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Road to reality
Vroom…to fame in style. For those tricity boys willing to earn big bucks and a celebrity status, here is an opportunity not to be missed. Bindaas channel, in association with Big FM, has come up with an adventure-based reality show, Honda Stunner, which guarantees both. But hold on! It’s not that easy. You will have to have the adrenaline rush along with an unbeatable confidence level.
Come on! A grilling session is part of any reality show and this one is no exception, you would say. But we saw the auditions at GCM College and trust us, it wasn’t a cakewalk. There were 100 odd students lined up for the auditions, putting their common sense into use. “To judge their confidence, we are giving them tasks like singing and acting,” says Chetan Joshi, one of the judges. So, don’t feel shy if you are asked to plead Katrina Kaif for a long drive or to imitate Himesh
Reshmaiyya. But that isn’t all and we realised how serious this reality show business is. Other than the usual singing and dancing, a volley of questions that are thrown at the participants, here one has to prove his driving skill as well. “The right attitude is important but the prime requirement for us is the contestant should be a responsible driver,” he says. The test included driving the bike on a narrow track, then crossing panels and going zig-zag through a set track. And, we saw the majority failing to pass this one. “Usually, for youngsters rash driving is a fad which is a wrong perception. We are looking forward to select those who can drive safely on any terrain.” The auditions will take place at five other colleges in the city. “Two boys will be selected from each college, who will be given bikes for a week to roam on the city roads. Judges throughout will follow them and once again their proficiency at driving will be tested”. Auditions to also take place at:
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Bards and borders
A vision and sensitivity towards the happenings around and their portrayal in verse are the abilities which determine the merits of a poet or writer. Blessed with all these traits, Mukdita Hasan Nida Fazli strode in like a colossus on the literary scene. A philosopher film lyricist, fiction writer, columnist and an exponent of the rich Ganga-Jamuni cultural heritage of India, he was born brought up and educated at
Gwalior. Nida emerged as a prolific poet while doing his postgraduation. Sculpting lyrics, he came into the limelight when Kamal Amrohi offered him a script and the lyrics for film Razia Sultana. A winner of the coveted National Sahitya Akademi Award for 1998 and Sur Award-2003, Fazli has penned lyrics for several TV serials and films.
In the tricity for a mushaira , organised by the Chandigarh Administration and Haryana Urdu
Akademi, Fazli shared his views on various issues of socio-cultural relevance. The poet in him is deeply perturbed as he expresses his anguish over the growing terrorism, which he says has assumed alarming proportion. What worries him the most is the religious fanaticism associated with it, courtesy the political leadership. Eulogising Lord Rama as a symbol of compassion and values, Nida maintains that terrorism has no religion and upholds the holy utterances as enshrined in various epics. On his literary passions, he says that the rich philosophy of saint poets in the Urdu language has been effectively composed and sung by Jagjit Singh. Acclaimed poet Ashok
Chakradhar, however, gives credit to English language and also to Hindi literature, earlier confined to a limited territory, which now has a far-reaching impact. English mein serve
karo, but Hindi par garv karo, says the poet. Poets Bekal Utsahi, Gulzar
Dehalvi, Haq Kanpuri,Nawz Deobandi, Asif Bareilwy, Neeladhar Jamhhri , K L Zakir and Shams Tabrezi also expressed their
views. lifestyle@tribunemail.com |
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Scripted for success
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has decided to include the script of Farhan Akhtar starrer Rock On!! as a part of the Oscar Library.
"Farhan and Ritesh are extremely talented filmmakers. They embody the new spirit of Indian cinema. They are cutting edge and looking to explore new boundaries. Big Picture is proud to be working and foster such talent," says Rajesh
Sawhney, President, Reliance Big Entertainment, co-producers of the film. The letter signed by Gregory Walsh, Script Librarian says, "That the script will be part of the permanent script collection and will be made available for research to only actors, students, filmmakers and writers who are part of the regular patrons. The script will not be allowed to be circulated outside the library premises or photo-copied." The film, which released on August 29 got a tremendous response worldwide and recently was showcased at the Indian Visions Indian Film Festival of Washington, DC. The film's starcast included Farhan
Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Prachi Desai, Purab Kohli, Saha na Goswami and Luke Kenny. |
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Yeh dil maange more
The author and former model was quite happy when Dave Grohl dragged her up on stage, and introduced her to the
audience. And Lakshmi stayed on stage playing tambourine with the band, reports The New York Post. Sources have revealed that things got heated later backstage as Hawkins "vied for her attention all night." However, much to his disappointment Lakshmi didn't give him her number. |
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Unlucky in love
Former Miss India and Bollywood actor Celina Jaitley, who turned 27 recently, says she has been unlucky in love but hopes god will bless her with more romance in life.
"So maybe for my birthday, god will grant me romance and love. About time I got lucky in love," Celina, who celebrated her birthday on November 24 with destitute girls, said. "I threw a birthday party for my girls. Nothing makes me happier than seeing them smile. Wish my family was here." None of the family members of Celina were in Mumbai to celebrate her birthday. However, the actor tried to cheer herself up by buying a BMW on her birthday. "I need that boost. I've been working hard and my Golmaal Returns is a hit. So I need to indulge myself. I know a girl's best friend are diamonds. But I need a posh car to get to the jewellery store. So a BMW," said the actor. |
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Pyaar ke side effects
The authors advise Aniston how to cope up with her on/off relationship with John Mayer or talk about Brad Pitt. "Breaking up is never easy, but it doesn't have to be humiliating," quoted Ellen Fein, who wrote the book with Sherrie Schneider, as saying. Their tips for
Aniston: "Never mention Brad's or John Mayer's name in public. Also, don't say any thing bad about him (he's missing a sensitivity chip)." They also advised her not to talk about Angelina or call her
"uncool", even if she was uncool. She does not exist in your world. Never date a man or take a man back who humiliated you publicly or held a press conference to explain your break-up. Ellen told the 39-year-old star to get back and look for her Mr. Right. "Go to parties where there are lots of single men and ask everyone you know to set you up. You're going to be 40 soon. You have no time to waste if you want kids." |
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More the merrier
"We've already heard she's pregnant but it's not true, but yes, we will have more children," Cruise was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the actor also spoke of the challenges of protecting kids from the relentless attention of the paparazzi. "I have to say some of those paparazzi shots of my daughter are incredible. As a parent you protect your children, but Suri is a very open and warm child. It's certainly different these days with the media, but people have been very good to us," he added
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Teen ki deal
This includes Kajol's cousin Ayan
Mukherjee, who has just started directing Wake Up, Sid with Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma for Karan's banner. "Barring Rensil
D'Silva, who comes from an established ad world and we have decided to keep him bound for only one project, all the other directors are bound by a three-film contract,"
Karan, whose latest home production Dostana is spinning gold at the box office, said. "I've my own little Whistling Woods
(Subhash Ghai's film school) in my production house. My endeavour is to establish an academy of directors who won't just make one movie for us and move on. I hope they'll stay with us and make more movies. "I want to encourage new-age cinema. I'm really happy to cultivate all this talent. I've had first time directors starting with Nikhil Advani in Kal Ho Naa Ho and Soham Shah in Kaal to Tarun Mansukhani in
Dostana, Ayaan Mukherjee in Wake Up, Sid and we've just signed Siddharth
Malhotra." Karan, who has directed hits like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie
Gham, says it is important to be professional with people at work. "One must be professional about work. Yes, they're contractually bound to make three films with us. But there's an inherent loyalty to the banner in them. And I've complete faith that these new directors won't move on from our banner." But didn't he feel the same way about Nikhil Advani and Soham Shah before they moved on? "Shall we move on?" Karan said. "Why can't we enjoy the
positivity. I'm very excited about Ranbir and Konkona as a pair in Ayan's film. They've an inherently unusual on-screen chemistry. And now my latest director is Siddharth
Malhotra, who is developing a screenplay for us. "Siddharth is late Premnath's grandson and Prem Kishen's son. I'm very friendly to that family. Our families go back a long way. I don't have a biological child. But all the directors who are making films for me are like my children. I give them full freedom to make films the way they want. When they go on the sets, they take their own energy there. I want directors who have their own voice," the filmmaker said. Dino Morea's brother Santino is also working with
Karan. "He (Santino) is my assistant on My Name Is Khan. And Boney Kapoor's son assisted us on Kal Ho Naa Ho. And now David Dhawan's son Varun is also working with me. These industry boys are very hardworking. They've seen both the ups and downs in the entertainment industry, so they value the opportunities they get. "If any of my children want to leave 'home', I'll tear up the contract. But the legalities are important in the current corporate climate," Karan said. |
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Quick fix
Guy would be entitled to up to 15,000 pounds a month in child support even if he manages to get a joint custody, reports the New York Daily News. Sources say that Madonna, who is said to be sighing with relief following her formal split that ended her nearly eight-year marriage, may have to pay for the modest amount. Meanwhile, the RocknRolla director, who had allegedly refused to have a share of Madonna's multi-million pound fortune, insisted on sticking to his children. —ANI,
PTI, IANS |
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But naturally
Let's play god- a pause..., till he makes it clear. He says, "After having played the roles of king, queen, thief, etc I decided to play God, aided by me camera and inspired by the nature." Passion for photography, love for nature and eye for details. The result is what you see, nature in myriad hues. The beauty of a silhouette of a tree, evening sun in a grand finale, sunflowers bud in waiting, a leaf afloat on water, reflection of grass on water. One certainly needs to have an extraordinary love for nature. And he seems to. Answers Sanjay, "These were mostly taken in Kinnaur but it's not the place that I am trying to bring out through my exhibition, it's the subject. These could be everywhere, one just needs to feel and see." No wonder, he lists the essentials in the following chronological order- heart, eyes and then the camera. The forty-four pictures by him have been done in six months. A Geologist with the Geological survey of India, photography just happened to Sanjay. He says, "As a child I used to fidget with my old camera." And the result, he is nine exhibitions old and last one was themed, Life. Do we expect more encounters with nature? He says, "Nothing planned as yet but may be a coffee table book related to the subject." On till November 30 at Kala
Bhawan-16 manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Launch Pad
At Welhome you can choose from a wide display of tasteful products in bed and bath linen such as bed sheets, bed covers, towels, bathrobes, quilts, as well as curtains, cushions and other living accessories. We aspire to ensure that you as a home-maker would be ahead of your peer group when it comes to creating new appearances for your home. You can build or rebuild your interiors with a great- looking home décor products that have been immaculately styled, and are also available in
co-ordinated sets to give you a theme/story to take home. In sync with the latest styles, the designs bring home the exuberance and perseverance that dwell on modern households. Offering one of the largest colour pallets that gravitate towards wonderful and unexpected mixtures of styles. It offers the most complete selection of high quality home furnishings at truly affordable prices. With more than 250 stores spanning across 120 cities nationally, the home make-over experience at Welhome will surely give you the appreciation you deserve. —TNS |
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Short take, long shot
The Films Division is exploring new vistas to popularise documentary films in India. A policy is being worked out to market the films made by the Division for a larger audience. New mediums like mobile phones, television and festivals are being considered, according to Kuldeep
Sinha, chief producer of the Films Division.
Keeping in mind the lack of interest among theatre owners to show such documentaries, the Division has joined hands with voluntary
organisations, social activists and government departments. In the recent past, the Films Division has organised 300 such documentary festivals, giving a fillip to the cinema culture in remote places, including Jammu & Kashmir and the North-Eastern
states. Sinha has also announced a proposal to open a Museum of Moving Images on the lines of similar museums in New York and London. The museum will be a homage to the evolution of films and will contain old clips, photographs, props and animation films. The museum, according to
Sinha, will be a place of pilgrimage for the documentary aficionados. The Films Division has also opened an International Digital Archives for short films with a cache of 10,000 films. The Division aims to procure films nationally and internationally for the archives. The research and reference centre at the Division is working to help the scholars in their research in the field. It is also making two-minute social ad films for screening in theatres and is also
planning 52-minute short films for television. |
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View of two cities
Stephane Herbert, a Guatemala born and Firminy bred photographer has captured the ‘aesthetic of fluidit’y of Brasilia and the 'unspeakable space' of
Chandigarh.
From curves to angles, their architectures have come alive in his frames as poems of concrete. Titled as
Brasilia-Chandigarh, the exhibition opens at the gallery of Alliance
Francaise de Chandigarh-36. On till December 12 |
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Work hard, play harder
You danced to the beats of Jhankaar, loved attending PEC fest and are eagerly looking forward to
Goonj. That's not the end of the list as there's a string of events to watch out for. We are talking about, probably, the best part of a student's life. The innumerable fests which students still can't have enough of.
Second best to probably only the elections, those flamboyant and loud tool of selecting the champions of student causes and future leaders. And why not? Because there's something for everyone there. The participants dream about them, the audiences love it and the organisers…well, they are all charged up. Yes, therein too lies their popularity and success. Students, who sweat and toil day and night, come Saturday or Sunday. It is not only outsiders watching or attending them but even the guys working behind the scenes that love festivals to the core, or from the bottom of their heart. We get talking to a few active souls to know their experience, some tense tales and the addictive excitement. Aashwi
Verma, a third-year student and an active member of the Cyanide, recalls, "Being actively involved in the festival is fun, so much so that nobody minds slogging day and night." Also, watch out for their
Chemcon, a fest meant just for chemical engineering people in December and Cyanide in February. She is not alone. For, there are several of her ilk, who feel the same way and put forward in different emotions. As Sukrant
Bhatia, organising team member of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University that organised Soch last year, says, "What makes participation special in more ways than one is that there are a lot of memories attached to the events. Right from the leg pulling during the rehearsals to juggling several duties. We must have clicked at least a hundred pictures." He adds, "Even the petty fights that one may have had, become source of fond memories and laughter later." No wonder even the goof ups become souvenirs. Ankush
Luthra, an ex-student of UIET, that organises Goonj, recalls, "In almost any event, there's so much of backstage hysteria, the panic and last minute chaos. And the feeling when finally everything falls into place is just
amazing." Akanksha Vir, the PR head of the recently concluded PEC Fest, takes a slightly different view and says, "Students rigorously involved in the college events certainly get to learn organisational skills, polish management and planning lessons. One also gets to meet a lot of people." Well
said. manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Cheat code & cell phones
Act I: Swanky cars zipping past, boys on bikes making umpteen rounds in their quest for the slightest of attention from the opposite sex and all the hustle bustle at its peak. Act II: Groups of students walking their way to Student
Centre, almost deserted roads with no sounds of rhythmic honking and well, no vehicles. May sound archaic but both the scenes are familiar to the campus, only it’s the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of the decision to make Student Centre a no-vehicle zone, in order to curb the violence on campus. So, gone are the flashy cars, jazzed-up bikes and the dude brigade that was always patrolling the Stu C defining the check-it-out factor on campus.
And this ‘merciless’ (pun well intended) decision has not gone down well with the students as they feel that a very important facility has been snatched away from them, read the 24-hour open
geri. Well, this could mean lesser applications for the next session. But that’s another story. But the student centre sans flashy cars sounds like an incomplete sentence. After all, jeep and jatt (and of course, violence) has been the USP of StuC and the geri is synonymous with its character. If you wanted to check out the style factor of Panjab University, then StuC was the place to be. Now, it’s like just another eating joint. So, does that means life on campus is more difficult now? “Sure. No vehicle would mean we’ll be deprived of the masti of geris and girls on campus, which used to be the most important activity of the day,” feels Chandan
Negi, a chemical engineering student. Hmm…so with no geris and yaraan da tashan parade, we wonder where will all the SUV’s on campus go! But there are some who welcome this decision. “No vehicle means no
tashan, and sab normal lagten hain. All the marketing strategies that included show offs on wheels will fail when it comes to some ishq
vishq,” feels Sukrant Bhatia, student of School of Communication Studies. Come to think of it, it is eco-friendly too. With lesser fuel consumption on geri
sheri, this means more savings too. And this may be regarded as an historic decision as it will foster equal treatment for all on campus. With girls not knowing who drives a Skoda or not, the aam aadmi ( or let’s say, aam
aashiq) will come to the limelight. Another recent decision of banning mobiles in the examination halls has also added to the burden of the
students. This means extra study hours and no SMS seva back-up option. Now, new places will have to be invented to smuggle the phone inside the examination hall and with no partners in crime, a lot of brainstorming will be needed to think of new schemes to cheat. Hmm…ab exams dimaag se dene
honge, mobile se nahi. Well, with all the changes happening and new grounds being set, may be library becomes the latest hangout in the university. All study and more fun, shall
we? lifestyle@tribunemail.com |
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Campus fests & celeb value
All that Jazz
Akanksha Vir, final year student from PEC Paisa Vasool
Hema Pundir, student from GCG-11 Brand ambassadors
Kirti Aggarwal, BA-II student from GCG-11
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Manuscript to script
Mosaic, producer of blockbusters like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Talladega Nights, Get Smart and The Brothers Grimm will be collaborating with Ben
Rekhi, the 29-year-old whizkid producer-director of Hollywood hits like Waterborne and Bomb the System to bring Karan’s debut novel to the big screen. The movie is envisioned to be a crossover film, and a search for a Bollywood producing partner is currently in progress. “I am connected with the story on a very personal level, and was amazed at Karan’s literary voice. It captures the sentiment of the new Indian youth, the angst of having a future determined for them, and the hilarious journey of the soul in one of the most unexpected places, an
IIM,” said Rekhi. The book has attracted Bollywood attention since its release, and Karan had been in talks with Kunal Kohli and
UTV, among others earlier. Karan, the 29-year-old IIM Bangalore graduate, was delighted at the collaboration: “Ben’s vision for the book - from the campus to the psychedelic road trip through India - is extraordinary, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the movie will turn out way better than the book,” he said. — PTI
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Personality has been given equal weight too. The 10 short-listed contenders will also go for a personality development course, followed by a photo shoot. “To represent the city, we want a confident youngster who can pull off the show successfully. That person will compete with contestants from other cities,” he says. Apart from a Honda Stunner bike, the winner will get a chance to host a show on
Bindaas. So, it’s time to pull up your socks and go for it. 
It's a great that the script of our first film in association with Big Pictures has found a place in the Oscar Library. We got overwhelming reactions from across the board and now the news of the script going to the Oscar library; can't get better than this," Ritesh
Sidhwani, movie's producer said.
Padma Lakshmi was sporting enough to share the stage with US rock band Foo Fighters, but the lady's charm left drummer Taylor Hawkins vying fore more. The gorgeous Top Chef host went to Rochester last week to see the Foo Fighters concert.
The authors of the best-selling book The Rules have some guidelines for heartbroken Jennifer
Aniston. The Friends star Aniston recently opened up about her ex Brad Pitt, and his
"uncool" partner Angelina Jolie.
Tom Cruise has denied his wife Katie Holmes is pregnant, but admits that he definitely wants more kids. The couple has a two-year-old daughter Suri and Cruise insists that they'll have more kids.
After being let down by directors whom his production house Dharma Productions nurtured to directorial success, Karan Johar has now made it compulsory for all filmmakers working for his banner to sign a three-movie contract each.
Madonna, who was recently granted a "quickie" divorce from hubby Guy Ritchie, may have to shell out 15,000 pounds per month - if Guy wins the custody of their kids. The Material Girl singer, who cited her hubby's 'unreasonable
behaviour' as the prime cause for the split, is fighting a custody battle for the couple's two sons, Rocco, aged eight, and adopted David, aged three.
How many of us find beauty in a leaf half eaten by insects? That's not it. In turn, relate it to one out of plethora of emotions: hope, drama, reflection, cheer, patience, tears, tragedy, ecstasy. It's not a play from Shakespeare that we are talking about, but the photography and haiku exhibition 'Let's play God', put together by Sanjay
Kumbkarni. Even before the photographs, it's the name that captures us.
It's not everyday we get to hear about haiku. He says, "It's a very traditional Japanese art form, related to nature where there's poetry but not rhyming like in traditional one. Also they don't exceed beyond three lines." He too has prepared the prose like messages accompanying each photograph that bring out the element of each subject. 
Welhome, introduces a comprehensive home decor solution designed to make your home more inviting. The task of designing your home will now be less burdensome as Welhome will ensure that the process becomes more pleasurable. The specialised team at Welhome will help enable every homemaker to be a home expert by presenting the best combinations of captivating
colours, mesmerising design, and right theme to create your own stylish home decor.
Celebrities are invited to add a little more zing or spice to a campus fest. Like we, during the PEC Fest, had celebrations spread over three days. During daytime too, there was a lot of college crowd for various competitions. I don't know what the priorities of Chandigarh Carnival were, but in our case, for sure there was a balance between different activities, so the celebrities only ended up jazzing things up. They did not distract or draw attention from the real event. If things are not balanced then, of course, the celebrities may become larger than the event they are supposed to be performing
for.
THE budget of fests that college students organise these days is very high. Students put in a lot of effort to make these fests a huge success and to ensure that a lot of youngsters turn up for the show and for that's how celebs come into the picture. I don't think there is anything wrong in doing this as celebrities help in attracting crowds. They help these fests get media coverage, which in turn also benefits our sponsors.
WELL, star nites do become the highlight of the show at college fests. They are the main crowd pullers. But the success of the show also depends on the substance of a fest. One cannot survive entirely on one-night buzz. It should have theme-based activities which generate initial interest. One can cash in on that interest by organising celebrity shows and nites as it helps in building a brand of the fest.
IIM graduate’s novel entailing the journey of a youth on a psychedelic road trip through India to be made into movie
Keep off the Grass, a new-age hippie story by IIM alumni Karan
Bajaj, will be made into a movie by the famous Mosaic Media Group, the producers of Batman series.