Destination India
Ashima Batish

If you think Bollywood is the only industry that is attracting foreigners to try out their acting skills, think again. Indian fashion industry too has become a hot-spot for international designers…

Fashion designer Manish Arora’s stint with Paco Rabanne had a two-way impact - Manish became a bit international and Paco a bit Indian! Not that any Indian elements were added to the Spanish label, but just his designation of creative director infused confidence in the industry back home. Likewise, each time a designer goes overseas, he internationalises the Indian fashion industry.

Last year, however, for the first time the reverse route was taken. Designers from Japan were cordially invited and they held a successful Japan Fashion Week in collaboration with Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW). What followed were more such slots for international designers at Indian events.

At the recently concluded India Resort Fashion Week (IRFW), one international designer showcased his or her collection on each day of the four-day event. Their Indian interpretation of fashion made for their collections. Fashion designer Anupama Dayal, a participant and witness of the event, says the trend gives a boost to the industry here. “It also gives positive signals to the West about the market’s potential here and how fashion-conscious people are, which in turn makes the Indian fashion industry very important.” She doesn’t mind competition from the designers from abroad. The market in India is no doubt big enough to accommodate all, provided quality is not compromised upon!

Foreign hand

The fashion followers in India are yet to see a big name from the West hold a fashion show in India. In fact, even when Diane von Fürstenberg came to India earlier this year, she didn’t put her creations on the ramp. Efforts of organising bodies to bring international names here must be appreciated, but isn’t it time we added a big name to the list of designers from abroad who showcased their work here? The strong Indian fashion market surely deserves it.

Earlier this year, WLIFW welcomed the Dutch Fashion Industry, which gave designers from the European country an opportunity to showcase their talent here. As a clause of the collaboration, a bunch of Indian designers will now participate in a fashion trade fair to be held in Holland. “These collaborations give impetus to cultural exchange. The designers from overseas bring their creations here to make an impression on the huge Indian market. At the same time, it speaks volumes about how Indians are ready to experiment with their dressing up,” says Varun Bahl, a member of the board of directors of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).

The best take comes from the President of FDCI Sunil Sethi. He says fashion is the third most popular industry in India after cricket and Bollywood, but the actual challenge is to get maximum international recognition in minimum time. “We learn from the experiences of these designers, get to know what makes them commercially successful and how they function in different markets. The budding designers from also India get a glimpse of the industry overseas,” says Sunil.

Next on the agenda of FDCI is a collaboration with the Spanish fashion industry in March. Since the focus of these collaborations is strictly the growth of Indian fashion industry, FDCI allows the designers from abroad only to showcase their work and not sell. “The idea is to promote Indian designers and give them exposure; we don’t want international designers to eat into the share of our own people,” he adds. Hence, they are only allowed to present their creations on the ramp.

If Indian designers have some important lessons to learn from their international counterparts, even they have to change their age-old perception about India. As Anupama adds, “What they brought to the IRFW was a lot of bling. The clientele here is no more interested in shine and sequins.” Instead, people now look for the right cut and designs. Hope it will be different in the next season of the fashion week.

Another designer Kanika Saluja, who has worked for ample time in New York, feels rather than focusing on inviting designers from countries emphasis should be laid on taking our designers to major fashion weeks of the West. “When will we have a tie-up with New York, Paris or Milan Fashion Week? That is the question.” Maybe small steps will lead to bigger ones.

ashima@tribunemail.com

Pizza pleasure
Jasmine Singh

At Pizzamore, Chandigarh, a variety of sumptuous Italian dishes are ready to delight the foodie in you

Chef Attilio Fortuna (R) tosses up a authentic Italian pizza. Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

“I talk to vegetables.” It is not only us, everyone seated at the newly opened authentic Italian restaurant in Sector-22, Chandigarh, Pizzamore, stops digging in the pizza to look at the founder and director of the place - Jyoti Singh.

“I know how the veggies will behave. I can say without tasting whether the dish has extra or no salt at all.” He continues. For anyone else this could be riff-raff, but for this former shot-put player from Mohali, who rolls up his tongue to speak ‘authentic’ Italian, it is the passion for food. “It has been a long love affair that started almost 20 years back when I moved to Italy, worked at restaurants to maintain my diet and gradually ended with many of my own eating joints,” shares Jyoti Singh about himself before he begins to describe at length his new venture Pizzamore.

Just get the pronunciation right here. It is pizza and amore, which means love. “I am in love with pizzas and every authentic dish that is cooked with love,” he adds.

Pizzamore is all about authentic Italian quick bites - Puccia, focaccia, pastas, pane, and range of breads, cookies and more. The size of the pizza here is much larger than the standard size offered elsewhere. “Pizzamore is my first venture in India (Chandigarh) that offers a whole baking pan size pizza, which is sufficient for a group of twelve people,” says Jyoti Singh, who runs many successful eating joints in Italy.

A look at the simple menu lays out interesting names - Baking Pan focaccia offering options in Marinara, margherita buffalo cheese, Roma (tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, pecorino cheese and mutton sausage), puccia non-veg in Tunna onion etc.

Do you need someone to explain this better? In comes head chef from Italy, Attilio Fortuna. His English is pretty good and this is for the first time he will be working in this country. “The only pizza I know how to make is Italian pizza, and nothing else. I used old Italian techniques that have come down from the villages in Italy,” he adds. His specialization is also in bakery items, as he is a baker first. “Back in Italy, people eat pizzas in the afternoon and night and they like something light like Campagnola for breakfast.”

At Pizzamore, the authentic Italian pizzas are light and easy to digest. They are made of fresh herbs. As for Jyoti Singh, he plans to teach kids the art of baking pizzas by starting special classes at the eating joint.

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Personal encounter with Anushka

Anushka Sharma says whatever is on her mind and she does not think much! She talks about her career, admirers and some other interesting stuff!

At the beginning

I got moderate success with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and I am happy with that because it did not let fame and success get to my head. I was sad and I cried because I did not get the newcomer trophies at the award functions. Then Amitabh Bachchan called me by my name backstage at an awards show and told me that he loved my work in RNBDJ and it felt like I had got my award. I have been clear that I only want to do good films with good directors and actors and I have achieved most of it.

The line-up

I have a great line-up of movies with amazing directors such as Rajkumar Hirani, Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap. It feels awesome when directors like Yash Chopra visualise you for roles in their movies. It feels like I have achieved something. I had a list of ten directors I wanted to work with and I have already worked with four of them so I know the other movies will materialise too!

Media scrutiny

The media is very intrusive and a certain section makes fake stories about everyone. I do not owe anyone an explanation about what I do. That makes life easier for me. I do not understand the double-meaning phrases that media uses to corner actors and celebs! It is unfair. I may not be friends with actresses but that does not make us enemies. I am here to work. I have friends elsewhere.

Linking park!

I am an easy target for the media and they link me with everyone from Ranveer Singh to Ranbir Kapoor to Shahid Kapoor to Arjun Kapoor and a couple of tabloids have linked me with different guys in the same week. What are they making me out to be? I am friends with these guys but I am not dating any of them. If I had to date anyone, I would date Ranveer. I believe actors can fall in love and there are no restrictions or rules because love just happens. But that relationship can be difficult because of the constant media attention.

On Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

I saw Kaminey with Shahid and told him that somebody should give Vishal Bhardwaj special vitamins to keep making such films! Shahid went and told him that. Then he called me after BBB and congratulated me and gave me this movie. Bijlee is honest and a livewire. She is from a village but educated at Cambridge and she’s crazy.

Behind the curtains
Jasmine Singh

Punjabi film producer Rajesh Lahr says it’s the best time to be in regional cinema because good movies are being made…

It is absolutely wise to flow with the tide. It’s just that one has to choose one’s own rhythm. Punjabi film producer Rajesh Lahr is one of the few people who are moving along the popular movement, but at their own pace and style.

Rajesh has made an entry into Punjabi cinema with his first production Munde Patiale De. Here is a man who doesn’t see himself as a mere nickel-provider of the film; he would rather be actively involved in the creative process as well!

Based in Mumbai, Rajesh, who has played the main lead in yesteryears Hindi films, finds the present scenario of Punjabi films as one of the best. “I was thinking of producing a film; being a Punjabi I decided to make one myself. Besides, this is the best phase in regional cinema when good movies are being made,” says Rajesh.

Most of us have no idea how tough a producer’s job can get! Rajesh laughs, “I am glad someone acknowledges a producer’s job as well.” Rajesh couldn’t attend the shoot of his film Munde Patiale De, but he would ensure the plot was being treated well. “Story is the most important part of a film and I make sure everything on the script is being followed. At the same time, I also ensure that I should in no way interrupt the director’s job.”

For Rajesh, who now plans to make more films under his production house Tarajee Eneretianment, the job is challenging. “Everyone can handle and arrange things, but doing it in the right manner is the producer’s job,” adds Rajesh while thanking Kapil Batra for restoring faith in him. Rajesh has also directed a song sequence in the film Munde Patiale De. “You never know I direct a movie tomorrow,” he adds.

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Room for improvement

Believe it or not, Akshay Kumar has been asked to lose even more weight for a role. The actor plays an army captain’s role in A R Murugadoss’ remake of his Tamil hit Thuppakki.

Akshay has been asked to lose 7 kgs for the role and the shooting starts on December 20. That is because Christmas week is considered lucky by Murugadoss.

“He released his Ghajini in December. Since then Murugadoss has been excessively attached to the Christmas season. He was keen on starting the Hindi Thuppakki in the Christmas week. And Akshay was happy to oblige. The only problem is, he has only a little time to lose at least 5 kgs, and some more later to play an army captain, at least 12 years junior to Akshay’s biological age,” says a source close to the director.

Akshay would also sport an army officer’s hair and look. Murugadoss explains, “The soldier-hero is never really shown in the army. The drama happens while he’s on leave. But we want Akshay to look like a young army jawaan fit enough to take on the villains. Not only that. We actually want him to look like a real soldier. He will be getting a crew-cut hair-styling done. We don’t want Akshay to look unconvincing as a soldier.” The demand to lose weight seems strange for a leading man who is as slim as Akshay. Interestingly, Aamir Khan was also asked to look fit for his role in Ghajini.

Women centric
Jaya Daronde depicts women’s emotions on canvas
Ashima Batish

Being a professor at Kurukshetra University has helped Jaya Daronde understand the life of women in small towns. The same is exactly depicted in her works exhibited at the Art Portfolio, Sector 9. Instead of making paintings on how women are deprived of their social rights, she has given shape to their emotions. “That I feel is a far more important issue. Even in the so-called liberal society, a woman doesn’t feel free enough to express her feelings for a man. She keeps her attraction towards the opposite sex suppressed.”

She sites the example that it’s only a man who approaches a woman in India to build a relationship. “If a woman does that, her character is questioned,” says Jaya, whose works mostly are oil on canvas. The colours she has used for making paintings are in tandem with the theme, Women in Society. “I used lighter hues of pink, blue, orange, green, purple… the sober shades that define the women of India.”

Besides colours, the elements she has put on canvas also suggest what women naturally prefer. “There are flowers and bubbles. Also, I have used a lot of tattoo motifs.”

On till December 15

Motherhood is a challenge: Salma Hayek

Hollywood beauty Salma Hayek thinks motherhood is challenging. The 46-year-old, who raises five-year-old daughter Valentina with husband Francois-Henri Pinault, says she loves being a mother but admits it can be difficult, reported a publication.

"When you become a mum and are responsible for someone else's welfare, everything is about being the best mum and that's a huge challenge on a daily basis. Because when you believe that you already know how to handle them, they become different. They change and evolve constantly but still depend on you. Sometimes you can't even go to the toilet alone because they are always after you. It is a massive challenge but it is also the most beautiful goal of a lifetime," she said.

Hayek said, if needed, she would be prepared to quit acting for her daughter’s sake. "It's working out really well. (Valentina) is really smart and she's really young. If later on, it gets in the way of her development, I'll just quit. For right now, it works." — PTI

Karisma Kapoor turns RJ!

While the current trend in the Indian film industry sees actors taking up stints on television, Karisma Kapoor has a completely different take on things. The actress and style icon is all set to debut on radio! This December, the actress turns RJ while imparting tips on fashion to women.

During the course of the show, Karisma Kapoor will give some helpful tips and tricks on dressing up. She will unveil trends and even provide some simple tips for hair care, skincare, personal grooming and more.

Speaking about her radio debut, Karisma Kapoor said, “Having worked in movies and also television, I was extremely keen on trying a new medium – hence I decided to do radio.”