours, and doing Yoga. She also loves Bali and Cyprus. |
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SRK loves London
Shah Rukh Khan has been holidaying with his family in London every summer for many years. Now, his son Aryan is studying there. He recently shot Jab Tak Hai Jaan over there and was joined by his family. He owns a place over there now but earlier Karan Johar and the Chopras happily shared their homes with him. So London is the place where SRK enjoys.
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Piggy chops bags Gunday
Katrina Kaif who has been Yash Raj’s favourite muse has been replaced by Priyanka Chopra in the latest Yash Raj project titled Gunday. Priyanka Chopra has been signed to play the female lead in ‘Gunday’ starring Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. The director of the movie Ali Abbas Zafar confirmed the news saying, “So finally we have a leading lady for GUNDAY....Priyanka Chopra will star opposite Ranveer Singh & Arjun kapoor. I am excited :)” Zafar wrote on Twitter.
No sooner he posted the tweets on twitter; he received many positive responses from the fans, “Thanks for your response guys, I am very happy with my cast Ranveer, Arjun & Priyanka. I have never worked with them before,” he added. Priyanka Chopra who worked with Yash Raj banner in Pyaar Impossible opposite Uday Chopra is quite happy to bag the movie. This is Ali Abbas Zafar’s second directorial venture with YRF after Mere Brother Ki Dulhan starring Katrina Kaif and Imran Khan. It was rumored that Katrina Kaif was also being considered but Zafar’s final choice was Priyanka Chopra.
A source informs why Priyanka has been chosen over Katrina, “The lead female role is rather challenging and performance based. And the makers thought that Priyanka would fit the bill better”.
The story of Gunday has been set in Kolkata from 1971 to 1988. Many unpleasant incidents took place during that period. And at that particular time, two small time goons Bikram and Bala spread their power and turned out to be powerful black marketing mafia men.
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Sweet bonding
Rani Mukerji says Yash Chopra is the sweetest person she knows, an absolute rosogulla! The family has accepted her as their new bahu! However, she has publicly denied that she's married. "As far as my marriage with Aditya is concerned, I can only say, Main toh abhi kunwaari hoon (I am still unmarried)," Rani said.
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Aniston’s emotional
Hollywood superstar Jennifer Aniston became emotional while talking about her fiancé Justin Theroux in her first post-engagement interview. The former Friends star met Theroux on the sets of Wanderlust and the couple were caught having a dinner together for the first time in May, reported a publication. Theroux, 41, asked Aniston, 43, to marry him on a romantic dinner date to celebrate his birthday at a New York City restaurant in August. Previously, Aniston was married to Brad Pitt's for 5 years. They split on October 2, 2005. — PTI
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Side effects of success
Sridevi has been busy promoting her film English Vinglish. Interviews that were scheduled with the media were cancelled because she got fever due to exhaustion and over-exertion.
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Post-baby, weight loss is difficult: Hilary
Hollywood beauty Hilary Duff says she is finding it difficult to lose her post-baby weight.
The 25-year-old singer-actress, who gave birth to her son Luca with husband Mike Comrie in March, said she does feel the pressure because people constantly compare her with other actresses, reported a publication. "It takes your body nine months to get there, really ten months. So I'm trying to be patient but I'm working hard. And I think now more than ever, I appreciate my body and what it's done for me. I mean there are photographers following me every day, so you feel the pressure because of what people write about you. Not that they're personal attacks, but obviously, when you see 'Hilary Debuts Post-Baby Body!' you want to tell people, 'No, actually, I was just going out to get a coffee," she said. The actress, who married Comrie in 2010, said pregnancy has helped her get close to her family. "I mean, Mike, my mom, my sister. It's such a huge thing right away: You're like, 'I'm pregnant, wow, total life change'. So to have my family and people I'm close to around was really important. I did a lot of Pilates when I was pregnant, and that was a great feeling." —PTI
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Home sweet home
Katrina Kaif has her family in London so she tries to go there in December every year, taking one week off from work. She spent a lot of time with her family in London when she was shooting Jab Tak Hai Jaan over there. Her sisters and family from all over the world, get together to celebrate Christmas every year.
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Comfortable in his skin
Emraan Hashmi makes out with almost all his heroines. He has kissing and love-making scenes with Huma Qureshi in Ek Thi Daayan as well. Huma took a while to get comfortable with the idea of doing them but she gets along well with Emraan so it was not a problem.
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The year ahead
If your birthday is October 17...
The year 2013 will be highly propitious and fruitful. Success will kiss your feet in various walks of life. You will enjoy good health and mental peace. Diseases in any form will not be able to trouble; you will be filled with vitality, energy and enthusiasm. All obstacles in your path of success will be removed. You will get the desired profit in business. There will be inflow of money from various sources, as a result of which your financial position will be very strong. Your social status will be uplifted. You will have a strong inclination towards religion and spend most of your time in worshipping God. This will give you mental peace and satisfaction. You're very busy behind the scenes, but for some reason you won't want everyone to know what's going on. Maybe you're involved in something that's supposed to be a secret for the time being or you're simply feeling modest and don't want to advertise your activities to all and sundry. If you get annoyed, it may be very difficult to express your feelings. For now, confide all your thoughts in those around you. You're blessed with abundant energy and vitality, which is fabulous. You don't want to sit still and you're hatching some ambitious plans about what you're going to achieve in the course. That's terrific, but do your best to pace yourself otherwise you'll run out of steam halfway through a difficult project. Time may be short at the beginning of the year, but your work-life is long - think about the benefits of lending a hand and building relationships. Beware of a jealous Virgo colleague. Self-employed people will have new ideas. The Stars advise considering all proposals. Do not be so quick to accept apologies. Investments made are likely to bring gradual profits. Creative interests, recreational activities and children's affairs will also engage you attention. Friends are most helpful; call upon a Gemini, Virgo or Aries friend for a solution. Mood: Clever and far-sighted Compatible signs: Scorpio, Libra. Lucky colours: Khaki, Hot-pink. Lucky days: Thursday and Friday. Lucky numbers: 9, 10, 14, 22, 40
You share your birthday with Simi Grewal (October 17, 1947, Delhi), who usually wears her signature white clothes on TV shows and at award ceremonies. Her first role was in the English-language film Tarzan Goes to India in 1962. She played good roles in Do Badan, Mera Naam Joker, Kabhi Kabhie, Chalte Chalte and Karz .She also made a documentary called Living Legend Raj Kapoor.
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Astro turf
ARIES: Sacrifices made today can put you in a far better place in the future. Real estate transactions should not be started. Sudden travel will disturb certain plans. Tarot message: Question the value judgment, which has been shaping your monetary aspects.
Lucky colour: Black. Magic number: 60 TAURUS: The Moon reveals that you can stretch your relationship a bit too far. Domestic issues come up for urgent consideration. Tarot message: Don’t be too certain about obtaining a clearance as Lucky colour: Ebony. Magic number: 42 GEMINI:
It is a day to forget worries at work. Talk to superiors and see what they can offer. Un-cooperative family members will throw a spanner in your life. Tarot message: You need to take things slowly and listen to your inner voice. Lucky colour: Peach. Magic number: 62 CANCER:
Today you will be in an enthusiastic frame of mind. Loss through speculation is on cards. Unexpected callers can intrude in your solitude even as family matters blow up. Tarot message: Change the status quo both at work and relationships by voicing your feelings.Lucky colour: Silver-grey. Magic number: 29 LEO: Trying to get some time for yourself can be the hardest thing today. Relax and be a little more tolerant. Extravagance could get the better of you. Tarot message: Follow your instinct and don’t hesitate to act accordingly. Lucky colour: Purple. Magic number: 30 VIRGO:
Team-work is the keynote of the day. Home life will be pleasant. Older people can cause certain problem. Check your car before you set out for a long journey. Tarot message: Draw on your inner energies and begin moving from thought to action. Lucky colour: Rust. Magic number: 64
LIBRA: Life is not always a bed of roses. Relatives will be sensitive and difficult to get along with. Do not get involved in any land deal. Emotions have to be controlled. No pain; no gain. Tarot message: Confrontation needs to be managed with care. Lucky colour: Royal-blue. Magic number: 59 SCORPIO: Let a project take its time. You will be happy in the company of friends. Find moderate pleasures. Some of you could be suffering from financial insecurity, but it is a temporary phase. Tarot message: You must realise that it’s important to enjoy your dreams. Lucky colour: Crimson. Magic number: 41 SAGITTARIUS: Relax; there is no work pressure at all. Friends will be easy-going and willing to fall in love with your plans. Property matters are highlighted. A romantic alliance is likely to blossom by the evening. Tarot message: Don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Lucky colour: Burgundy. Magic number: 46 CAPRICORN: This is the best day to get things done by people in power. You will get an opportunity to become a member of an important club. Family affairs run along smoothly. Tarot message: Be determined and increase your self-confidence. Lucky colour: Forest-green. Magic number: 25 AQUARIUS:
Love relations are bubbling with excitement. Making a spontaneous trip can fulfill a need for variety. Businessmen: expect help from clients & loan from bank. Be careful not to violate traffic rules. Tarot message: Win the war with honesty, not by distorting facts. Lucky colour: Crème. Magic number: 27 PISCES:
Tendencies for manipulation or revenge should be controlled and contained. Believe in your own worth. Political bosses: danger looms large. It is a right day for investment in property. Industry owners should take care of labour problem. Tarot message: Trust your heart and intuition. Lucky colour: Yellow. Magic number: 43
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