Preview: Pankh
Indo-Asian News Service
Monday, March 29, 2010 (New Delhi)
Taking flight after almost two years, Bipasha Basu’s
much-awaited movie Pankh, which traces the gender dilemma in a young man who falls in love with an imaginary alter ego, is all set for a Friday release.
“Pankh is a wild ride through the underbelly of the film industry,” said film’s producer Sanjay Gupta.
Directed by Sudipto Chattopadhyay, it stars debutant Maradona Rebello along with Mahesh Manjrekar, Lillette Dubey, Ronit Roy, Sanjeeda Sheikh and newcomer Amit Purohit.
“This was a story that needed telling. It is a film that will touch every sensitive soul. Pankh is Bollywood’s wildest take so far,” Chattopadhyay had said.
Pankh revolves around Baby Kusum, a child star. But not many know that in reality Baby Kusum is a boy masquerading as a girl.
He was christened Jerry and then named Master Jai for the movies. Once the boy reaches adolescence, he becomes a drug abuser who has never been to school and spends all his time at home. He and his mother Mary share a turbulent relationship because of his cross dressing.
As a youth, Jerry (Rebello) meets his dream woman, Nandini (Bipasha), causing another inner turmoil. Nandini is the fantasy woman who Jerry conjures up in his head – he sees her as a phantom who taunts him and fights with him and as an alter ego who questions his every move.
The final blow, however, comes when Jerry is made to face the camera again as a young man, which leads to the catastrophe.
Considering that Bipasha plays an imaginary character in the film, she sports nine different looks that reflect the attitude and mood of the hero.
According to Bipasha, whenever Maradona feels vulnerable, she has been given a soft look and whenever he is agitated or in self doubt, she is made to look harsh.
Bipahsha also feels that designing her look was the complete teamwork of designer Rocky S, Chattopadhyay and Gupta, who were instrumental and involved in designing the right look to match the attitude of the character.
Also releasing Friday are Tum Milo Toh Sahi and Sadiyaan. Source: NDTV
Kareena too busy for the small screen
Press Trust of India
Monday, March 29, 2010 (Mumbai)
Even though many film stars find the small screen an equally lucrative medium, actress Kareena Kapoor
has turned down a television offer to concentrate on her films.
Kareena was recently offered a television show solely based on her – titled Main Kareena Kapoor Banna Chahti Hoon for a whopping amount. However due to prior movie and brand commitments Kareena had to decline the flattering offer.
According to sources close to the actress, the show involved Kareena interacting with contestants the nation over with big Bollywood dreams.
However, Kareena is not ruling out her debut on television.
“Television is an option that I definitely find exciting, but I would much rather concentrate on one thing now. So it is films for the moment,” says Kareena.
Talking about her decision to turn down the offer, sources said, “Kareena has just started filming for Ra1 with SRK. She then has her hands full with Golmaal 3, Agent Vinod
Similarly, there are a plethora of brands … as of now she doesnt have the time for television, sources said. Source: NDTV
2010 Nissan Altima Review
MSRP $19,900 (Base)
For more than 15 years, the Nissan Altima has provided families with a practical sedan that can hold up to five passengers. The 2010 Nissan Altima continues the tradition, offering great value for your money. The 2010 Altima is offered in sedan, coupe, and hybrid models, and should be offered for sale to the general public this fall. The Altima hybrid will only be for sale in California, Oregon, and other states with higher emissions standards. The new 2010 Altima pictures were leaked a little early and most car enthusiasts liked what they saw with some of the new design changes. Fortunately, test drivers have also had a chance to drive this great new car, and are saying wonderful things about it.
Horsepower
The 2010 Nissan Altima gas-powered vehicles are available in 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder models. The 4-cylinder model comes with 175 horsepower, while the 6-cylinder model comes with 246 horsepower. Both cars come with a traction control system, four-wheel antilock brakes, and high performance suspension. The suspension on the 3.5 SE sedans and coupes performs a little stiffly when driving on rough surfaces, although the 2.5 model rides well. The 3.5SE, was able to go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds.
Gas Mileage
With today’s gas prices, gas mileage can make or break a decision to buy the car. The 3.5 SE sedan, with a V-6 engine and automatic transmission, got 24 mpg while driving primarily on the highway, and 19 mpg when driving primarily in the city. The manual transmission 3.5 SE achieved between 23 and 25 mpg. The high mpg Altima is a hybrid model that achieves 29 miles per gallon in primarily city conditions. The 2010 Altima has a 20-gallon gas tank, so you can drive quite a while without stopping at a gas station. We also have an in-depth review of the 2008 Nissan Altima hybrid if you would like more information about this model.
Safety
The 2010 Nissan Altima is packed with more than 50 safety features, all coming standard. The Altima comes with dual stage supplemental air bags in the front. The air bags are programmed with two different inflation levels. The inflation level that is used depends on the severity of the crash. With a good braking system, the chances of a driver getting into an accident that will trigger the airbag is reduced. The car also has a vehicle security system which will sound the horn and flash the headlights when someone attempts to open one of the car doors or the hood.
Interior
Inside the 2010 Nissan Altima, sedans keep the road noise to a controlled level, while the coupes are a little louder. The controls to the stereo and climate system are easy to use on models that don’t contain the navigation system. While the navigation system does make it easier to get to a place that you’ve never been before, it is complicated to program, and makes the stereo more difficult to use. The leg room is fine for shorter individuals, but people taller than six feet might find the interior a little cramped. The back seat of the coupe lacked both leg room and head room for taller individuals. The sedan’s trunk is large, although the coupe’s trunk is small and narrow.
Features and Options
The 2010 Nissan Altima offers a lot of features, including a Bose audio system and steering wheel-mounted controls. Optional features include a navigation system, a rear view camera, a wireless cell-phone link, and leather upholstery. Other options include a sunroof wind deflector, in-cabin microfilter, and door edge guards. The body can be altered with optional spoilers, bumpers, and side rails.
Observations on Obesity
Last year Vogue editor Anna Wintour made the comment, “I’d just been on a trip to Minnesota, where I can only kindly describe most of the people I saw as ‘little houses.” Granted, Ms. Wintour is thin, as are all the beautiful models that appear in her publication, but as I travel around the country, I can’t help but agree with her. It is definitely a growing and problematic phenomenon.
Having had several delays in airports in the last few months, this has become more apparent than ever. The perfect venue for people-watching, I have reluctantly sat and watched the people pass by in small hurried steps, long lopes, gimpy limps, waddles, and pushed in wheelchairs. Large, bulky citizens, huffing and puffing to get to their gates, looking distressed and apparently unhappy about the trek. I see them ordering takeout from the fast food restaurants, walking away with big bags and extra-large sodas, too rushed to sit down and order something to eat slowly and thoughtfully. The line at Starbucks is always long, and no one seems to order black coffee anymore, it’s always a mocha, or double-whip caramel macchiato or a frosty frappuccino (one of the only things that kept my cancer-ridden father nourished, once upon a time). Not that there is much that is healthy in most small to mid-size airports these days. (When I went hunting, I found a veggie and dip combo that had broccoli, carrots, celery and ranch dip, but much to my dismay the carrots were shriveled and the celery ends had dried up.)
Now mind you, I am not thin. I was once, but like many other Americans, the metabolism slows down and I guess I did not get a clue soon enough. Throw in a debilitating bout with an unpronounceable disease and one major back surgery and…you get the picture. I am healthy, but I am not what I was twenty years ago. I have to work at it on a daily basis, and like many, there are days I feel it is a losing battle. But giving up is not an option.
I do, and always have, eaten healthy and had some form of exercise, but as most of us know, stumbling blocks show up in our way, and instead of that smooth run around the track, the hurdles just seem to get bigger and bigger. But that doesn’t mean we have to give in. Just look at The Biggest Loser. Bob and Jillian are known by every household in America, and we all envy the tenacity and success of each and every contestant. But for some reason, many Americans don’t have the drive, the determination, the knowledge, or the support system to make weight loss a reality. Some have trouble asking for help; others think it takes a dramatic shift in lifestyle. (While in reality, baby steps are fine to begin with.) Whatever the reason, obesity is taking over in households across America, at an alarming rate, and affecting our children in ways we may not understand for years to come.
Next time you visit the shopping mall, sit down in a restaurant, or are forced to spend time in an airport, assess the situation for yourself. Imagine what is going on behind that ever-expanding waistline, like diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease. It’s time to have a reality check, take stock of our situation, and move to become a healthier nation.
Robust Garlic Baked Chicken
By: Jennifer Goldberg “A juicy, baked chicken recipe that INFUSES the chicken with the deep and complementary flavors of rosemary, garlic and lemon.”
Prep Time:20 Min, Cook Time: 50 Min, Ready In: 1 Hr 10 Min
Ingredients
* 1 (3 pound) whole chicken
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 lemon
* 3 tablespoons minced garlic
* 5 cloves garlic
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
* 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon paprika
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Zest the lemon. Slice remaining lemon into quarters and place to the side. With hand mixer combine butter, lemon zest, minced garlic and 1/4 cup chopped rosemary.
3. Take your hand and slide it between the skin and the meat on the breast, as well as loosening the ‘pockets’ between the leg and wing joints. Scoop some of the rosemary butter mixture onto your fingers and begin to stuff into the ‘pockets’ on the breast, leg, wings, etc. (Save approximately 1/4 of the rosemary butter mixture and rub on the inside of the chicken.)
4. Season the cavity of the chicken with the salt, pepper and paprika. Add the quartered lemon, rosemary sprigs and sliced garlic to the chicken cavity. Bind the legs with culinary twine and tuck the wings into the leg joints to secure.
5. Place the chicken breast up onto the roasting rack and into the oven. Roast for approximately 50 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove the ‘stuffing’, carve and serve.
Nutritional Information open nutritional information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 688 | Total Fat: 57.6g | Cholesterol: 214mg
Seminar on efficient management of technical institutions in Arunachal
ITANAGAR, Mar 25: The Department of Humanities and Social Science and Centre for Management Studies of North East Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli is organizing All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) sponsored two days National Conference on efficient management of technical institutions in Arunachal Pradesh from March 26.
During the two-day seminar several academicians and scholars including from Dera Natung Government College, Itanagar and NERIST will present their research papers on effective human resource management, resource constrains, innovative solutions for the development of higher and technical education in North East region, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. The seminar will also focus on area-specific research options for better mobilization of local resources and Industry-Institute linkage for the professional institutes of the region and to identify the problems encountered in smooth functioning of the same.
Mizoram to set up more technical institutes
The Mizoram government will soon set up four more polytechnic institutes and a National Institute of Technology (NIT) to provide technical education to the youth, state Education Minister Lalsawta said here Monday.
‘The polytechnic institutes and the NIT would be set up with financial assistance from the centre, which has already given its green signal in this regard,’ he told reporters.
There are currently two NITs in northeast India, one at Tripura’s capital Agartala and another at Silchar in southern Assam.
At present, Mizoram has two polytechnic institutes – at Lunglei in southern Mizoram and in capital city Aizawl.
‘A group of Singapore-based educationists and researchers is planning to set up a private university called the Rajiv Gandhi University in Mizoram which will greatly boost education in the state,’ Lalsawta said.
According to the minister, the Mizoram government is keen to make the bordering state an education hub of northeast India. ‘To make the plan successful, we expect generous help from both the centre and the private institutions,’ he stated.
In the last census, in 2001, Mizoram had already attained literacy of 88.49 percent which is considered to be the second highest in India after Kerala.
Kolkata: Living in the fear of another fire tragedy
Views of Stephen Court from Solomon Mansion on 7 Royd Street are giving its residents sleepless nights. The Mansion’s electricals are a tangle and very close to a wooden staircase, the only exit barring the lift.
Children living there are traumatized. Priti Khosla, a tenant says, “There is a panic in them. There is no fire extinguisher in the building and she asked me, Mummy, if there is fire in this building, do we also jump from the windows?”
There used to be some spiral stairs outside the building that could be used as fire escapes. But they became decrepit and the landlord demolished them. They were never replaced.
“We want safety. We have no stairs at the back so that we can run. Where to run, just tell me how to run. We shall be grateful.”, adds another tenant, Ramchand J Chandramani.
Residents have gone to court because the landlord has turned much of the building into a guest house. The landlord says he has the license. The rents are so low, he has no choice.
“Because I have the guest house, I can maintain this building. Otherwise this building would have been in ruins by now. How can I manage this building with 120 or 100 or 75 rupees as rent which doesn’t even come to me all the time?”, says Kshitindra Mallik, the landlord.
Battles between landlords and tenants are not uncommon. But this one could turn Solomon Mansion into another Stephen Court. Is the fire department or the municipal corporation listening?
Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime, says Thackeray
Mumbai, Mar 27 Coming out in defence of old friend Amitabh Bachchan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today said the actor has done nothing wrong by attending the inauguration of the second phase of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
“Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime by attending the event,” Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
Lambasting Congress for “treating the actor as an untouchable”, Thackeray said “Shah Rukh Khan, who took cudgels on behalf of Pakistanis, will do for Congress, which is allergic to Amitabh.”
“Amitabh attending the function only added to the prestige of the event,” Thackeray said on the actor sharing the dias with Congress leaders at the sealink function.
Bachchan is not a thief, dacoit or a terrorist, Thackeray said.
Vettori leads New Zealand’s strong surge
New Zealand 19 for 1 trail Australia 231 (Katich 88, Vettori 4-36, Southee 4-61) by 212 runs
Daniel Vettori experienced the perfect start to his 100th Test after taking four wickets, running out Ricky Ponting and watching his side ruffle Australia. New Zealand dismissed their highly-fancied opponents for 231 and then finished at 19 for 1 as they dream of levelling the two-game series.
Tim Southee accepted extra responsibility to back up his captain after the hosts picked two spinners and he provided a clever performance with 4 for 61. But the star was Vettori, who earned more worthy plaudits in a praise-heavy week, with 4 for 36 off 19.3 overs.
New Zealand benefited from a series of errors from the most qualified Australian batsmen and then swept through the lower order in an unusual performance from the visitors. Simon Katich tried to hold the side together with 88, but when he fell two overs before tea, popping a catch off Vettori to short leg, his side was 180 for 5.
After the interval the wickets continued to spill, with New Zealand at one stage capturing three breakthroughs in eight balls. Southee, who had already dismissed Shane Watson (12) and Michael Hussey (22), was on a hat-trick after Brad Haddin popped a simple caught-and-bowled chance from the last ball of his 16th over and he followed up by having Marcus North lbw for 9. In between Southee’s blows, Vettori had watched Mitchell Johnson push a catch to bat pad.
Ryan Harris wasn’t bothered by the prospect of being the third departure in a row and flicked a four to midwicket. However, Harris soon became Vettori’s victim, lbw playing back on 10, and when the captain bowled Doug Bollinger Australia had lost 7 for 59. There was some help for the bowlers from the surface but not much bounce, and it wasn’t to blame for the situation.
Vettori was disappointed to lose the toss but his mood improved with each Australian wicket and by the end of the day he didn’t want anything altered. Well, he would have wished Tim McIntosh defended to Doug Bollinger in the opening over of the reply instead of shouldering arms and being bowled. But when BJ Watling (6) and Mathew Sinclair, who was 8 in his first Test innings in two years, made it stumps it became a minor blemish.
The touring batsmen were over-generous and probably complacent after their dominant 10-wicket win in Wellington, but they now face a fight to sweep the two-match series. Watson, Ponting and Michael Clarke were wasteful with their wickets while Hussey, Katich and Haddin were heavily at fault in their exits. New Zealand welcomed all the lapses and Southee was the pick of the fast men as he moved the ball in the air and off the pitch.
In the morning Southee was lucky Watson (12) was in an overly aggressive mood, with the batsman’s adventurous pull ending in a catch at mid-on for Brent Arnel. In the middle session Hussey left after a similar departure to last week in Wellington, driving at a wider offering from Southee and being caught behind.
Vettori is celebrating his milestone on his home ground and was originally hoping to bowl in the fourth innings, but was forced instead to bring himself on in the 13th over. There was turn from his first delivery and he was responsible for slowing Australia with his impressive control, allowing less than two runs an over and only three fours.
Katich had been in charge of steadying the situation until he popped a strangely simple catch to Watling to give Vettori his first success. Mostly Katich was watchful and industrious, chipping and flicking his score along, and he brought up his half-century with a glance for four.
Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, kept busy and gained the wicket of Clarke (28), who was caught at long-on after misjudging an attempt to clear the rope. Arnel had a mixed return and started well, but he delivered the most eventful over of the day, which contained four fours, a single and a failed referral from an lbw appeal against Hussey.
Ponting knew the situation would be difficult after winning the toss, but did not expect such severe damage. He was run-out for the second time in two Tests after risking a single to Vettori at mid-off and was beaten by the direct hit. It was the 13th time Ponting had been dismissed that way, making him the most run-out batsman in Tests. It is not the sort of record Ponting craves, but he will be more concerned by his side’s predicament.
