The villain and the bomb

Bollywood baddie Shakti Kapoor, who came to town hunting for an item bomb, left little to one’s imagination, sighs ROHINI MOHAN

A jatka, a matka, some come-to-me gestures, and the camera loves you, baby. – Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P.

YET AGAIN, the term “sex appeal” was slapped around till it meant “tacky”. Anybody with an exhibitionist streak a mile wide apparently fitted the bill. They were looking for an item girl. Helen would dig herself a grave if she saw what was happening.

Women of all ages and backgrounds walked into F-Bar, with their vanity cases and costume bags, nervously running well-practised dance sequences in their head. Within those four walls, there was enough hair flipping, heel clicking, and lip pouting to last a whole Bollywood blockbuster. The place looked like the behind-the-scenes of a movie that might run into trouble with the Censor Board for the right reasons.

Living up to the image

This was actually Zee Music come to town with the Item Bomb hunt, looking for one woman who would shake her booty with Sanjay Dutt in an item number for Sanjay Gupta’s film Musafir, slated for release in October. And judging the oomph factor of the girls was Bollywood’s very own balma (read balllma) of Chaalbaaz fame — the jewellery sporting, spotlight addict, actor Shakti Kapoor.

“The industry knows me as someone who always has a pretty woman in his life,” said the man himself. “My image is widely known… there isn’t a better person to judge whether a woman is a bomb or not.” And so his supposedly popular brand of humour included inquisitions about a small- town girl’s virginity, some comparison of waistlines to “a two-bedroom apartment”, and spontaneously dished out shairi of the stag party variety. Add-ons to the Kapoor brand of humour were choreographer Pappu and Niyati Shah, Brand Manager for Zee.

Shakti Kapoor armed with wannabe bombs. – Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P.

As Sandhya, a participant from Hyderabad, took the stage, the judges made disapproving noises about her being fully clothed. “Will you take something off while dancing?” she was asked, much to the amusement of the TV crew. To that, she said: “Not now. But I promise you that I’m shameless; if I have to wear a bikini and dance, I will. I just want an opportunity to meet Sanjay Dutt.” Bull’s-eye, girl! You’re in.

Vasanti, an engineer, also did her bit, but was disappointed that the judges didn’t seem too thrilled about her performance: “I think they want… er… different type of body movements.” Rohini, a model with Prasad Bidapa, dressed to kill with Roman sandals accentuating her long legs, was a rage with the judges. The cameras pounced on her the minute she walked in. “Her every tumka shouts BOMB!” commented a VJ, appointed to air his scholarly views on the vital statistics of the girls. He seemed to take his job quite seriously, what with diligently taking phone numbers of the girls for further research. By Rohini’s side was her mother, who wasn’t the least bit fazed when Shakti Kapoor scooped up her daughter’s legs and plonked them on his for a photo shoot. “We have to be open-minded these days,” she sighed.

A scholar item

As Shakti Kapoor began to congratulate himself on taking up this project, Puneeth, a participant whose ebony skin tone had amply impressed the judges, fumed: “Do they have to talk low and dirty to us like this?!” If she didn’t have a doctorate in physiotherapy to fund, she wouldn’t be caught dead doing this, she swore.

Now to the final decision makers. The “we-want-oomph” done sufficiently to death, what was the quality they were actually after? Looking like his casting dream had just come true, Shakti Kapoor stretched back on the couch and drawled: “A bomb must ooze sex. I’m looking for t*** and a**.”

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SOCIALISM OF TRADITION

Prince and pauper are equal when it comes to a dip in the river. Vijayawada revels in the joy of hosting the carnival, say MUBIN SULTAN and DEEPA RAPARLA

Pilgrims taking a holy dip in the Krishna after performing the puja – Photos:Raju.V

VIJAYAWADA MIGHT not have seen such an exuberant crowd ever, for Pushkarams have never been hyped up so much as they are now. People from all corners of the State, belonging to every stratum of society, are congregating for a common purpose. It is a festivity the city is privileged to offer once in every 12 years. The number of people swarming the city is going up constantly, wrapping it with a multitude of colours. The varied crowd with their diverse awareness about the entire scenario brought in different dispositions. Faith can take a staunch devotee places. Bathing ghats on the banks of the Krishna stand testimony to this faith that is driving people to go about their rituals, regardless the trouble it takes to satiate the religious urge.

Pilgrims from all over the State take their turns for a holy dip, while there are also people visiting to experience the sensation that comes out of “organised chaos”. Participation of the city and its people is so enormous in the mega event that even children of different schools are positioned as volunteers at all important places. For instance, girls from SKPVV Hindu Public School, sporting green uniforms, were there only to check people from polluting the sacred river with either soap or shampoo.

Age-old practice

“Customs being carried on from generations and advice of elders have brought us here to take the holy dip. Coming from Hyderabad just for this, we would have been happier if the water level in this ghat is higher,” says Pavani, a housewife. She also believes that the dip in the river water could be good for health, going by scientific reasoning. Apart from fun that comes out of the dip under a merciless sun, the sight at the ghats gets serious and solemn with the ceremonial pinda pradhanam. Vermilion, rice cakes, incense sticks, bananas and the likes offered to the departed ancestors and kin form part of the ceremonies. It is believed that pinda pradhanam offered by family members pacifies the departed souls. Every step on the ghat is occupied with a busy pujari helping families overcome the loss of loved ones. “Organising ceremonies like this has been part of our family tradition for generations. I have come here along with my two sons to arrange for these rites throughout the 12 days,” says the 63-year-old Kausika Anjaneya Sastry, a pundit.

Science and spirituality

“We attend the pushkarams of every river, each time,” says Prabhavati, hailing from Narsipatnam in Visakhapatnam district. Her mother Suryanarayanamma is a staunch believer of the philosophy of the pushkarams. “Ever since I lost my father at the age of 7, my mom has been to every pushkaram. It gives us immense satisfaction,” she says. Her obedient twin sons, Mahesh and Maharshi, are excited about touring the beautiful city of Vijayawada. Pavan Kumar, a B.Sc student from Sathenapalli is confused. As a student of science, he feels he is ridiculed. But, he believes that his mother knows better and is determined to go the way she takes him. He, however, enjoyed bathing in the river. “It was fun, one can’t take a dip where there is no water at least up to knee-level. I had to lie down to wet myself,” he says with a large grin on his face.

Window of culture

A window for culture, one can hope to come across Jangam Devaralu, a group trying to protect the culture unique to the State. “We are Shiviites while all other pujaris are devotees of Vishnu, working for the same purpose,” they say. Pointing to the bronze bells in their hands, the group explained that their job is to show people the path for nirvana. Apart from leading normal lives, cultivating their lands, Jangam Devaralu, consider it a privilege to visit every holy river during pushkarams. Their objective is to preserve the tradition, customs, and way of life as the world heads towards globalisation.

Hindu On Net

Brett Lee in India

K. PICHUMANI

HE loves butter chicken, the sultry weather, Preity Zinta and numerous other Indian girls, but for Australian cricketer, BRETT LEE the greatest fascination that India offers him, “is the warm and smiling people on the streets.” In town for one of his many product launches, Lee is now getting acquainted with the rudiments of the language. He knows the traditional “namaste; shukriya“, but does not shy away from using some colourful phrases too. Commenting on playing against India on Indian soil, Lee agrees it would be a tough fight. . When time permits he plays for his brother’s band as a bass guitarist.

SUCHITRA BEHAL

Hindu On Net

Picture perfect

PTI

PREITY ZINTA gives as good as she gets. “I never endorse anything that I do not use or believe in,” asserts she. Countering questions on whether she kept track of her endorsements, Zinta shot back, “I never do. Does any one ever tell a journalist how many articles to write?” Other than the sharp tongue, she is the picture perfect Bollywood lass, ever obliging and absolutely in control. She is very clear that if she has been cast in any project it is because she has the ability to deliver. “No one will do you a favour. There is a huge amount at stake and people will only approach you if they know you can perform.” While she is open to any work she is clear that she will handle only as much as she can take and, of course “the script has to be exciting,” said Zinta.

SUCHITRA BEHAL

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Ride the lion

Singapore cast its magic at the IMAX, writes MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

The icon of Singapore comes alive in the fusion dance — Photo: K. Gajendran

ONE WOULD have thought that time frames had collapsed at Prasads IMAX as people who had come to watch the latest entertainment technology could offer stood around the foyer to watch a traditional lion dance. As people thronged the foyer for a taste of Singapore, the performance took on the aspect of street theatre.

This was not a movie where the audience stared at a white sheet and waited for special effects to weave their pixelated wand. The audience holding their collective breath as the dancers performed acts of derring-do.

Part of the Uniquely Singapore campaign, organised by the Singapore Tourism Board, the 15-member troupe led by Eric Tan kicked off the programme. One of the “lions” threw bunches of greens at the audience and unfurled the banner to declare the campaign open. “Green is an auspicious colour for us and stands for wealth,”Tan explains.

Arresting display

The martial arts display with a host of everyday and not so everyday objects including the smartest wooden umbrella was arresting. The lion dance workshop had volunteers galore and the audience support in the form of vociferous cheers.

Nirmala Seshadri, the renowned Bharatnatyam exponent from Singapore joined the lion dancers for a performance emblematic of the icon of Singapore – a lion with the body of a fish. Then it was time for a workshop with Nirmala where the participants put their best foot forward for a grand prize of the slimmest digital camera. Nirmala taught the 12 participants the basic steps of a fusion dance where she merged Malay dance with the Kaikotkalli from Kerala.

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott would have been comfortable in the almost gladiator like ambience as the contestants boogied for all they were worth with the many tiers of cheering spectators turning the IMAX into a Colosseum. As the contestants were pared down to a final three, the excitement reached fever pitch.

And then as the judges were deliberating the merits of the rivals, an impromptu audience poll went wholeheartedly with eleven-year-old Chaitanya. The judges seconded vox populi and you had your Kodak moment with Chaitanya running towards his overjoyed parents – television does makes superstars of us all, so what if it is only 15 seconds?

Sound of silence

After that adrenalin surge, it was time for a tad introspection and what better way to do that than go in for some unique calligraphy? Yip Shu Shan offered to write one’s name in “Feng Shui rainbow writing,” Shan said. Writing with a “special brush that has been with our family for generations in special water colours that never fade,” Shan wrote the name in English, Chinese and using Feng Shui symbols.

“For instance the name Priya has a dragon in it which is the Feng Shui symbol for power and mountain which is emblematic of strong foundations.”

Bridget Goh, Area Director, Southern and Eastern India, Sri Lanka and Maldives said, “The board chose to do the show in Hyderabad as it is an upcoming city along with Bangalore with a double digit growth rate as far as tourism goes. The concept behind the show was to make it fun and enriching as a trip to Singapore would be.”

One does not know about a trip to Singapore but people sure had a time of their lives when Singapore came to Hyderabad!

Hindu On Net