Rock(y) & roll!
Manpriya Singh

Day 2 of the Chandigarh Style Week saw designer Rocky S showcase his resort-wear collection and Agnimitra Paul present designs based on weaves


Rocky s with The showstopper Evelyn Sharma

Rocky S has just arrived; it will be a while before he makes an appearance. After all, it is a city he has been to, as he likes to admit, “many times.” A count that extends to everything else in his repertoire - 350 movies, a fair share of star power, his name for an established label! What next? “I enjoy traveling, meeting new people and music. I’m a positive thinker.” Currently taking a break from movies, Rocky S now wants to branch out into, “designing properties and looking for definitely more challenging as well as new roles.”

As for the city, Day 2 of Chandigarh Style Week saw the designer give the city a glimpse of his resort-wear. “It is for people who enjoy life; are fun, sexy and like going out.”

The 32 pieces in the collection come in a colour palette comprising gold, beige and grey, among others. “There are going to be 2-3 beautiful prints, including some signature prints of feathers. It is a very glamorous collection for somebody who wants to stand out and not merge with the crowd.” Evelyn Sharma is the showstopper for the collection where some of the pieces also sport embroidery in gold palette.

Apart from Chandigarh, he has been pro-active in taking his collection to smaller towns, courtesy the regional fashion weeks and the fashion initiatives by corporates. “Branding is very important, for which one must reach out to smaller cities. You can’t really achieve enough by just restricting to only Delhi or Mumbai.”

While it may be too early to speak of the next collection, it “comes inspired from ballet dancers in Dubai.”

Ode to crafts
Agnimitra Paul

She is in the thick of rehearsals a few hours before showcasing her collection titled A Stitch Story. Kolkata-based designer Agnimitra Paul is personally monitoring the exit, turn and entrance of the models. Her only brief to the girls is, “just don’t look serious since it is a very happy and bright collection.” She adds, “It is based on four textiles from Bengal, namely pulia dhakai, jute, baluchari and kantha.” The silhouettes range from Indo-Western sarees with several different drapes to gowns.” The 26 outfits were showcased by two showstoppers - golfer Saaniya Sharma and Anurita Jha of Gangs of Wasseypur fame. “We have such exquisite weaves. Youngsters don’t mind wearing sarees provided they are dished out in an interesting way.”

The colour palette ranges from canary yellow to orange, pinks, red and green. The fact that she is showcasing essentially Eastern weaves in the heart of North India doesn’t matter. “Our roots and sensibilities are the same at the end of the day. I wanted to show the younger generation that these textiles are not clichéd.” Coming up is a collection on the Madhubani paintings, a subject that is once again, “very close to my heart.”

In the coming season, “the neons will slowly fade out and lots of medium bright tones will enter. Prints and abstracts will continue to be in vogue,” shares the designer who hasn’t had too much time to catch up on the just concluded fashion week in the National Capital. “I was busy doing the Filmfare Awards in Kolkata.” As of now, Chandigarh it is.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

Courage of conviction
Gurvinder Singh

Bheege hue aadmi ko baarish se dar nahin lagta (a drenched man doesn't fear rain)." This was the message in the letter sent to Anupam Kher by his grandfather when he was frustrated, penniless man on the road and wanted to come back to Shimla to work as a school teacher. That gave him the courage to hang on in Mumbai. "Had my letter not reached him, or his letter to me, I probably wouldn't have been here," says the veteran actor.

His father had inspired him to keep trying. And not fear failure. "I belong to a lower middle class family. My father would take our family to a restaurant every six months in Shimla. But once he took me after two months and gave me a good treat. I asked father what was it about and he told me that I had failed in my class tenth examination," he reminisces. "However, he told me not to fear failure in life," he adds.

Around twelve years back, Anupam Kher shares, he had gone bankrupt. That was the time Penguin and Harper Collins had asked him to pen down his autobiography. "I started recording the details and realised that I had only talked about failures, just to laugh at them! I thought being an actor I should rather enact my autobiography, than write it. And that was how the autobiographical play Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai was born," says Kher. In the past 10 years, it has been staged 220 times in different parts of the country and abroad as well. "So the play of my failures became one of the biggest successes of my life," he says.

The play is a one-man show, in which Kher enacts more than 100 characters and depicts the story of his life - dreams, aspirations, struggle, gloom, happiness and success. "In my story, everyone sees a glimpse of their own life. And through that comes positivity and optimism — the feeling that anything is possible. One just needs to believe in oneself. After watching the play, a 65-year-old man in Chicago said that he was going to start his life anew," shares the well-known actor.

In the past decade, this play has inspired many people, so much so that it has taken the shape of a philosophy and been converted into a motivational life-coaching programme — A School of Life. "Started recently, there was a sea change in the life of the people who attended the programme.I am an eternal optimist, who believes in the power of positivity," he says.

An actor to the core, he believes in the power of cinema and theatre to entertain. "The purpose of cinema is to entertain. But if you get educated through it, it is a bonus," says the actor. In many of his comic acts as well, there were lessons. "In Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, for instance, the father was at peace with the failure of his son," he says.

Anupam opines that people from smaller towns have an edge when they move to bigger cities. "There is a sense of wonder and optimism in them, as their upbringing is more real," he signs off.

gurvinder@tribunemail.com

A friendly web
Mona

Actor Kritika Kamra is happy hosting MTV show WEB2ED as it lets her connect with the youth and address today's problems

Kritika Kamra has always wanted to do 'everything'. Strong in academics, she chose to study fashion at NIFT. Picked to act on small screen right outside her college, Kritika followed where work took her — to Mumbai and chose to stay! With parents based in MP, Kritika, who spent a major part of her growing up years in DPS, New Delhi, calls Mumbai her home now.

This girl doesn't like to plan much and loves to take challenges head on. Right from admitting being with Karan Kundra and being single now, Kritika speaks her mind. In Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali, on Thursday, Kritika took a while off to talk about her latest show and more…

Surf smart

I am a web addict myself. When I got to play host on MTV WEB2ED, I loved the idea. Not only I play myself, I get to present and narrate stories. As all of us are online most of the time as are our relationships; there are many a risks lurking just around the corner. There will be 13 episodes that tell tales of cyber crimes. Little bit of caution and you can save yourself the hassle. Surf smart, stay safe is the mantra.

Wide reach

I had acting on my mind right from school, but it would have sounded silly had I said I wanted to be an actor at that time. But when I got the opportunity, I grabbed it. For television actors, recognition is immense. Right from a metro to the interiors, people relate to the characters you play. Working hours are too much though. Long shifts, no breaks — it does get overwhelming at times.

Fresh ground

People still call me Arohi or Dr Nidhi and I respond, but personally I want to move on from role to role. Yes, these were series that ran for decades and actors enjoyed unprecedented recognition but I want to challenge myself with newer roles.

Fitness first

Being on TV, there is a certain way you have to look. Exercise if a significant part of the lifestyle. Howsoever long or tiring shifts, I have always taken out time for the gym. I love to vary my workout — running, yoga, but gym works the best.

Busy schedule

I am not at all a TV person and anyhow, working in TV leaves little time to indulge in anything else. Now that I have taken a longish break, I have seen some stuff but mostly movies. I enjoyed Highway, Queen and Ankhon Dekhi lately.

Deserved break

I have worked for years together. So after my last show, I packed off to Europe with my friends. This was my first trip to Europe; I really enjoyed Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, London and Barcelona.

Working hard

Working in TV, I haven't faced much trouble. Of course you need to be careful, but it's like you can be exploited in any field. As long you take caution, telly is as good or bad a place to work.

Family person

My parents are my best support system. Even while coming to Chandigarh, it was Mom who woke me up at five in the morning. They are my best friends. My father is a dentist and mother a nutritionist; they wanted me to be a doctor, I guess seeing me play one in Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, a part of my dad's desire got fulfilled!

mona@tribunemail.com

STAR TRACK
Quirky and superstitious Bollywood stars
Lucky charms

Most of us are superstitious. Bollywood stars are no different when it comes to quirky beliefs, which help them feel lucky or successful. Here is looking at some of them...

Shilpa Shetty is very superstitious about cricket matches. Shilpa, who co-owns an IPL team, sticks to unusual traditions when watching her team play. She started with wearing two watches at the games. Plus, every time her team was batting, she was seen keeping her legs separate. She also has a lucky bracelet.

Number game

Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan love the numbers 3 and 7 because Kareena's date of birth is September 21, adding to 3 and August 16, which adds up to 7, is Saif Ali Khan's birthday. So their car plates have both these numbers.

Three cheers

Rani Mukerji's birthday is on March 21 so she considers 3 her lucky number. She has adjusted the release dates of many of her movies so they release on a date that adds up to 3.

December deal

Anushka Sharma believes the month of December brings her luck and her filmmakers are getting increasingly superstitious about their film dates. With every single one of her hits having come out in the 12th month of the year— Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and Ladies VS Ricky Bahl (2011) — the film she's currently working on with Ranbir Kapoor, Bombay Velvet, is also slated to release this December.

Raveena Tandon harassed by delusional stalker

Actress Raveena Tandon and her husband Anil Thadani apparently filed a police complaint at Khar Police Station against a stalker after he tried to attack Anil recently at their Bandra residence.

It has been learnt that the actress has been the victim of the stalker for quite some time now and he has even attacked her husband previously when the couple had been to a club. However, it was only recently when the stalker got violent and attacked Raveena's residence by throwing stones at her house and even at Anil's car when he was arriving home. The police immediately took action on this case and the stalker was identified as a 42-year-old Mahaveer Jaspal Pandav. Also, it is being said that the man is delusional and believed Raveena to be his wife and he claimed that he was just trying to protect her from others.

Big launch
Jackie Shroff nervous about son Tiger’s Heropanti

Actor Jackie Shroff is happy that his son Tiger is making his acting debut with Heropanti but is also feeling nervous as a father.

Tiger is making his foray into Bollywood with romantic-action film Heropanti. "I don't know what feelings I have now after seeing him (Tiger) on screen. I am obviously happy to see him. But there is nervousness as he has given exams (done the film) and waiting for the result," Jackie told reporters at the trailer launch of Heropanti.

As his son Tiger was being introduced by superstar Aamir Khan to the media, Jackie stood behind in the crowd and was seen clicking photos.

"..What do I say about him, the trailer...it looks fantastic. I thank Sajid Nadiadwala, Sabbir Khan, UTV for launching my son. I thank Aamir and Subhash Ghai by coming here for the trailer launch and making this event memorable," Jackie said. Jackie's wife Ayesha got emotional seeing her son Tiger on screen. "Big thank you to the team for making this film with my son and to all present here. I am proud of my son...it's an emotional moment for me," she said.

Heropanti is presented by UTV Motion Pictures & Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and directed by Sabbir Khan.

The movie is slated to release on May 23. — PTI

Name game
Villain gets its title from Rajiv Rai

Not many know but the title Villain did not originally belong to Balaji. While the film was under production, the title was being used provisionally.

However director Mohit Suri, the writers and producers (Balaji) were extremely keen to have that title for their Sidharth Malhotra-Riteish Deshmukh-Shraddha Kapoor starrer as they felt that it was extremely powerful and relevant to the subject.

The title was the ownership of yesteryear's film maker Rajiv Rai, known for blockbusters like Tridev, Mohra and Gupt. When Balaji requested him recently, he obliged. Confirms Tanuj Garg, CEO — Balaji Motion Pictures, "Rajiv (Rai) is a dear friend. When I requested him for the title, he consented immediately. He wasn't planning to produce or direct any film with the title and gave it to us." Ek Villain releases in cinemas worldwide on June 27.

In the pipeline

Aditya Chopra is planning to write and direct a film starring Shah Rukh Khan which is likely to go on the floors by 2015. SRK will not refuse Adi who only directs films starring him, namely Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Mohabbatein and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. He also co-directed Veer Zaara and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Copy cats

The promos and posters of Ek Villain and The XPose are out and both of them are copies which is a pity! The poster of Ek Villain resembles the poster of Step Up (Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, 2006) and the poster of The XPose resembles Leonardo DiCaprio starrer The Great Gatsby. In fact, the movie also looks like its poor copy.

Voice of God

Salman Khan and David Dhawan go a long way back. Salman has lent his voice as voice of God in a few scenes in Main Tera Hero. Varun Dhawan's character Seenu is seen talking to God and being guided by Him !

No pain no gain

Ranveer Singh is known for his thick mop of lustrous hair but he might shave his head through most of next year for the shooting of Bajirao Mastani.

Study break

Ayan Mukerji is off to the United States to take special VFX training for his next film which is a superhero film starring Ranbir Kapoor. He will be in Los Angeles for at least five months to understand the technical aspect of effects.

Camera shy

Shahid Kapoor does not like people taking pictures of him eating, ever! He instructs his team to ensure that photos of him eating food are not taken.

Astro turf
P Khurrana

ARIES: A trip to the local market for locally grown fresh produce might inspire you to eat food that is rich in nutrients. You will be lucky today. Cash crisis will resolve post 3 pm. Think twice before reacting. Tarot message: Work could pose certain minor difficulties, but don't worry. Lucky colour: Green Magic number: 33

TAURUS: Do not bury disturbing emotions; instead, you must work through them. Conflicting energies in the cosmos make this a good day for recharging your batteries. Unexpected visitors will bring interesting news. Tarot message: Balance your energy before making important decisions. Lucky colour: Peach Magic number: 51

GEMINI: "The Sword" signifies that enduring relationships will be formed with new people. Do not take other people's comments personally. Be happy for the things you have.

Tarot message: Maintain a healthy distance from a shrewd set of colleagues. Lucky colour: White

Magic number: 34

CANCER: Be flexible in your thinking. Look at a problem from several different angles and you can find a simple, albeit unexpected solution. Your popularity is an asset to you.

Tarot message: Dare to accomplish those tasks, which normally take up a lot of time. Lucky colour: Rainbow pastels. Magic number: 39

LEO: Your attention will revolve around home, property, and family today. Money rolls in after lunchtime. You will have to modify your plans. Your determination and thoroughness will ensure success.

Tarot message: You will be happier if you retain the fruit of your hard work. Lucky colour: Black

Magic number: 27

VIRGO: Think with future in mind. Real estate matters may suffer. Confidence and self-esteem are on the rise. Business negotiations will give you a chance to shine. Tarot message: When it comes to gifts, it is the thought that counts and not the price tag.

Lucky colour: Saffron

Magic number: 45

LIBRA: Avoid gossiping because it can spoil your chances of success. A very friendly vibe makes it easy for you to broach tricky and uncomfortable subjects. Be careful while applying for more credit.

Tarot message: Be careful and spontaneous while considering a financial opportunity. Lucky colour: Yellow. Magic number: 47

SCORPIO: Go with the wishes of your family members. Do not be too demanding from loved ones. You will enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle because of pay raise.

It will boost your confidence and security.

Tarot message: Do not leave things to chance. Lucky colour: Deep red

Magic number: 32

SAGITTARIUS: Give more attention to your health. Do not take on chores that would take a toll on you, physically. Appointments and meetings could fill up your day. Tarot message: Use your judgments and be firm in extracting a commitment.

Lucky colour: Crimson

Magic number: 29

CAPRICORN: Partners may not agree with your plans. Don't put your hard-earned money on the stake. Be realistic in any business negotiations. A childhood dream might be close to becoming a reality. Tarot message: Take care of the interests and portfolios of your work. Lucky colour: Orange

Magic number: 42

AQUARIUS: Planning a house? There is a good offer on the cards. Patience and hard work pays richly. Focus on leadership and inspiration. You can make new acquaintances and enjoy visiting new places. Tarot message: Try to relax in the middle of the week and put your cares aside. Lucky colour: Purple. Magic number: 61

PISCES: Surprising events can lead to a major rethink on what you are doing with your life. Avoid alcohol and drugs and you will avoid doing anything stupid. Speak to your partner about using joint finances. Tarot message: Involve yourself in a new project. Lucky colour: Burgundy

Magic number: 58

The year ahead
Madan Gupta Spatu

If your birthday is April 6...

Number 6 is the most balanced of all numbers, but it also contains within itself the greatest paradoxes. It is as if opposite tendencies were tenuously poised. Because of its gift for harmonising these opposites, you are uniquely qualified to handle and integrate contradictions within yourself. It is for this reason that people ruled by number 6 so frequently find themselves playing counsellors, creating a peace between opposing points of view, or internal conflicts within the self. Working for a charitable cause gives you lots of pleasure. If you're single, you will meet someone special while raising funds for a good cause. If you are already in a relationship, you're both very nurturing people and need a worthy outlet for your generous instincts. Let a friend pamper you a little if you're under the weather. Your family will be of utmost importance to you, and you will go to any lengths to fulfil all their dreams. July, November and March will bring out desired results. If you are an entrepreneur, you will display all your qualities as a leader to reach a tough goal. Positive colours: White, sea green, cream, light blue and rose

Select days: Friday, Thursday and Tuesday

Favourable numbers: 5 and 6

Gems recommended: Diamond and Emerald

Charity on Birthday: You may donate wheat or gur to the needy.

You share your birthday with Sanjay Suri (April 6, 1971, Srinagar), who made his debut in 1999 with Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. He finally got his big break with Jhankaar Beats in 2003, where audience recognised him as a seasoned actor. He is co-producer and was associated with film Heroine in 2012. His career will remain slow till 2016.

Chatter box
A grand treat

India's original disco king, who won hearts with his stylish moves still enjoys an immense female fan following. This is pretty evident on the sets of DID Lil Masters Season 3 where dada is flooded with compliments from the contestant's mothers every now and then. Earlier one of the top 16 contestant Prathamesh's mom sang for him couple of times on the show and following her footsteps another contestant Teriya's mother steals the show in the forthcoming episode on Saturday April 5. Singing a Nepali song for dada, she not just won his heart but persuaded him to sing a song for her as well. Dada also sang Musu Musu Hasi which are Nepali words for her.

Party with the Bhootnath

Kapil Sharma was on cloud nine when Amitabh Bachchan came as a guest on his show Comedy Nights with Kapil. Amitabh had loads of fun on the show including playing a prank with Chandan who plays the role of a servant on the show. Big B pretended to be angry and staged a walkout.

Kapil Sharma and Amitabh Bachchan





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