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A man of many seasons
You would be plain lucky if Milind Soman takes your call in one attempt. So, stop trying and drop a message. Then wait, and then wait a little more till finally your message inbox flashes the icon. It’s a reply from Milind Soman; short and sweet.
By the way his phone is mostly on the ringer, this explains all the waiting. The supermodel, actor, entrepreneur and marathon-runner walks into the coffee shop of a Chandigarh-based hotel with ease, salt and pepper distributed evenly on his tuft and beard. Yes, they are hiding that sexy jaw-line, but they couldn’t hide the glint in the eyes, the well-toned physique or the interesting things he has to share! Milind has a docile sense of humour that can run loose anytime. In Chandigrah for Pinkathon, an event which is carried out in ten cities annually, Milind hasn’t stepped on the ramp for the last eighteen years…..but there is no love lost for there is much he is running towards! It’s an addiction For someone who wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of running, getting his name in the Limca Book Of Records was a wonderful thing. “Swimmers generally don’t like running because it is an all-together different environment,” shares Milind, a national-level swimmer. He has been running for the last ten years, one marathon after the other. “It is like a drug; this you don’t want to try again. Once you are hooked to running, you just can’t stop. It makes one emotionally, mentally and physically strong.” If you are looking for your running shoes…halt. Milind has started running barefoot for the last four months! “People walk barefoot for hours to reach religious places. We can run barefoot; the muscles take time to get accustomed.” As for the running shoes, “All that thing about cushioning in shoes is nothing but a selling point. You can run in anything.” He points towards the Osho sandals he has completed a marathon in! “Yes,” he smiles taking a passing look at them. What lies at the finish line? “Nothing; I want to run more, but I have other things to finish as well.” The other things Milind is an actor; in his ‘other things’ are wellness gyms, his TV production work et al. “I don’t like the idea of gyms or closed spaces, I haven’t stepped into one.” The confession is modest; he likes to run, hit by heat, sun, air, water! Acting, well, this is something Milind does off and on. “I do it as and when I have time and like the role.” He was last seen in David and a Marathi film. He will be seen in an English movie pretty soon. “I can’t give all the time to acting, I like to do many things,” shares Milind. And we thought Bollywood is the dream destination for models. “It is now because of the noticeability factor. When I started modeling, the scene was different.” Then & now In 1988, when Milind was approached for modeling, the first question that the super-cool man asked was, “what do I have to do.” The reply was, “just change four shirts and get photos done.” For Milind this was an awesome deal. “I was being paid for it as well. I never knew, I would be paid for it,” says Milind walking down the memory ramp, which was bedecked with adulation and a ‘star’ kind of status. “Models of those times would rather be models, they didn’t like acting. In fact, we would find the stars of those times shabbily dressed up,” says the man who took the modeling world by storm. A similar storm he created in the hearts of female fans! “They would kiss my hands; it was embarrassing.” Milind buries himself in his mobile. He likes Chandigarh and wants women to take out time for themselves. “And if they can run, nothing like it”. jasmine@tribunemail.com
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first-day-first show
Ramaiya Vastavaiya Directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Kumar Taurani, Ramaiya Vastavaiya is a romantic film. The film introduces Taurani’s son Girish Kumar opposite Shruti Haasan and is a remake of Prabhu Deva's directorial debut, Telugu blockbuster, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana which in turn was inspired by the 1980s romantic cult movie Maine Pyaar Kiya. Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana was also unofficially remade in Nepali as Pharkera Herda, in Tamil as Something Something... Unakkum Enakkum and in Bengali as I Love You. The story of the film is based on the life of a youngster, Ram (Girish Kumar), who falls in love with Sona (Shruti Haasan), who is his cousin's best friend and lives in Punjab. He follows her to her farm, where her elder brother (Sonu Sood) challenges him to produce more seed in their fields. Too mushy I like the film, but it is too mushy and it has the stale Bollywood romance that we have already seen in many movies during the 90s. Personally, I do like romantic films but this one is quite an overdose. Digvijay Singh, student Nothing new I would rather watch Maine Pyar Kiya, yet again. Ramiya Vastavaiya is excessively romantic. It’s far away from reality and in fact there is a whole lot of drama that is so uncalled for. I did not like it at all. Nikita Sharma, student Romance unlimited I am a hopeless romantic and I quite liked the film, especially the way Girish has portrayed the character of a crazy NRI boy. Also, Shruti Hassan is a delight to watch. Barkha Rawat, student
D-Day Co-produced by DAR motion pictures and Emmay Entertainment Private Limited D-Day, a crime-thriller, is the next directorial offer from Nikhil Advani and it stars Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Shruti Haasan, Sandeep Kulkarni and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles. The movie is a first-hand account of the incredible mission that was undertaken by the Indian secret services agents to capture the most elusive and most wanted man in India. It is the story of four unassuming protagonists, all with varying backgrounds and a common mission that brings them together on foreign soil to execute one such mission. It explores their journey, their choices, their loss and their victory. Intelligent cinema The film displays intelligent acting and screenplay. I like the first half, which builds the plot for the film and then the second half, which propels the story and the plot and the end brings a surprise. The film scores an edge over its contemporaries, especially the crime thrillers that Bollywood has seen so far. Amanpreet Walia, student Excellent acting Arjun Rampal and Irrfan Khan have acted very well in the film. I really like the film because it is realistic. I also like the songs of the film, its storyline and the way they have executed the film. Simarpreet Kaur, student — As told to Amarjot Kaur
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Romancing the verse
Poetry runs in his veins and oozes from every pore of his being. India's acclaimed poet and lyricist Gopal Das Neeraj, in Chandigarh at the invitation of Haryana Institute of Fine Arts (HIFA), stands as an epitome of all that is right with the world of words.
No wonder even at the ripe age of 88 neither words fail him nor his memory. For every query he has a poetic repartee ready. You bet he has forgotten very little of the profound thoughts he has penned that now exist by way of 27 books. Indeed, people might remember him more as a writer of immortal songs like Kaarvan gujar gaya, Eh bhai zara dekh ke chalo and Shokhyion mein ghola jaaye but he reminds us that he wrote film songs only for a brief period of five years while poetry has been his companion for more than seven decades. He is not a wee bit peeved that many ordinary mortals don't know his poetic mettle as much as the import of eternal songs like Dil aaj shayar hai and Phoolon ke rang se. But yes those who consider him a poet of Shingaar ras do annoy him. He quips, "There can be no poetry without philosophy and the romantic imagery that I have often used is merely a tool to transform dry philosophy of life into a thing of beauty." Interestingly, right now he is finding rhythm and metre in the discipline of astrology. He muses, "What is astrology but the music of the cosmos, the sangeet of Brahamand." Astrology, some, might dismiss as bunkum but he insists he knows better. His entire life's story, its trials and tribulations, he reveals were forecast in his janam kundli. Says he, "Here, I was a small boy who lost his father at six years." Yet he not only went on to complete his education, teach Hindi literature but rose to become a stalwart in the realm of poetry decorated with honours such as Padma Bhushan. The first brush with poetry happened soon after he browsed through Harivansh Rai Bachchan's magnum opus. So inspired was he that he dedicated his first book to Bachchan. Poetry he insists is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration. Sure enough he agrees that poets are born and not made and more importantly he believes within each poet lurks a woman. By this he means womanly attributes of sensitivity and compassion are innate in a good poet. A poet does not exist in a vacuum but in relation to others. According to him a poet is someone who establishes right values in a society, of humanism and love. As he writes about universal love, he digs into metaphysical concepts and offers his own interpretation of God's particle based on the Upanishads. On a parting note he talks how soon in this new century man will conquer death and god will die. "Nahi maanav se badi koi shakti hai pradhan, Vijay mritu par pane ko tayaar hai, Apni suvidha ke liye racha jisko humne, us Ishwar ke kal mar jaane ki tayaari hai." Whether science unravels the mystery of death or not he seems to have vanquished death. Unafraid to face the inevitable end he sums up man's mortality too in a poetic fashion, "Death is no more than a debt that we owe to nature, an act with which energy within us once again assimilates into universal energy." As for this renowned poet's energy…physically it may have reached a saturation point, but mentally it seeks new frontiers. The last it crossed was by way of Haiku the Japanese style that he mastered and used to express man's eternal quest for fulfillment.
Lyrical wisdom Gopal Das Neeraj has no issues with the lyrics of today's films and pats many a song writer like Prasoon Joshi, Gulzaar and Javed Akhtar on the back. But on the quality of Kavi Samellans, especially those that go by the name of Haasya Kavi Samellan, he is circumspect. He rues, "Sadly, mimicry, parody have overshadowed satire. A poet's role is not to entertain people but to elevate them." Poetry or poets he avers can't be taken lightly for as he writes "Aatma ke saundraya roop ka shabad roop hai kaavya, Manav hona bhagya aur kavi hona saubhaghya." Only he alone is not fortunate but has blessed the world with his pearls of wisdom.
mona@tribunemail.com
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An age of learning
When you love something totally and absolutely, you overcome all the challenges that come your way with a winning smile. Such is the story of Dhaval Gada, a 24-year-old who is ready with his debut movie Issaq, which he has co-produced with Shailesh R. Singh.
"When Manish Tiwary came to us with the concept, I was totally bowled over by it. A Romeo Juliet adaptation, tweaked to suit the Indian milieu, he had the promo already shot with Prateik Babbar," says Dhaval, who found Benaras, where the movie is set, too charming to resist. The movie rolled and what Dhaval enjoyed most in his debut production is the shooting. Taking the cast and crew to Benaras, spending close to three months together, he found a new family in them. "Trust me the last day of the shoot was tough, I did not want to leave the new friends behind." If the post-production was tedious, promotions are tiring. To and fro between the promotion and last-minute jobs, whole lot of travel and activities, it gets exhausting but then Dhaval is happy that the team is together once all over again. Production is what Dhaval was certain to get into and having enjoyed his first stint, he plans to be here. Good scripts score with him and currently he is toying between three, all different genres. "We are also ready with Lakshmi, a women-oriented film, Mahabharata, the most expensive animation ever in India that brings the stars of last three decades together, and Sholay 3D. On a personal note he loves everything to do with speed and thrill, so bikes as well as cars figure on his list. "I love racing, but on tracks not on roads," signs off the young producer whose favourite films are Kahaani, Avatar and Pirates of the Caribbean.
mona@tribunemail.com
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Attention Seekers
Some of these actors and wannabe stars are in the news for reasons other than actual work. Read on to find out Huma Qureshi: She has done five movies within a year and all of them have been big. But she is also in the news for her weight issues, that she keeps gaining and losing according to her roles. She usually wears clothes that do not flatter her figure. She should stick to Indian traditional wear.
Richa Chadda: She loves telling people how busy she is, her professional dilemmas and the lack of a personal life. She will tell everyone that people mistake her for Hollywood hottie Salma Hayek, how she injures her foot every second week and how her "new found fame" is affecting her.
Shraddha Kapoor: She finally made it big with Aashiqui 2. Apparently, she turned down films with John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan because she wants to act with young and new heroes. However, she clarified that she would never do that and the films were never offered to her. Hope she makes her choices wisely now. Ranveer Singh: He is a splendid actor and is full-of-life and energy but this outburst of energy can be too much for most people to handle. So he has been labelled as an attention seeker. We feel he is just a regular guy who is truly enjoying his stardom. He has a wacky sense of humour too and is totally uninhibited. Ayushmann Khurrana: After the success of Vicky Donor, he attracted some bad press because he refused to work with upcoming actresses and only wanted to work with A-list actresses. The press also said he had become unreachable and the success had gone to his head. He has sorted those issues out now.
Saif to host another award show!
Saif Ali Khan, who is known for his wit and humour as an anchor, will host a first-of-its-kind event the South Africa India Film and Television Awards (SAIFTA) organised by Celebrity Locker at Durban, South Africa. The event will take place on September 6 with a host of South African and Indian dignitaries attending it. SAIFTA is an annual event and a kind of cultural exchange between the Indian and South African entertainment industry. It will reward outstanding performers from both the countries.
Buying baubles
It seems that Ranbir Kapoor bought his lady love Katrina Kaif diamond earrings from a store at the Taj Mahal Hotel and they walked hand-in-hand at the lobby. They arrived together at Aamir Khan's residence for a recent gathering and even went for dinner at a restaurant in suburban Mumbai with Arjun Kapoor. They even went to RK's house. Why don't they just come out in the open!
Good friends
Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra may have parted ways romantically but they continue to be good friends. He threw an impromptu bash at his place to bring in Priyanka Chopra's 31st birthday with close friends and family. Priyanka went there from Aamir Khan's bash and screening of Ship of
Theseus.
All praise
Ayushmaan Khurrana's film with Sonam Kapoor has wrapped up and he says that he had a wonderful time with her as she is a simple girl at heart. She is very down to earth, he said. He will also release his first single called O mutiyare soon.
Actor prepares
Ranbir Kapoor is one of the finest actors of the country. The superstar, who is famous for his dedication and hard-work, has requested the makers of Bombay Velvet to allow him to spend ten days on the sets of the movie.
Ranbir is playing the lead role in Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet. To get into the skin of his character, Ranbir has asked Anurag to spend some time alone on the sets of Bombay Velvet. The shooting of the film is almost ready to commence and a massive set has been constructed in Sri Lanka depicting the Bombay of 1960s and 1970s.
A source from the sets reveals, "Anurag Kashyap is there with his core team. The construction of the set has already begun. RK has told the producers that he wants to spend some quality time on the set before shooting starts. He reasoned it would help him to understand the character better.
"It is a massive set and so is the crew. Ranbir wants to interact with the background actors who will be a part of the day-to-day scenes. He wants to have discussions with Anurag about the role as well. His martial arts training, which will help him adapt to the role of a street fighter, will be a part of his daily routine there. Ranbir's dedication and zeal is quite infectious and the whole team is now bubbling with energy to start the shoot," the source added.
Bombay Velvet is based on the book Mumbai Fables written by historian Gyan Prakash. It traces the growth of Bombay in the post colonial era from a city to a metropolis. Ranbir plays the role of a street fighter and he has been paired with Anushka Sharma for the first time on silver screen. The film also stars Karan Johar in a negative role.
Dedicated boy: Ranbir Kapoor
Akshay Kumar remembers Rajesh Khanna
Actor Akshay Kumar remembered his father-in-law and veteran actor Rajesh Khanna on his first death anniversary on July 18.
"It's been a year today, yet the loss is still so fresh. I don't quite think any of us have accepted my Father in law's devastating departure... To Mr Rajesh Khanna, they make very few like you, you are a Father, a Legend & a very treasured man, who will never be forgotten. You are in our hearts today & always. Love & eternal prayers, from your entire family," Akshay tweeted.
Khanna died of cancer last year at the age of 69.
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The story of mankind
History TV18 reached out to various schools in Mumbai to hold special screenings of ‘Mankind: A Story of All Of Us’ for the students. Through this initiative the channel plans to take its world class content beyond television, to help students understand their subject better. History TV18’s programming is recognised world over for its factual entertainment documentaries. Many of its shows are very relevant to schools as the content forms part of their curriculum. But the biggest advantage of the channel is that it has its world class content available in local languages. Through the screenings in local languages, the channel is primarily targeting children who might not have access to cable television or to infotainment programs, which they can relate to. Thus, establishing a direct connect with students and help make their studies more interesting and exciting. The screenings are free of cost both to the schools and students.
Time to quit
The dream machines
Fantasising about your dream car: a Maserati or maybe an Audi R8? These incredible cars can be priceless possessions, but have you ever wondered how these fabulous machines are made? Fasten your seatbelt and take a drive to the birthplaces of some of the most exotic cars with Discovery Turbo's How It's Made: Dream Cars.
With amazing access to their landmark factories and test labs, the series reveals the inner workings and gorgeous exteriors of these classic beauties. The 10-part series offers viewers a first-hand look into the mechanics and dynamics of some of the hallmark cars ever made. From body shell assembly where the chassis are made to the production islands where weld and transfer robots put together the largest parts, How It's Made: Dream Cars explores the facts and figures of the world's most loved cars and takes viewers to the core concepts behind the origin of these cars. Synonymous with extravagant design, engineering and craftsmanship, Rolls-Royce Phantom is undeniably the most luxurious supercar ever. Made from 200 sections of extruded aluminium and 300 alloy parts requiring 2,000 welds, which are all done by hand, Rolls-Royce Phantom has one of the largest all- aluminium chassis ever. Viewers travel to Goodwood, England, home of Rolls-Royce's world headquarters to know how personal touches like the leather upholstery or the 20,000 select wood veneers sourced from around the world, make this car special for its buyers. How It's Made: Dream Cars will air every Monday at 9 pm, starting from July 29 only on Discovery Turbo. The episodes encore every Saturday at 8 pm. — HRM
Positive note
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Astro turf
ARIES: Relax with your mate in the evening; it’s just the antidote for the trials and tensions of the day. Someone you are attracted to at work feels the same way. It is for you to make the first move. TAURUS: Today is open for excitement; conquer your fear and take a chance to live reality. There can be delays with certain business ventures or personal projects. Socialising and attending gala events can be costly. GEMINI: 'The Queen of Pentacles' blesses you with the finest of subtle qualities today. Things happen quickly and you need to take sharp decisions. Children will be a source of joy and their progress will make you proud. CANCER: There is good news on the cards. You will be in a relaxed and happy mood. If you need to make any personal decisions, go with your gut feeling. Be wary of purchases from unknown websites. LEO: The wisdom of “The Hermit” inspires you to make new beginnings and move in a creative direction. Spending time with family will bring about a sense of peace and well-being. VIRGO: “The Magician” conjures up some travel and business opportunities. Partnership, business problems, past disappointments - all need your attention today. Stop waiting for the right time to attend to them. LIBRA: A good time to make a public speech or presentation. Business deals are on the boil but still inconclusive. If you need a pay hike, speak to your boss. Work will progress satisfactorily. SCORPIO: It looks like a very busy day ahead, but any partying and indulgence of previous evenings can be catching up with you. Your chances of success are better today than ever before. Don’t depend on others to do your important work. Tarot message: Be firm and stand your ground. Lucky colour: Pink. Magic number: 59 SAGITTARIUS: The Prince of Wands rides in his flaming chariot of gold to instigate dynamic changes at work. Don’t trust unreliable friends or relatives. Travelling will yield valuable information. Tarot message: Never fall for rash promises. CAPRICORN: Today, mixing with friends can be a tricky business. If you don’t want to be alone, choose a companion who is least likely to irritate you. Don’t get involved in petty arguments with your mate or partner. AQUARIUS: Passionate emotions are likely to accompany your actions and you will be more impulsive than usual. You will have a better chance of getting through odd jobs if you promote team-work. PISCES: The Hanged Man helps you move into a new and better situation. Spirituality beckons, you are inclined to find out more about it. You struggle to keep your temper in check today. |
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