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Spec & span
Returning from a late night party, shoot or while traveling in their uber casual avatar Bollywood celebrities generally like to hide their droopy eyes behind a pair of nerdy spectacles. Forget Kiran Rao, she was apparently born with those glasses! But many others like sexy Chitrangada Singh, Sonakshi Sinha and Soonam Kapoor have also been sporting glasses on many occasions and of course they have turned it to a style statement. And if you haven’t missed Deepika Padukone flaunting spectacles for a long length in the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, while of course she hadn’t discovered her ‘outer’ beauty, you would realise that spectacles are no longer a nerd’s best friend. They have moved on to become a style accessory. What is there to learn is how best to flaunt it!
The new avatar The moment Ritu Kochhar, corporate head INIFD-8, realised that spectacles are in fashion she immediately got a pair of chocolate brown Ray Ban Wayferers reading glasses for herself. She laughs, “Off late at various fashion shows I see almost 70 per cent of the Bollywood celebrities sporting spectacles, especially Kareena Kapoor and Sonakshi and Kajol.” Ritu suggests, “The Wayferers go with all kinds of face structures. The thick black and brown rimed glasses look cool.” Avoid matching them with a churidaar if you don’t want people to report your case to the style police. “Be it shorts, denims or pajamas, specs look nice with anything casual or even totally formal like pencil skirts, formal pants and even palazzos,” adds Ritu. A picture of Madonna in a pair of big nerd glasses has caught the fancy of many fashionistas. The fashion statement has spread far and wide, and the market has apparently flooded with all kinds of nerdy glasses in all shapes, sizes and frames. “Ralph Lauren, Ray Ban, Dolce & Gabana, Prada--almost all brands now offer spectacle frames in different colours,” mentions Gurpreet Singh, owner Occhiali Opticals-17. In fact, Ray Ban offers more in spectacle range than sunglasses! Gurpreet laughs at the mention of girls sporting specs as a free will style. “They ask for cat eyes in pastel shades, and boys go for Wayferers which look more conspicuous on their face.” If you want to perk up your style with a pair of glasses, it will cost you Rs 5,000 onwards depending on the brand. Function to fashion Remember how we would detest or almost cringe in fear at the thought of having to live with a pair of spectacles for the rest of our lives? But thanks to some who could see beyond the glasses, and made wearing glasses a chic statement. Pamila Nanda, Panchukla-based jewellery designer, can’t get more stylish with her turquoise blue and greenish Prada spectacles. “I get a lot of compliments for my glasses, they go well with my blond hair and also with all kinds of dresses.” Before you get carried away, spare a moment for this. Dr Jatinder Singh, ophthalmologist, JP Eye Hospital, suggests only branded spectacles. “Medically there is no advantage, but cosmetically you should opt for light
and UV-protect spectacles, because sometimes the lenses can damage the cornea.”
Get it right
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Theme for a dream
At times, imagination scores over expertise and the exuberance of young age more than makes up for the lack of experience. A sneak peek into the collections, put together by the passing out batch of Inter National Institute of Fashion Design, Chandigarh, comprised a lot of hits and very few misses. In almost every garment of the total 22 collections, there was an emphasis on the elaborate. Right from the inspiration to the thought process, the makers’ mindset reflected effortlessly on the clothes.
Inspiration Starting from It’s A Beautiful Life, each theme came across as a flight of fancy. The philosophy of life motivated Kavita Sharma to come up with a chirpy collection with pure silk fabric. There was a use of unique technique of burning the raw edges of the garments. Moving on, there’s The Alchemic Spell, highlighting and beautifying the rawness of jute and wool. From the supernatural spell, it’s over to the historic charm, Noor-E-Ayaat showcasing garments that conveyed the richness of Indian heritage through lehengas, shararas and floor length anarkalis. Fold Unfold brought forth the edgy uncanny side of the makers. There’s a reference to the Japanese art of paper folding. Verve and The Bold and The Beautiful celebrated the red carpet looks and involve gowns and one-piece dresses. Time to picture the floral headgears and headbands! The Secret Garden celebrates the spirit of hope, magic and love through hand crafted techniques of braiding, handmade flowers and ruffles. Behind the scenes Speaking of ruffles, there’s yet another take off from here. Cabbage Curls perhaps tries to make the cabbage feel no less than a rose. The sea green invasion on the ramp celebrates ruffles, fluff and bounce of a cabbage. “I’m a nature lover and curls in a cabbage inspired me to explore the aesthetic angle. I used gradations of green to make it pronounced,’ shares Mohanpreet Kaur, a student. What also stood out was Don’t Worry, Be Hippy; a collection that stood for sheer innovation. There’s Dum Maaro Dum playing as the models showcase the painstaking patchwork done to bring forth the essence of gypsy life. Shares Reema Chhabra, “Four of us worked on this theme. We used patchwork technique called fabric fringing and searched the entire Chandigarh for vivid prints.” What also needs a special mention is Jugni Mast Kalandar, taking us back to the vibrant, rich, colourful Punjab. A group of four brought out the bagh and phulkari, in all its resplendent hues. Shares Manveen Kaur, “We worked out the baagh borders and have tried to make it contemporary by clubbing it with lehengas, gowns and palazzos.” Manish Malhotra recently put the spotlight firmly on phulkari, some time back. “When we started working for our collections, we hadn’t seen his works,” adds Mehak
Dhawan. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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A role extraordinaire!
Divya Dutta
This is something I have never experienced before and firsts are always special. When Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra offered me Ishri Kaur's (Milkha ji's sister) role, I knew he wasn't offering me anything ordinary. His faith in me has always been humbling. When the industry was giving me similar offers after Veer Zara, he came up with the starkly contrasting role of Jalebi in Delhi 6. After that everyone started offering sensuous roles, but that's a different story. I feel there are two kinds of makers, one who set examples and the other, who follows it. Rakeysh, for me, tops the list for setting examples. And he sets one for me again with Ishri Kaur. With four different age groups (from 16 to 35) to play required lots of look tests, losing weight for Partition and then putting on for the later part, that was the physical preparation, and the emotional journey started on the set. To emote those beautifully written scenes was not that tough. What was challenging was adding that magical tinge to it. For me as an actor here comes an honest confession, something special worked out in the scenes...that X-factor...it just happened as we went through the scenes but I could feel, kuch khaas ho raha hai is baar.... And special it turned out to be....the first call I got was from Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar and then I heard from the man himself, Milkha ji. He was moved to tears reliving his bond with his sister. That mattered the world to me. To play a role of a real person is a challenge and when it works well, it's the most satisfying feeling. The phones have not stopped ringing. From the industry people to those I don't even know have been calling or sending messages. It was a surreal feeling to watch your own film in a houseful show with people cheering, clapping and crying along with the film... I feel choked with emotions. I have been always admired and appreciated but this is something else. This is an euphoria and I am experiencing it for the first time....what a feeling ..to do a film based on someone the nation is so proud of, and to see the audience celebrating his life on screen so beautifully! I realize when you give something with all your heart, it never goes wrong....never! And with all my heart ...a big thank you for all the love you are bestowing on me....yes with all your heart! (Dutta is a Bollywood actress)
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Honour bound
It's a special occasion as the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi honours 10 personalities of Chandigarh in recognition of their distinguished contribution to the field of art. Each with a distinct style, oeuvre and specialisation, the 10 senior artists who will be honoured by the Akademi with Amrita Sher-Gil
Samman, have been an integral part of Chandigarh's artscape.
The Governor of Punjab and Administrator UT, Chandigarh Shivraj V Patil will confer the Amrita Sher-Gil Samman at the auditorium of Government Museum and Art Gallery on July 17 at 5.30 pm. The personalities to be honoured with Amrita Sher-Gil Samman by the akademi are Nek Chand, creator of Rock Garden, B N Goswamy, an undisputed authority on Indian art, Dr D C Bhattacharya, an internationally renowned art historian, Jodh Singh, painter and promoter of art, Shiv Singh, sculptor, painter, designer and teacher, Malkit Singh, artist, Balvinder, artist and former principal of Government College, Sector 11, Satwant Singh, artist, S Raj Kumar, artist and Nirupama Dutt, an established name in the field of Art Criticism, Cultural writing, Punjabi poetry and short fiction. — TNS
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Get glossy
Salon styled nails and perfect pouts are on everyone's wish list. Lakmé, India's leading beauty brand brings to the contemporary Indian woman, a new beauty experience through the Lakmé Absolute Gel and Lakmé Absolute Gloss Stylist range. High gloss and rich colour are currently ruling the beauty world and this much sought after trend is brought to India by Lakme with these new offerings.
Nails are fast becoming the next big beauty accessory for today's fashionable woman who seeks professional and salon based expertise to achieve highly styled nails. Inspired by this insight, the breakthrough Lakmé Absolute Gel Stylist range packs the performance of a gel manicure in a bottle to ensure glossy and plump nails in a single stroke. With the Lakmé Absolute Gloss Stylist range a dramatic pout is only a single stroke away. This high performance range of lip gloss helps you achieve super glossy and highly pigmented lips to match any gorgeous ensemble. Talking about the launch, Arun Srinivas, vice president, Skincare and Makeup, Hindustan Unilever Limited said, "At Lakmé, we have always been committed to introduce the very best trends in beauty and skin-care through cutting edge products that backed by salon expertise to the contemporary Indian woman. Launch of Lakme Absolute Gel Stylist and Gloss Stylist range is in line with this commitment and our constant endeavor to stay on the pulse of global beauty trends." Lakmé Absolute Gel Stylist is available in eight shades at Rs 400 . A singular simple stroke delivers rich colour and a high gloss finish that stays for long. The Absolute Gel Stylist comes in exciting shades ranging from tomato tang, coral flush to nudes like nude glow and caramel melt. —TNS
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Letting go of Milkha
Farhan Akhtar worked hard for 18 months to build his chiseled physique for Bhaag Mikha Bhaag and completely got into the skin of the sports hero character. He has begun letting go of the film in every way and talks about it and his future plans. Time to detach It has been a difficult process -emotional, mental as well as physical. It takes time to move on. It is important to not get stuck emotionally. You need to shed your old skin in order to let the new skin replace it. Will you believe it if I say that I really got used to the beard and long hair, so much so that it actually helped me think better (laughs). But it is difficult to keep up with the routine as I have my other films as well. The joy of letting go I had changed my lifestyle completely for the film. I had changed my diet as well as my sleeping pattern. A lot of friends felt that I was ignoring them, as I had to sleep by 10 pm. So getting back with my friends is something that I am looking forward to. Another biopic? It will be wonderful if that happens but it should inspire me as much as this one. I am very happy with the response to this movie. All my hard work has paid off. Success of Fukrey The best victory is the one that takes you out of your comfort zone. Fukrey was out of my comfort zone and we were taking a risk with the film. We are happy it paid off. Moving on to Shaadi Ke Side Effects It's a sweet and romantic film. It doesn't need as much prep as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Safe mode
John Abraham has been seen performing almost superhuman feats in his different movies. His audience has watched with bated breath as he defied death with his action in films like Force and Shootout at Lokhandwala.
But with the recent accident of Hrithik Roshan, John was moved to declare that he felt much safer performing stunts outside India. Hrithik Roshan, who is known for performing most of the stunts of his films himself, was shooting for his movie Bang Bang in Phuket, Thailand where he hurt his head. The problem resurfaced some days later and ultimately he was diagnosed with subdural hematoma - a blood clot between the middle and inner layer of the covering of the brain. He had to undergo surgery and he has now been discharged and reported to be recovering nicely. Reacting to this incident, John declared that he too had had his quota of accidents while doing stunts and it is much safer to do the stunts outside India. He told the reporters, "We heroes need to be safer while doing action. I've broken all my bones. As an actor we are supposed to be fit and fine. We need to be more protective and I always ensure safety measures are taken." Talking about the recent injury of Hrithik, the actor said, "I am happy that he is doing fine. Thank God, he is recovering. I feel doing stunts is safer outside
Graceful entry
A decade after she made her Bollywood debut as a village belle in Aamir Khan's Lagaan in 2001, Gracy Singh is again portraying a village girl in producer Suraj Bishnoi's upcoming movie Saako 363, Amrita Ki Khejadi.
The film, being directed by co-producer and director Kalyan Seervi, is being shot in Barmer in Rajasthan. It is about a Bishnoi woman (Amrita Devi) who fought to save the flora and fauna in her village, a subject so relevant today. It is said that Gracy managed to bag the role because of her looks which is apt for the character of a Bishnoi woman. The actress says, "It is an honour to fill in the shoes of Amrita Devi, even though it is for the screen. Apart from being a dynamic lady, I admire the way she fought against the evils in the society. The challenge which the role brings in is what excited me." Kalyan adds, "It is really tough to shoot in the interiors of Rajasthan where you have to travel by road most of the times. And the best part is that the actors are very supportive and co-operate well without cribbing." The film, being made under the banner of Shri Maruddhara Films Pvt. Ltd., also stars Raghubir Yadav, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Raj Premi, Gavie Chahal, Rajesh Singh, Prerna Trivedi, Suraj Bishnoi and Asish
Marvo.
Self-help group
Hush-hush party for Evelyn
High on the heels of super hits Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Nautanki Saala, actress and fashionista Evelyn Sharma celebrated her 23rd birthday with a lot of zest and zing at Bandra hotspot Polpo this week.
And though she celebrated in a typical Bollywood style, surprisingly the event was kept a hush-hush affair from the prying cameras. Even some paparazzi was cleverly misled while her party raged on till late night with flowing red wine and a Cinderella-engraved cake. In attendance were personalities from the fashion, film and business circles. Some of the names we stumbled upon include actors Prateik Babbar, Nathalia Kaur, Izabelle Leite, Madhura Naik, business tycoon Ashish Raheja, ace designer Rocky S, Sonam and Paras Modi, producers Dhaval Gada of PEN and Vishal Gurnani of The Entertainment Hub, photographer Vikram Bawa, singer Aditi Singh Sharma and DJ Deepesh Sharma aka Mr Right. Having returned from IIFA last week, Evelyn is now gearing up for her next two releases this year. While she has a role with Prateik Babbar in Issaq (Manish Tiwary's Hindi remake of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet), the actress will also be seen playing an angelic dream girl in T-Series' Yaariyaan; the directorial debut of Super Cassettes icon Bhushan Kumar's wife Divya Kumar.
Lucky girl
Bebo pairs up with Hrithik
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Hrithik Roshan are indeed doing Karan Malhotra's Shuddhi and this will be their first on-screen pairing in 10 years. Their respective spouses are completely okay with it. Their fling happened more than a decade ago and Kareena is a very loyal wife to Saif Ali Khan now. This is a dream pair on celluloid.
Dhanush finds his Man Friday
Aanand Rai and Dhanush became close while shooting for Raanjhanna. The director has now become his professional manager for advertisements and endorsement offers because the new actor is getting a lot of offers. Rai will also advise him on the numerous film offers coming his way and Dhanush trusts him
completely.
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Time out
After fighting it out consistently over the past few weeks it looks like Aarti Chabbria ran out of luck this time around on India’s biggest celebrity dance reality show - Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. The Bollywood actress unfortunately had to say goodbye to the show. The actor, who was not afraid of taking risks, was seen rather bravely experimenting on the dance floor with various dance genres from across the world. Whether it was showing her sensual Latin-American moves, or doing a fiery tango, or even transforming herself into a princess for a soft waltz, the actress has given a shot at almost all kinds of dance forms. Her performance for her mother on Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai during Jhalak’s family week, was one of her strongest acts on the show. “Jhalak has become like my extended family. I’m going to miss everyone here and everything about this stage I danced on. It has taught me a lot about life”, said the actor. Well, with the competition getting much tougher with the addition of four extremely talented wild card entrants, looks like only the finest and fittest will have a chance at survival.
What an act!
Comedian Kapil Sharma doesn’t have time to breathe. He is busy with Jhalak Dikhhla Ja (JDJ) and his chat show Comedy Nights With Kapil (CNWK). He talks about his shows.
Whom do you give credit for your success? The credit for my success goes to people who appreciate good things. I can’t believe that it’s already six episodes old. There is a tremendous growth of comedy on TV. People want to laugh as there’s so much stress in their lives today. On our show they get to see all the drama. Will CNWK be a finite episode show? It will depend on the response of the fans. The channel wants me to continue. I want to take a break after few episodes to re-charge myself but when the show is doing so well I don’t want to stop either. Let’s see. How much pressure do you feel in order to maintain excellence on your show? Once you are doing well you have fight to keep up the good work. If you aren’t doing well no one notices what you are doing. So after so much hype you need to sustain it. Have you got any film offers? I want to do good roles but I am not interested in doing one or two scenes in a film, no matter how big the director is. In films, there are no comedians left. The hero ends up doing comedy. You are not doing Comedy Circus? I have done a lot of work on the show and it’s my favourite but I won’t be able to handle JDJ and CNWK so I am not doing it anymore. I really enjoy CC. For a change, I wanted to do something else. The work load is a lot so I am not thinking of doing anything else. There have been reports that you had altercations with Krushna Abhishek and Manish Paul as well? These are rumours. We all do our jobs.
The new season
Get on board the train to Farhampton and find out the mother with How I Met Your Mother Season 8 only on Star World. This July, Star World promises that you will have a laughing riot with season 8 of your favourite sitcom How I Met Your Mother. After a drum roll for seven seasons, this season get ready for the answer to the ultimate question of Who Is The Mother, Monday to Friday at 8pm only on Star World. Get ready for some more surprise twists with Ted’s feelings about Robin stirring up again, Robin and Barney’s wedding and the revelation of the most elusive character on the show – Ted’s wife-to-be! As foretold by the narrator of the show and Ted himself, the woman does sport a bright yellow umbrella! Be ready to spot it in this season.
Child’s play
Aamir Ali recently had a visitor who surprised him. An infant came with his parents on the sets of Jhilmil Sitaaron Ka Aangan Hoga and soon Aamir began to play with him but when it was time to leave the baby wouldn’t leave his side.
Double fun
Buzz is that Avika Gor in Colors’ Sasural Simar Ka will soon be seen playing a double role. While Jhumki (Avika Gor) is worried about her brother Bantu and is being forced by Veeru to kill Simar (Dipika Samson), Roli will soon be back on the show.
How beautiful!
Sony Entertainment Television’s show Khoobsurat completed 100 episodes. The cast and crew of the serial celebrated this moment with grandeur. Everyone on the set seemed truly glad and all of them looked khoobsurat as a team indeed.
All is well for Anuj
Anuj Sachdeva, who has recently replaced Farhan Khan in Chhanchhan is not the least concerned about low TRPs of the show.
“Every show takes time to build its audiences; moreover we also suffered due to the last IPL (Indian Premier League) season. But now things are on the mend. One needs to understand that each channel has its own niche set of audiences,” Anuj observes. However, the actor has no fear that the channel might take a call on Chhanchhan if its numbers don’t rise soon. “They have spent a lot of money on this project and will not pull the plug in a hurry. I am optimistic about the way the story is really opening up post marriage,” he adds. “One big feedback that I have got is that viewers are loving the romantic part in the show. The creatives are also incorporating this aspect which is a good sign, for ultimately we make content for the audience,” he maintains.
Coming soon
In this week on Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyara Pyara, Aditya resurrects himself and reaches Mumbai with Pankhuri. He convinces Preeti and Sameer to get married. Marriage preparations start. Nanaji is elated to see the whole family coming together. For a change, even Rubel, Latika and Sheila are also a part of this celebration. Nanaji gets emotional and wishes to invite his younger brother Manek for the wedding.
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Astro turf
ARIES: The temptation to help out a friend with a financial loan should be discussed with your partner first. A sexual relationship might have reached its climax. Talk about this honestly and you may be surprised at the positive outcome. Tarot message: Be articulate. TAURUS: Your boss/ partner supports you. Right time to purchase something that adds value to your house. Avoid eating out. Working toward your goals may seem a little harder than usual. Tarot message: Don’t be dismissive of advice from youth. GEMINI: Do not try to hurry jobs that require meticulous handling. Arguments may arise with your mate or partner. Consult the experts when cash questions come up. Finalise plans early as your mood is likely to turn to romance and fantasy. Tarot message: Use your instinct. Lucky
colour: Red. CANCER: You draw “The Emperor” so the day promises all comforts. Spare time for family and children. It should be much easier for you to meet your challenges. Stay tuned to the work at hand. Tarot message: Set the pleasant set of events into motion. LEO: Practice deep breathing and you can maintain your composure. A desire to retreat to the comfort of your own home could be overwhelming. Leave the rigorous pace and expectations of the outside world for the peace of the couch. Tarot message: Accept responsibility. Lucky colour: Crimson.Magic number: 40. VIRGO: The card “The Moon” indicates an emotional setback. Stick to what you know and understand. Money problem will still prevail. Children: enjoy with your friends. Legal suits turn in your favour. Tarot message: Your determination to succeed will pay dividends. Lucky colour: Orange. LIBRA: At work a colleague steers you to a new direction. Professionals: you need a break. Take some fresh fruit and flowers to cheer up the patient and stay long enough for them to relax. SCORPIO: Get cracking early. What you need now is energy. You must push yourself harder. This is not the right day for writing official letters. An irresistible attraction to someone you know can override your common sense. Tarot message: Plan your life. SAGITTARIUS: Your card “The Nine of Cups” reveals inner strength. Arguments may arise with your spouse or partner over money. Make the most of the relationship, kindness comes your way early. Tarot message: Don’t forsake a new learning opportunity because of pride. Lucky colour: Rainbow pastels. Magic number: 65. CAPRICORN: Your card “Page pf Pentacles” promises a progressive day. Health problems can be satisfactorily attended to. Personal plans are likely to progress without too much opposition. Be straight. Tarot message: Emphasise on spiritual needs. Lucky colour: Saffron. AQUARIUS: Long term benefits can be gained. Attempt to improve your health will be successful. You feel you need time to understand the changes that are taking place in your psyche. PISCES: Entrepreneurs will go through an anxious period. Students: success in competitive sports is assured. Neither borrow nor lend money. A lot of energy will be expended on communication today. Tarot message: Do not divest assets or transact in uncertain matters. Lucky colour: Aqua blue. |
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