|
|
|
|
|
World through their eyes
A moment's click transforms memories into eternity. That's the power of a camera; it freezes people, captures places and celebrates the ever fleeting present. When the frames take over and the words step back, the difference between the human eye and the lens comes to the fore. No wonder, many have given into the temptation of the optical instrument.
On the World Photography Day, bringing you some women who wanted to share their stories in nothing less than a thousand words. It all started from a weekend crash course for fun sake. A photography trek to Spiti led to a portfolio shoot for a friend. The word of mouth publicity led to the first wedding assignment in Delhi. Masters in Finance, not withstanding, for Simran Jagdev Gulati, literally one thing led to the other and the rest is proverbial history. "I have done over 55 photo shoots, which include couple shoots, baby portfolios, lifestyle and wedding photography," she casually throws in some statistics gathered over a period starting as recent as 2011. Come 2012 and she put in her papers as a financial analyst in Gurgaon, only to merge the passion and profession. "I like to meet new people and love travelling and photography provides a perfect platform to do both." She adds, "When happy couples and families compliment you with things like how you made their special day even more memorable, it doesn't get better." Pure passion The ultimate destination for any management aspirant is just a stopover for her, courtesy the photography. City based Harsheen Jammu, a portrait photographer; currently in IIM Kozhikode already has alternative plans in place. "I'm going to open my own studio, once I graduate." Neither did it take long to decide nor did she decide long ago. "I captured my best friend's cousins wedding in Delhi in the February of 2012," she starts from ground zero. "Everybody really appreciated it. Any case, I was always into arts and painting during school days." The art form stretches to beyond just a hobby for the 22 year old. She adds, "The best thing about this art is that you start enjoying and seeing things that you earlier ignored. Whenever I'm depressed, I just set out with my camera." A trip to Kinnaur on a borrowed camera from friend, perhaps, hasn't still ended. "The trip ended after a couple of days, it's just that the camera is still there in my hands," Deepika Sharma, arts graduate, laughs as to how it was an unexpected affair with the gadget. "I never ever thought of making photography a profession. Friends would come requesting me to take a picture of them and that's how fashion photography happened." Currently, 50 -60 fashion shoots, commercial advertising assignments and freelance photography stints with print journals sit pretty in her resume. "This is it for me. Now I'm only going to pursue photography. Today's photography software and networking sites only make it as exciting as possible." She adds, "I would really like to capture Honey Singh and Hrithik Roshan someday, since I'm an ardent fan of both." manpriya@tribunemail.com
|
|
More than comedy
With every successful Punjabi film, the Punjabi film industry takes a step forward, gains confidence and boosts the budget. It results in import of actors and technicians from Bollywood, shooting schedules in foreign locales and a storyline that promises more than comedy. The only factor that has remained intact all this while is 'jatt'. It conveniently makes for the suffix or prefix of the title, ensuring that the nomenclature doesn't fall out of line. Putt Jattan De too has adhered to the unsaid rule, except that it assures novelty of sorts. To promote the film in Chandigarh on Sunday, the cast comprising Aman Dhaliwal, Guggu Gill, Isha Rikhi and Sippy Gill talk about the new territories the film industry will venture into with their project.
Ground reality The actor who has done his bit in Bollywood and down South is happy to be home. Not that Aman Dhaliwal hasn't done Punjabi films before, but this one he says is special for several reasons. "The casting of the film boasts of names like Om Puri, Rahul Dev and Guggu Gill, who have made it big in their respective territories. But the real hero of the film is K Ganesh, the action director of the film, who also did the job for Akshay Kumar in Rowdy Rathore," says the actor who will be seen in the lead role. The film, he says, deals with the issue of generation gap. "Earlier Punjabi films only catered to the villagers, who watched them on the single screens. Now Punjabi films enjoy maximum audience from the cities, who go to multiplexes. The film is a sincere attempt to bridge the gap and reach masses." The film has a comic element but the makers say that it is just a part of it, the focus is on changing the image of the youth of Punjab, "Youngsters are flambouyant but at the same time, they are grounded and ready to work hard to achieve success," adds Aman. Guggu Gill was an almost-superhero-like-hero of Punjabi films. After all these years too, he can still sell a film like he did Putt Jattan De in 1981. But he says that his presence is not enough these days. "You also need money to promote the film, take it to the audience who has ample options on the cinema platter to choose from." Made on the budget of four crores, this film sure can do that. Now when the producers are ready to invest more, Punjabi films are also attracting Bollywood actors. "My only wish is that we should experiment more with the storyline. A successful comedy film should not be followed by a dozen more of the same type. One based on life of NRIs shouldn't sound like a safe bet for other film makers." The music is another highlight of the film. Its title track, Putt Jattan De has already got 5 lakh hits on the YouTube. "We need to make a film as a complete package that has comedy, action, storyline, good actors, and music. Hope our film delivers all the elements," says the actor. The film releases on August 23.
|
|
Hrithik returns with a bang!
Hrithik Roshan will soon be seen on the sets again. The shooting of his next film, Bang Bang, commences in mid November. The third schedule of Siddharth Anand's next was supposed to go on the floors from July 10, but the actor's hospitalization last month brought the plans to a halt.
"I am doubly charged and looking forward to resuming my amazing journey with the team of Bang Bang from mid November. We promise to give our best to making the film one of the finest ever," says Hrithik, who teams up with Katrina Kaif (after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) in the action-entertainer. Siddharth explains why they have chosen November to start the film. He says, "Hrithik is raring to go and his enthusiasm is infectious. But his home production Krrish 3's release is around the same time and he will be fully involved with its promotions. So we decided to start the third schedule of Bang Bang in mid-November." Hrithik underwent a successful brain surgery at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital on July 7. A few days later, he was discharged and has since been busy with the promotions and post production work on the superhero flick, Krrish 3.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reaching for the stars
At the stage of Femina Miss India beauty pageant 2012, which was ornamented with 12 most beautiful women from across the country, there was only one deciding question that could sift the chaff from the grain - If you had a choice between recruiting 1000 unemployed people or feeding 1000 poor children, which one would you choose? While most of the contestants opted for the former choice offered to them, Vanya Mishra, 21-year-old final year student of PEC, Chandigarh, decided to stick with the latter on the sound reasoning that highlighted the incapacity of children to help themselves. Need we say she only earned the crown at the cost of a noble thought! At the tenth anniversary celebrations of Cleopatra - 8, Vanya Mishra, the Femina Miss India 2010 and Japtej Singh, who essayed the role of junior Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag engage in an interesting conversation that defines both, beauty and intellect on a level that's 'skin deep' as they also talk about their respective career choices.
"I was thirteen, when my mother and I were beguiling our ideal hours while watching beauty pageants on television. My mother initiated my interest in participating in beauty contests and perhaps that translated into my dream, or rather an ambition to be more precise," begins Vanya. "While in school, I was quiet lost about what I wanted to do so I took to sports and dancing, but I had all the virtues that go into making a good academician, since I was the topper, courtesy which, I landed in the electrical engineering department of Punjab Engineering College. However, in December 2011, my mother sent a few of my pictures in the Dabur Gulabari wild card entry contest, that would put me straight into the Femina Miss India contest, since Dabur Gulabari was sponsoring it," she adds as she continues to detail on her journey towards becoming Miss India, where she won the title of Miss Beautiful eyes, Miss beautiful skin and Miss photogenic. Vanya claims that post winning the competition, she was offered many roles in Bollywood and that she is still open to acting, "I am concentrating on my studies and am still open to offers. Presently, I am juggling between my photo shoots and studies, the recent one being the Monte Carlo shoot with Vidyut Jamwal," she shares. Actor prepares After the success of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, city lad, Japtej Singh, who essayed the role of junior Milkha Singh is mighty overwhelmed with the new found fame, "The principal of my school asked me to give a speech on my experiences of working in the film," says he in a reticent and composed manner. Japtej turned 13 last month and he is still settling with the idea of being an actor, "After the film, I have become more confident and it feels good when people appreciate your talent," he says. Though Singh has been getting a lot of offers to act in commercial ads and Punjabi films, he is focusing on his studies and will take up an offer that Prakayash Mehta, the director of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag approves off. amarjot @tribunemail.com
Look good "Since we have completed over ten years now, we have launched a rage of organic makeup and wellness products that are rich in 12 vitamins, 18 amino acid and 43 trace elements. Also, we are offering a discount that can be availed as per the number you score on a dice that we roll. So if you score a six, you get 60 percent discount on the services you avail," says Richa Aggarwal, the owner of the salon. "Also, for getting good skin, add a fruit to your breakfast, use alcohol free skin toners, especially cucumber and exfoliate your skin only once in a month.
|
|
|
Play it on
For someone who has not just established but distinguished himself in the alternate remix market, a statement against the remixes comes as a shocker rather than a surprise.
"Remixes aren't challenging enough…There's a reason why every remix sounds the same in the market. They are giving in to the market trends and not trying hard enough…a good remix is when you don't conform to the norms." A rule, perhaps, DJ Nawed confirmed to, while producing hits like Door Se Paas, Rabba and giving remixes to movies like Zinda, Acid Factory, Superstar. Their remix Deedar De from the movie Dus literally replaced the original track altogether. Nevertheless, Bollywood happened by chance for the 32-year-old who describes his kind of music as progressive EDM. "I would say my kind of music has very strong melodies and is very baseline driven," he gets comfortable, hours before his performance at the Blue Blazer. He narrows his eyes at the chicken satay on the table and throws yet another shocker. "Just look at this food, you can't have it every day. You need to space out and breathe. It's the same with music." He adds, "I don't have any favourite play list. The idea of having a play list for the car has never struck me. I listen to the radio and I find club music noisy. I need to keep my ears and mind fresh for something else." The journey, so far "I went to the club to learn DJing and not to party," he starts from the first ever brush with music. Before that, there's yet another trivia. "I heard DJ Akbar Sami playing when I was in the eighth standard. That's when I wanted to pursue music." He adds, "In 99 I had a computer with a CD writer and loads of music. My friends would come requesting for music." Having played at almost every club is Dubai and across the continents, a coupe of performances will always be special. Like the Sunburn in 2009. "It was something new for India, therefore it was intimate and special." Behind the scenes In any case, it's "never pleasant" working with famed music directors like Vishal-Shekhar, Pritam and Shameer Tandon. He laughs, "What you get to hear is one best version of the track. What we give them are ten different versions of the same. It's a lot of hard work and they never settle for anything but the best. Coming up is collaboration with a couple of International labels as also the Submerge Dance Project with Nikhil Chinappa. "I'm just back from Spain and collaborating with an artiste there." manpriya@tribunemail.com
|
|
|
Pulling the right strings
Each time she plucks a string, the twang of the veena sends you in a transient state of trance. And just when you begin to decipher the unfathomable reasons for the impact that the recital has on you, she interrupts the free flowing gamut of thoughts and guesses with a flavour of typical south Indian dialect, "Every musician seeks the ultimate purity of sound, which seeps into the innermost core of your soul.
Veena capacitates the perfect alignment of the note, the pitch and the chord and that is the beauty of this instrument," she begins as Pramath Kiran (morching and tabla) and Jayachandra Rao (Mridangam) accompany her for the performance. Jayanthi has been enthralling the audiences across the world with her graceful, emotive, and expressive music for the last 25 years. After performing at the prestigious organisations across the world, including Theatre de la Ville in Paris, the UN and World Music Centre in New York, Music Guimet in Paris, Woodstock in the United States, Indo-German Societies and The Indian Embassy at Sharjah, she is now in Chandigarh to perform at the fifth Art and Heritage festival recently. "Born into a family where music has been the mainstay for the last seven generations, music came naturally to me and I started playing the veena when I was barely 3 years old," she says while stroking the strings of the veena gently. "I took to veena because I was always intrigued by the instrument and soon after my mother acknowledged my interest, I was sent to Chennai to learn the instrument at my maternal aunt Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan, where I stayed for 20 years and in complete adherence with the guru shishya parampara," she shares. "I have also learnt veena from the veena maestro, Dr S. Balachander and my maternal uncle, the violin legend, Lalgudi Sri. Jayaraman is a great influence and inspiration for me," she adds. Jayanthi is one of the youngest artistes to have received A-TOP grading from All India Radio (the highest grade offered by the only grading body in India). She recently came out with an album called Mysterious Duality, which is a tribute to the most majestic instrument that India has contributed to the world - the veena.
|
|
|
Starry eyes
"I was always keen on acting and when Shefali didi (the lead of the show, who essays the role of Bani), visited us, she told me that the auditions for a child actor for the role of her little brother, Happy Singh, were on. It was then that I decided to audition for the role," says Mehar, who was accompanied by his parents and sister. Although his main inspiration behind acting was the exposure that he got from watching a lot of Bollywood and Hollywood movies, but at this tender age Mehar has the capacity to translate real-life experiences on to the screen. "When I was offered the script during the auditions it required me to cry, it was then that I thought of my dadaji, who passed away last year, and it brought tears to my eyes," he says while his mother recounts the long hours of shoot. "I remember, he used to set out for shooting at six in the morning and would return the next day at 4 or 5 am; brimming with inexhaustible energy, he would narrate to me the events of the day," she says. Mehar travelled to Amritsar for the shoot soon after he was shortlisted for the role of Happy Singh, he recollects, "It was February when we started shooting for the serial and even during the biting cold, we would shoot in half-sleeve shirts and shorts." Perhaps he sailed through the weather rather smoothly, courtesy the heat of his passion! But he credits the team of the serial, who also helped him study for his final exams, "I was shooting the entire day and with exams on my head, I used to study in the vanity van. My co-stars would often assist me with my studies and though my parents were apprehensive about my result, I managed it all just fine with seventy-five per cent marks and that too without studying," he says. amarjot@tribunemail.com
|
|
|
Spice it up
…
IICE is all set to create a difference through their first reality show, IICE -The City Crawl. With youthful exuberance and pulsating enigma, the show is all set to bring in a fresh flavour and includes travelling with a bandwagon of celebrities in "The City Crawl" bus. This larger than life crawl is a nationwide road/air journey across 13 cities to search for the 'hottest and quirkiest' girl. With surprises like a wild card entry and many more, it's going to be aired on Channel V.
A uniquely designed platform, where young girls exude tremendous confidence and aspire to carve a distinct identity that sets them apart from the crowd. Beauty, brains, wit and charm are among the elements that ideally describe IICE - The Hottest Girl of India. Besides their alluring beauty, the contestants would also be judged on their attitude, elegance, wit, spirit and charm. The chosen 13 contestants from across the country will then battle it out for the coveted title, IICE - The Hottest Girl of India. The auditions will kick start on September 4 in Guwahati followed by a hunt across the 13 cities: Guwahati, Delhi, Pune, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Udaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Goa. Following the auditions, the show will witness a series of after parties in each city called - IICE Freeze, which are all set to take over the cities nightlife. — TNS
|
|
|
Meaty portion
Kalyan Kumar Jammula While browsing through the non-veg spread in the stores we come across many exotic meat cuts and the adventurous foodies or home style chefs do get tempted to try those out in the certain delicacies. But then how to go about it? Here we bring you a delectable dish made with pork baby back ribs.
For the ribs Baby back ribs 450 gm Worcestershire sauce 20 ml Brown sugar 50 gm Chilli flakes 10 gm Oregano, dry 5 gm Spring onion, sliced 100 gm Tomato paste 50 ml Garlic (chopped) 50 gm Red wine vinegar 5 ml Barbecue sauce 50 ml Courvoisier (cognac) 50 ml Salt 3 gm Black pepper (crushed) 2 gm Piquant slaw Cabbage, shredded 75 gm Carrot (jullienes) 10 gm Jalapeno chopped 5 gm Mayonnaise 25 gm Salt 2 gm Sugar 2 gm Parsley (chopped) 1 gm Onion (thinly sliced) 5 gm Few potato wedges One piece of corn Method of preparation
|
|
|
Can you beat it!
Amarjot Kaur
Electro-pop I am totally hooked to the song. It has both drama and excitement that appeals to both alternative pop fans and hard rockers. Also now that the electro had replaced pop, this song is a concoction of the best of these two. Sugandha Wahi, student Totally hooked! The song has the capacity to make the crowd throw their hands in the air. It is extremely engaging and wonderfully knotted in the entire song. This song has been on my mind ever since I listened to it. Jyotika Tuli, Dentist Brilliantly done The song jazzes up the dub-flirtation with a verse hinging on the line, "this is it, the apocalypse," with more than a few shades of hip-hop. The song is outstanding; especially the heavy drums give it an electronic feel. Aman Suraj, Musician
|
|
|
Bonded with love
This Rakshabandhan, television actors share their Rakhi memories and plans with us...
Protected and pampered
|
|
|
Astro Turf
ARIES: You will be focused and alert. Working with colleagues and gaining their support will lead to faster progress. Don't make impulsive decisions when it
comes to your finances.
Tarot message: Don't accept situations you dislike. TAURUS: You're not undecided, just trying to understand what others around you are thinking so that you can plan ahead.
Avoid spending. Tonight, rest and pamper the body. Tarot message: Take one thing at a time, instead of multi tasking. GEMINI: A chance meeting may lead to a future romance. You will be quite amazed to find yourself taking on an ambitious role.
A brief business-cum-pleasure trip is just on the cards. Tarot message: Polish your
public relation skills. CANCER: You are likely to
find an ideal partner. Be bold to speak your mind out. Relax, things will clear up in due course of time. A happy surprise awaits you. Stay positive. Tarot message: Don't deplete
your energy on others. LEO: You will enjoy interacting with people, who share your
views and thoughts. Your ability to communicate effectively will help you to enhance your reputation.
Loved ones will be very demanding. Tarot message: Trust your intuition. VIRGO: You will find ways to express your creativity and emotions. Spend time with your partner and friends. A Taurean will support you through a difficult time. Tarot message: At work, a setback will be followed by a rapid advance, so don't worry. LIBRA: Do not try any short cuts as they may backfire. A surprise phone call could
put you back in touch with an old friend. Tarot message: Do not refuse offers without seeking the advice from someone else. SCORPIO: Youngsters will be capable of entertaining themselves. Complicated family issues, past romantic promises or repeated social patterns require consideration. Tarot message: Handle a dissatisfactory phase calmly. SAGITTARIUS: Inception of a new business venture is on the cards. Plan creative group activities today. You tend to be lazy and laid back. Key officials may provide faulty instructions or inadequate guidance. Tarot message: Feel
free to change your mind. CAPRICORN: A close friend needs delicate advice concerning relationships. Past disappointments and old memories may now provide valuable social wisdom. Tarot message: If you insist on leading a fast life, you may aggravate your problems. AQUARIUS: Review financial records for forgotten payments. Do watch for ongoing romantic attractions. The pressure and stress of the past days may take a toll on your health. Tarot message: Trust your heart and intuition rather than confusion yourself. PISCES: Expect loved ones to propose new forms of entertainment. This is an excellent time to adopt new routines, foster friendships and develop unique hobbies. Health needs attention. Tarot message: Do not get tied down by promises. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Memorable moments 
An unexpected affair 
A complete package 
Main dikhne mein toh chota hu, lekin kaam bahut bade bade karta hun," says Meher Sharma in a rather compelling tone while enacting a scene from the show, Bani Ishq Da Kalma, which is telecast on Colors channel. The nine-year-old has made a rocking debut as a child actor on television.
Ingredients
Recorded by American indie rock band, Imagine Dragons, Radioactive is the opening track for their major-label debut studio album, Night Visions. Musically, Radioactive is an alternative rock song with elements of electronic rock and dubstep. Due to heavy rotation on TV and radio channels, the song has reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Sister act
Daddy's little princess
Sweet nostalgia
The bro code