Breathtaking Bose
Simple, unassuming charm best describes actor Rahul Bose. In Chandigarh, he left many awestruck…
Manpriya Singh

It can’t be for fame. If it were so, he wouldn’t choose to be in cinema “that’s watched by a handful of people,” or, “have his nose broken four times for a sport that actors cannot play”. Nevertheless, fame has a way of finding its way around every move that Rahul Bose makes.

So does fate — the only thing that explains his being discovered with the movie English August, having been the third choice for the lead role in a film that had a phenomenal run in the pre-multiplex era.

The rest is history; where films like Mr and Mrs Iyer, Chameli, Shaurya, Everybody Says I’m Fine and Midnight’s Children find a place of pride, but not form the core identity. “Cinema is just one of the three strands of my life that nourish me.” Rugby and his social activism being the other two! He elucidates on all three during an interactive session organised by the Chandigarh Literary Society.

Sporty spirit

Of course, rugby happened back in school. “When girls never looked at me,” he laughs, Like all things else, cricket’s loss was rugby’s gain. “Later, I found sheer poetry in the game.” Even though rugby meant that, “nobody in India had a clue that you were in Singapore playing for the country.” He is also in the middle of developing a Rs two-crore plan to promote rugby.

Big screen

Just in case it seemed as if there was nothing happening on the cinema front, “I am next writing a thriller. The film already has six languages — Punjabi, Hindi, English, Marathi and Bengali. In cinema, you don’t need to hear languages.” With only forty per cent of the writing complete as of now, he laughs, “You never know it could be fifteen languages by the time I finish; everyone in the film has a double role.” Coming up are some projects among which there are Zoya Akhtar’s next, Mr and Mrs Iyer 2, “a sequel that takes the story further,” Jeene Do, “a love story set in the north which is “a role of a lifetime,” and a Bengali detective film.

Reality check

It’s one of the sheer Rahul-isms, where he bursts the bubble of celebrities admitting to having absolutely no regrets! “Regrets are a reality and to minimise them is human.” Whatever anybody else says need not be given any benefit of doubt, so he quips. Does he believe in God? “I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in God. Religious texts are wonderful and so are the beautiful places of worship that have been built.” He adds, “If kindliness is God, so be it because I believe in doing good.”

Being choosy

Some commendable films and memorable characters notwithstanding, he has always played hide and seek with silver screen. An arrangement where he hides every once in a while and the audience seeks him often. “I am choosy about my films in the sense that I would only like to do cinema that I would feel proud to watch. So yes, I choose very consciously the roles I play and the films I do.” Are the mainstream fluff heroes listening?

manpriya@tribunemail.com

Social angle

His initiative REACH intends to have classrooms in the some of the best schools of the country, with children that would otherwise never be allowed that opportunity due to constraints of geography, history, politics and poverty. The initiative bestows ten year scholarships from class six to graduation. He shares, “The idea is to spread equality through education…sixteen children are already in colleges. The dream is to send 100 to 150 children by the next twenty years.” His latest Idea of India initiative comprises an auction of iconic memorabilia donated by 16 legendary Indians.

Educated approach
Academician Steve Mann is here to launch a publication for teachers
Manpriya Singh

Learning was never an easy job unless you decided to turn sides and teach. British Council launches its global publication Innovations in pre-service education and training for English language teachers. Its editor Steve Mann comes calling to India with his programme; Chandigarh it is, after Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata.

He shares, "When it comes to pre-service education and training for English language teachers, we had as many as 150 ideas, which were further zeroed down to 14." He adds, "We wanted to spread them around the world and take one idea to each country."

It's a first time in the country and long enough for a couple of academic observations. "Haven't seen any classes in India as of now even though I wanted to see some in Delhi, but due to exams going on that could not be possible." He adds, "India strikes me as a country that's dealing with its own issues in the classrooms. For example, when it comes to English language, if a teacher feels that the students are quiet and not very motivated, it can get them to do so by first starting in any language. Once they are interactive and motivated, then slowly they can be brought into the fold of language that's intended to be taught."

In the pipeline is a video project among other things. "I am writing a book at the moment on interviewing and interviews. There is also a video project, about to finish in 2015. There will be 300 videos and ideas on how to go about the exercise of teaching effectively."

green thumb
Learning curve
Satish Narula

We have normally been talking about big gardens with sprawling lawns, beds climbers, shrubs or even trees. But that does not make any sense for those who have limited space but have love for plants and want to have these in the household. What should they do?

See the accompanying picture. It is absolutely amateurish, I agree, but then this shows the owner wants to have a garden which he can call his own. Some of those who have small spaces may say I should have shown this when it was time to plant winter annuals in October. But then I wanted to show you the garden in flowering. What should be then done to make the garden colourful and look bigger?

You cannot stretch the land but can make the area look bigger. This is done by creating curves in the beds. The edges could be marked using white river stone. You can also give the feeling of vastness by creating pockets of different species even when a few plants of each are planted. This will also give a colourful look to the garden.

As the space is the constraint, one should use every possible place and move the garden upwards. This can be done using hanging baskets or baskets that can be used on the walls. But make sure you use some water-proof paint. It would be better if you use some seasonal flowers as this will bring more colour to the garden. The perennial plants used at times become dull due to cold and in small gardens we don't have space to place such plants under the shade or canopy. You can also use climbers under the space constraints conditions. These could be used to extend and fill any space left without colour.

The corners should be given a special treatment. These should not be kept in continuance of the beds. In the corners you can develop features by placing small tops, artifacts, statues, pitchers etc. Only four by four feet area would be sufficient. If you use imagination, you could also make themes, like a village scene, a mela or a road with miniature toys or above all a corner with Japanese features in miniature. (Narula is Chandigarh-based horticulturist and landscapist)

Master Chef
Tomato matters!
Kandla Nijhowne

Yes dear readers, tomatoes do matter! They don't just liven up our meals in gravies, sauces and salads, they also have amazing health benefits for our body. A good source of vitamins C, A and K; potassium, and fiber, they are a nifty low-calorie, low-fat package.

Tomatoes are rich in Lycopene, an anti-oxidant that protects against chronic diseases. Here comes the best part! Lycopene within tomatoes is even better absorbed in our bloodstream when they are cooked. This southern style tomato chutney will be a hit with your family.

Tomato chutney

Ingredients

  • 1 onion medium sized
  • 2 tomatoes medium sized
  • 1 tbsp chana daal without skin
  • 2-3 dry red chillies
  • ¼ tsp heeng
  • Small piece of fresh coconut (or 1 tbsp desiccated coconut)
  • 1½ tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 sprig curry patta
  • Salt to taste

Method

  • Chop the onion and tomatoes into cubes. Keep separately.
  • Heat one tbsp of oil in a pan. Fry the red chillies and channa dal until the dal turns golden brown colour. Set aside.
  • In the same pan, fry the onion until transparent, then add the tomato and fry till they both turn soft.
  • When cool, tip onto a blender jar with some salt and coconut, then grind to a paste. You will need to add little water while grinding.
  • For tempering, heat the leftover oil in another small pan. Splutter the mustard seeds in it, adding curry patta a few seconds later. Turn off the heat. Pour the tempered oil on to the waiting chutney.
  • Stir in and serve with paranthaas, rice, dosas, idli or vadaas.

Note:

There are no compulsions that you grind the chutney to a paste. I personally prefer the chutney to be chunky as it is. (Nijhowne is a Chandigarh-based culinary expert)

the ‘in’ side
Décor redefined
Products on display at India Design 2014 ranged from bedroom furniture to kitchen accessories
Renu Soni

Last weekend, Pepperfry. com, organised a prestigious interior design show featuring Delhi's finest luxury brands — India Design 2014. Located at the NSIC grounds in Okhla, New Delhi, the exhibition was a unique one. We were welcomed by a fully carpeted open air concourse dotted with pagoda styled marquees and quaint food stalls with their not to be missed designer seating.

Situated on its right, were the three main tented halls showcasing the best in furniture.

The standard and creativity of these temporary exhibition stalls were very impressive indeed. The imagination injected easily transformed the humble stall to a stage set for visual niceness. Elegance filled the atmosphere, emanating from the exhibitors and their wares and those attending the show. Female interior designers were easily identified with their high boots and coordinated attire while the gentlemen were dressed in their smart designer casuals.

The quality, standard, design, material and finishing has ushered a whole new level. Products on display ranged from bedroom wardrobes, kitchens and appliances, mirrors, wall panels, soft furnishings, planters, lighting, exquisite hard wood flooring, large sculptural installations and of course, soft furnishings, furniture and accessories. (Soni is an interior decorator)

Beliefs & Bollywood
Bollywood stars have their own set of quirky beliefs and superstitions which they often follow for the success of their films

Shah Rukh Khan: He has a fascination with the number 555. His car number plates have 555, so do the phone numbers of his family and staff.

Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif: The gorgeous lady has charmed the box office and how! She makes it a point to visit the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer before the release of her films and the results are for all to see.

Vidya Balan Vidya Balan: She is superstitious about the colour red after the success of The Dirty Picture in which she wore a lot of red outfits, in the movie and during promotions. She also insisted on a wearing a red lavani saree for the item song in Ferrari Ki Sawaari. She is also particular about using a Pakistani brand of kajal.

Aamir Khan: He likes all his films to release around Christmas and we have seen that they are all blockbusters, from 3 Idiots to Dhoom 3. Earlier, he would take the music album of the movie to the late great Shammi Kapoor for blessings!

Salman Khan: He believes in his lucky firoza or turquoise bracelet and when his films release during Eid time, they are blockbusters. Jai Ho did not have an Eid release and its collections were not great.

The pahadi Queen

Director Vikas Bahl, who is all set to return as a director with his second stint, Queen, feels that he is actually starting from a scratch. Chillar Party (his first film as a director) is forgotten. This is as good as a debut," states Vikas.

While everybody is stunned to see Kangana Ranaut portraying the lead protagonist, ask Vikas as to what made him choose Kangana for the de-glam role of Rani? "Who said Kangana is de-glam? I wouldn't call her de-glam. It is a very pretty character. She is a girl in a group of 10, whom we think gets unnoticed. Every girl has someone who finds her the most beautiful and eventually falls in love with her. This is the story of one such girl in a group of 10. And I think Kangana is pretty, she has her own sense of style. We might disagree with that. I don't think there is anyone in this world who feels they don't have a style. So de-glam is not the right term for it," reveals Bahl.

Explaining why he zeroed down to Kangana, the director discloses, "We spent 15-20 days discussing and then narrowed down on her. Kangana belongs to Himachal and she is familiar with those (pahadi) girls — their accent, dressing up, body language etc. So, it became easy for me. What Kangana has done is real and not caricaturish."

Presented by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Queen is a Phantom Production film. The Kangana Ranaut-starrer is directed by Vikas Bahl, and produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Vikramaditya Motwane & Anurag Kashyap. Queen, which also stars Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon, is slated to illumine screens, come March 7.

Amitabh returns

Amitabh Bachchan will be seen next in Bhoothnath Returns. Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor have cameos in the sequel to the 2008 movie. Big B talks about the younger generation of actors and more.

Admiring Ranbir

I don't have a scene or a shot with him. I hope we can work together some day in a film. I would be okay doing even a small role in his film. He is very popular and he is very talented too. One learns a lot from younger actors.

Story line

In the first part my character goes to heaven and then he comes back to earth and how he meets this child, Akhrot, is what the story is about. We hope children like it as they are our target audience.

Rapping with Yo Yo

It is amazing that he has achieved so much in such a short while and everybody loves him, especially children. I enjoyed rapping and shooting the video for the film with him.

NEW RELEASES

Shaaadi Ke Side Effects

Producers: Pritish Nandy, Balaji Motion Pictures

Director: Saket Chaudhary

Shaadi Ke Side EffectsShaadi Ke Side Effects has an interesting cast and has been directed by Saket Chaudhary, who showed depth and insight in his directorial debut Pyaar Ke Side Effects. In this film Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar come together for the first time. Eight years after Pyaar Ke Side Effects director Saket Chaudhary returns with the quasi-sequel, which makes light of the post-marriage blues of an urban couple. We can expect yet another thumping performance from Farhan Akhtar after Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in this film.

Anuradha

Producer: Disha Chaudhary

Director: Raju Mavani

Raju Mavani launches newbie Rahul Jain (winner of Mr Jaipur and Mr Rajasthan titles) in Bollywood with his new woman-centric film Anuradha. It also stars Sachin Khedekar, Manoj Joshi, Kishori Shahane, Smita Jaykar, Hrishita Bhatt, Aakash Sharma and Raju Mavani. Anuradha also introduces Prashant Kumar and Shagun Sharma.

Mr Peabody And Sherman

Producers: Alex Schwartz, Dennis Nolan Cascino

Director: Rob Minkoff

Dreamwork's computer-animated adventure comedy Mr Peabody and Sherman feature the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Ariel Winter. This one is an all-new comedy adventure for the family. It is based on the characters from Peabody's improbable history segments of the 1960's animated television series. — Dharam Pal

CHATTER BOX

Little captain!

Big steps: Sadhil Kapoor Eight-year-old Sadhil Kapoor, who rose to fame in Mahadev with his popular character Ganesha, will now be seen in a chat show Captain Tiao. He talks to us about his new show and more.

Tell us about your new show Captain Tiao?

This is a new chat show for kids where I interview Bollywood actors. I have already shot with Remo D'Souza, Javed Jaffery, Kapil Sharma, Mahesh Bhupati and Viviek Oberoi. I ask them about their childhood and personal life. We also have a fun round of games. The title of the show Captain Tiao means confusing people.

How did you get it?

The makers felt I was quite mischievous and confident, so they thought I was apt for the show. I wanted to do a children's show and am glad they gave me such a big chance to host it. I am happy and excited to do it.

Did you feel scared to interview big stars?

I am not scared. I am happy and chilled out when I talk to them. I get a script of questions, but I also ask what I feel like. I enjoyed Remo's interview the most till now. We danced a lot. He taught me the moon walk dance step. I made him into a joker, which he took very sportingly.

Which star do you want to interview?

I want to interview so many of them, but on top of my mind are Salman uncle, Shah Rukh uncle, Akshay uncle and Hrithik uncle.

Do you miss Mahadev?

I miss Mahadev and the whole team. When my part ended on the show, I felt I would not get another show for a long time but I was surprised to get this chat show soon after. Today, I am happier than I was while doing Mahadev. — HRM

Devoted celebration

Mohit Raina and Mouni Roy Devon ke Dev… Mahadev, a mythological epic that has left audiences engrossed in the tale of Lord Shiva, now heads towards a new celebration — Maha-Shivaratri. Celebrating this joyous occasion, the team of Devon ke Dev… Mahadev came together in a spiritual gathering to spread happiness on the sets.

Mohit Raina and Mouni Roy

Actor Mohit Raina, along with co-star Mouni Roy and producer Nikhil Sinha, were present to offer their prayers to the almighty. Mohit and Mouni, for the first time, came together and performed the Maha-Shivratri puja. Mohit said, "I've been celebrating Maha-Shivratri since my childhood and have many fond memories of the occasion. Whatever I am today is because of him (Lord Shiva) and I'm grateful for that."

Saluting a hero

Aamir Khan recently visited the family members of mountain man Dasrath Manjhi in Gahlaur village near Gaya. Aamir will dedicate the first episode of Satyamev Jayate to Manjhi.

Sonam Kapoor On world map

Sonam Kapoor did a really hot GQ cover and inside photo shoot last year. The cover created a lot of buzz and even grabbed eyeballs internationally. It has been picked up by Spain and Japan. How cool is that!

Praise worthy

Aditya Roy Kapur has an interesting taste in films and loves off-beat films. He saw Ship of Theseus and personally congratulated the makers. Recently, he has been all praise for Gulab Gang.

Chaotic entry

The makers of Total Siyappa are planning to add the tagline Full Chaos which explains what the film is all about as a Pakistani boy and a Punjabi girl wish to marry each other in London and all hell breaks loose.

ASTRO TURF
P Khurrana

ARIES: Bring routine matters up to date. You need to be alert and responsive. Evening time is good for purchasing ornaments. Read a good book at bedtime. Group efforts and projects will inspire you. Tarot message: Don't be too certain about obtaining a clearance. Lucky colour: Mauve. Magic number: 44.

TAURUS: Focus on spirituality and meditation. Students: enjoy on the campus. Messages you receive will be very subtle or contain hidden meanings meant only for your understanding. Tarot message: Win the war with honesty, not by distorting facts. Lucky colour: Saffron. Magic number: 29.

GEMINI: Work and domestic duty follow a familiar pattern today. You will find it difficult to reach an agreement with loved ones. Family members will be quick tempered and only too willing to criticise you. Tarot message: Delays are the only obstacle in your way to success. Lucky colour: Green. Magic number: 63.

CANCER: Employment affairs will be somewhat unsettled especially in the morning. Factory owners: you will get co-operation from labour. Home and family affairs will be most enjoyable. Tarot message: Leave the past and move ahead. Lucky colour: Yellow. Magic number: 52.

LEO: Mental work will be stimulating today. Be a little cautious about whom you get involved with. A new romance can bring changes to your living quarters, as you both find the compulsion to be together. Tarot message: Handle others carefully. Lucky colour: Purple. Magic number: 36.

VIRGO: Business matters will not proceed smoothly. Attempt to improve your health will be successful. Tension builds and tempers can fray. An irritating co-worker can push you to your limits. Tarot message: Don't give up your freedom. Lucky colour: Orange. Magic Number: 40.

LIBRA: It will be wise to keep work and domestic matters separate. Students: time spent on studying will not go waste. It is a useful day for tackling household repairs. Girls: be at your charming best. Tarot message: Don't allow others to interfere in your way. Lucky colour: Peach. Magic number: 26.

SCORPIO: Your card 'Two of Cups' suggests that romance will be much on your mind. Independent efforts are unlikely to bring spectacular gains. You will have to cancel a proposed trip. Tarot message: Act righteously and do your duties on time. Lucky colour: Pink. Magic number: 57.

SAGITTARIUS: Spiritual values surface today in your life. Taxation matters get adjourned. The personal and professional areas of your life will be at odds. Stop compromising your values. Tarot message: Leave things open-ended for best results. Lucky colour: Golden. Magic number: 65.

CAPRICORN: Co-workers are helpful. Professionals: your clientele increases. A love relationship is revitalised. A proposal of marriage or a decision to start a family is high on the list now. Tarot message: You need to take things slowly. Lucky colour: Red. Magic number: 30.

AQUARIUS: Your card 'The King' brings joyous news. Share your interests with your family members. Legal matters come to the fore. It is a good day for purchasing a vehicle. Tarot message: Try to get rid of negative feelings through love. Lucky colour: Crimson. Magic number: 33.

PISCES: Check your e-mails and appointments before setting out this morning and you won't miss anything important. Help out a friend in need. Your care and interest can make all the difference. Tarot message: Follow your own path. Lucky colour: White. Magic Number: 61.





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