Hindustantimes Brunch 16th October 2011

WEEKLY MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 16, 2011 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times

L’Opera in Khan Market sells good bread and pastry products at prices that are surprisingly affordable

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T H I S

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I S S U E

Seema Goswami

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Beware: What BRUNCH QUARTERLY AND ALL NEW!! you do unto on the Web! others will be done unto you. Madhulika Liddle Log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch reminds us of this fact in this story, written exclusively for Brunch Quarterly.

Simply The Best

facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Pranav Sukhija After reading today’s Brunch, I got very inspired to revamp my apartment. I went to the market and invested in a book-shelf.

I also bought some other tid-bits to make my room look better. At the end of the day, I have a revamped drawing room, a much more organised bed room and a broad smile on my face. :).

Pritish Wadhwa The greeting cards prepared by children of Sulabha Special school Mumbai were very attractive and eye catchy. Each child has the ideas and potential to express provided an opportunity and a platform is provided. Commendable efforts by Brunch for a special cause.

BEST ORIENTAL: Pan Asian reinvents itself every year

OF FRIENDS

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But, says actor and TV host Rajeev Khandelwal, it’s a change for the better

Tanya Sharma Your articles ‘How to Spend it’ is so superb it shows that how to make our life easy and beautiful with some simple steps.

Calling All Tweeple twitter.com/HTBrunch @BoL_BLoGGeR But still we expect a lot from u people but u aren’t the same.

Sorry but now the excitement of Brunch is diminishing. @vishaltaunk Diwali special edition was of gr8 help especially the "online shopping" column..thnks a ton HT Brunch. @atisha_forever Would be glad if brunch starts publishing short stories i every edition....!! would add another feather to d cap. @SmokinMartini Model Pia Trivedi on PA this week. Love her face. One of the prettier models we have in India. @tarunarora18 In future I could see kids get away with heavy bags and carry these light weight devices (The e books!)

Write to brunchletters@hindustantimes.com For marketing and ad-related queries, contact Suresh Tripathi 09818899646

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As the HT City Crystal Awards heat up, Vir Sanghvi presents his personal list of the finest places to eat out, and the people who make the perfect hosts

Split Wide Open

The latest iPhone is such a letdown that it has blown open the doors for the competition LISTEN

Instrumental Ensemble

Sometimes, you are so preoccupied with your own thoughts that you just need instruments.

Nothing else.

PERSONAL AGENDA 26

Shruti Seth

The actress describes her first kiss, what pink means to her and the weirdest thing that went into her mouth

BRUNCH ON THE WEB

TIMES

Tales of TV

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Sanjay Dureja I want to read abt international pop singers also.

CELEBRITY A-LISTERS. ERED TO BE JENNIFER ANISTON OF ARE STILL CONSID THE LOVE LIFE

HINDUSTAN

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‘Things Change After Marriage’ 6

become high school. of years I’ve last couple an all-American coach Sue VER THE HOST series set in delightfully cheerleading who plays THE PERFECT Sue Sylvester with a the US television character is the awards Lynch – driven year’s Emmy plays crazy, joy when Jane in her eye – was And my favourite to host this Lynch – who imagine my gleam was chosen Glee star Jane Sylvester. So, delightfully demented whatever the fashion in her eye – – demented gleam achieve in Sue with a awards. And shock and horror actors are. crazy, driven this year’s Emmy that TV actors to be – cue it!) stars and film host of stardom are still considered of Jane’s frocks the way Seema sees the like sports chosen to to the kind lives of that’s have thought was stars of Friends Contrast this with the love fascistas may did a bang-up job. (Andforcibly at the Emmys was Britain. The are still obsessed may have flopped more In fact, such America and I thought she magazines LeBlanc star me much the red carpet. searched in vain Cox. Matt has enough A-listers. Celebrity But what struckstars lined up on and Courtney Joey, but he still around hall that you who won a spely with to be created Jennifer Aniston of wealth of A-grade in the presentation Paltrow, spectacular show – Episodes – the actors celebrity Kate Winslet, was Gwyneth new the glut of face. There . There was value for a persona. More recently, have become . turn on Glee star Pierce to see an unfamiliar and Mad Men his real-life and subfor her guest at winning for Mildred Housewives Longoria’s wedding as cial award fame, her ecstatic Desperate In fact, Eva of Mad Men same treatment looking absolutely dress that bonafide stars. was accorded the Christina Hendricks into a shimmering There was that this Katie Holmes. are forever sequent divorce easy to see lady in curves poured nuptials with Abbey legendary contain them. It was Cruise’s Downton Tom show, The almost every with the stars of The British could barely gathering – because – has In the UK, of celebrity, up in the press. as TOWIE was an A-list pass the litmus test daily scrutiny of being writtenEssex – better known for nothing that is the room could cleavage under the up And it’s not Only Way and cult-status. Alec Guinness followed near see an her cellulite to in Tinker, attained press.

If I tuned British actor mini-series, nt telthe tabloid the legendary Wars with the TV set me thinking. entertainme Star That’s what for Indian his role in really – I would awards show Spy. power of television right, I wouldn’t star. Yes, there equivalent Tailor, Soldier,Atlantic, such is the of working yes, you’re the think nothing evision – and d to recognise a single vaguely familAcross Streep stars look S Hollywood fame, Meryl Close Balika be hard-presse faces which would that even big At the height of her SPECIAL APPEARANCE is ; Glenn name from Bachchan Savitri would be someAnandi what’s-her; Robert in TV shows. series, Angels in America the eternal While Amitabh a TV and The Shield Kaun Banega muchiar. Was that the actress who plays starred in the other, happy to front job in Damages ; and Alec Baldwin Akshay Kumar Vadhu? Is thatto be confused with magnificent McBeal a and Fey. did Ally in Tina Crorepati dazzled alongside dare-devilry of cerBhabhi (not Downey Jr Bhabhi)? in 30 Rock shows is how will do his usual Khiladi, no some degree Rakhi to sparkle of these TV Ke maligned Savita I could place with continues for Khatron television – of the power as guest stars. Gwyneth The only faces the stars of reality will ever deign One measure the news chancan pull in one. But the be A-list film actor A-listers they tainty would Bindra – but only because entertainment in a TV series the most famousMatt Damon, act many to perhaps Glee is Sawant, Dolly up every day in their pressed to tell had Tom Hanks, and Alan Alda Paltrow in hard of 30 Rock Keaton from nels play them then I would be last season Rice, Michael even Ashmit Patel shows. And from Payal Rohatgi or Bono, Condoleezzastars. actors only guest Veena Malik when Bollywoodcareers have come on as snob, but because with India if their Sameer Soni. I am some sort of sad Contrast this you can TV serials produce A-list to work in the only way Not because nt channels don’t really of fame condescend Otherwise, them several crores 15 minutes collapsed. our entertainme is to give may have their But they soon fade completely So while TV actors on to television programme. Banega doing well. Who remembers stars. Our tempt them show or a reality TV shows are of again. front Kaun do the while their of Jassi Jaisi to host a quiz to be heard is happy to Dutt will away, never for instance? Or Jassi Kyunki Saas and Sanjay do his Amitabh Bachchan Salman Khan Akshay Kumar will film Gracy Singh, even Dakshaben from cast memand Crorepati and Or only no A-list Bigg Boss, Koi Nahin?

In fact, the conKe Khiladi, honours for Bahu Thi? who survives in our for Khatron TV series.

Bhi Kabhi the in a usual dare-devilry and then only iconic show to remain deign to act ber of that Smriti ‘Tulsi’ Irani – as a BJP ‘silver’ actor will ever that television is doomed is stuff on the sciousness has since recast herself reguleast, it seemsthe biggies strut their In India, at because she turns up on news channels while TV agoswami screen forever,pity. politician and the benefit of her wisdom.transient fame our twitter.com/seem ‘small’ at the us much Seema on Twitter never really larly to give that no matter how one. And more’s mail.com. Follow careers, they cover, for seema_ht@rediff The truth is all-too-brief during their a glossy magazine stars achieve A-list. They never rate endorse top-end products the up to graduate to are they ever signed instance. Nor

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WITH 9, 2011 OCTOBER THE STARSARE STILL OBSESSEDWEEKLY MAGAZINE

Oscar Leadbetter, after two months on board ship, followed by a cross-country journey from Bombay to Calcutta, was ushered into his cousin’s presence by a turbaned servant.

We’re Logged On

live PHOTOS: REUTERS

I N

| listen |

s; as A-lister may qualify the C-list on TV stars abroad they remain but in India , a fan of Glee

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Small VS Silver

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Without My Daughter

Movies are just dandy for Sanjay Dutt; but his daughter should steer clear, or else...

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POINT, CLICK, SNAP!

EXCLUSIVE STORY

THE HT Brunch Photo Contest: The wait is finally over! We have chosen the grand prize winner of the photo contest. Kaniska Sharma wins the HT goodie bag for her picture of a busy shopkeeper in Kutch, Gujarat. Congratulations!

The Hot Seat Jiggy With KBC’s ratings going off the roof this season, it was only time that former host Shah Rukh Khan made an appearance.

Could happens when the Big B and King Khan come together? KSHAMA RAO gives the goss on the highly anticipated episode.

SEEMA GOSWAMI’S article Small vs Silver throws light on the reality that our attitude towards TV is still secondary. We don’t give TV stars and programmes the kind of importance and respect they deserve. A movie star used to look down on TV before, thinking it would mar his/her image to be part of the small screen. It’s only because crores of rupees are offered to them that their mindset is changing.

But again, they will never act in a serial, considering it a demotion in their careers. They don’t realise that it is the small screen that gives them popularity by constantly airing news and updates about their recent movies, advertising and publicising them all the time. It’s because of TV that they have become household names. Then why shy away from the small screen? The fact is that the size of the screen doesn’t matter. The content and ability to entertain people and touch their hearts is what matters! We need to change our outlook towards TV and accept that it is as powerful a medium as the silver screen.

— FATEMEH K SEIFIZADEHI, via email WHAT SEEMA Goswami writes in her column, Small Vs Silver, is so true! And therefore, so sad! When will the quality of our Indian TV shows and actors start to look up?

The star cast of Friends hasn’t disappeared without a trace.

Jennifer Aniston still does movies; Courtney Cox still does Cougar Town and Matthew Perry also does movies, and is awesome in Mr Sunshine. On a different note, when will Indian TV be able to make a Friends? All we have is a bunch of over-dressed, over-made-up females, crying, bitching and plotting each other’s downfalls. We can make a big deal of SRK hosting the The Indian Wipeout, and Preity Zinta’s upcoming talk show, but will they ever consider acting in sitcoms on the small screen? Big stars will never even make cameos; though it all works out pretty well in the West (Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts in Friends, Enrique Iglesias in How I Met Your Mother). A brilliantly written article.

— DEEPALI AGARWAL, Delhi

Plus an all-access pass to your favourite stories from this and previous Brunch issues. Log on!

EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Kushalrani Gulab (Deputy Editor); Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Pranav Dixit, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf

DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor Design), Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Saket Misra, Suhas Kale, Shailendra Mirgal

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

Cover design: Ashutosh Sapru Cover photo: Raj K Raj

Brunch Date

PHOTO: RAJ K RAJ; LOCATION: AURA, THE VODKA BAR AT CLARIDGES, NEW DELHI

‘Things change after marriage’ But, says actor and TV host Rajeev Khandelwal, it’s a change for the better

by Veenu Singh

H

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E STRUCK the right chord with his debut on TV and then proved his acting abilities in critically acclaimed films like Aamir and Shaitan besides the recent Soundtrack. He also proved his ability to host TV shows when he helmed the eye-opening Sach Ka Saamna (and he’ll be back with the second season soon). Now Rajeev Khandelwal has a new avatar – as the host of Nat Geo Super Cars for National Geographic.

Over tomato and mozzarella bruschetta and fish fingers at Aura, the Vodka Bar at the Claridges, the actor got into high gear about food, his wife, fitness and the cars he loves.

You got married rather suddenly.

What’s it like, being married?

My marriage wasn’t all that sudden.

I have known Manjari for the last three years and, in fact, I knew her older sister, Mamta, first. Mamta introduced us. She took me to a pub where Manjari was hanging out with her friends, and I liked her from the very first meeting.

We’ve been married for seven months now, and the going has been great. I must admit that things do change after marriage. You are not you anymore. Everything needs to be seen from a different perspective.

What you do on the work front doesn’t make you a very intelligent person. Home also counts.

You don’t seem much of a foodie...

I’m a very boring person as far as eating is concerned. I’m very happy to eat home cooked food. I even eat at home before I go to a party. And I love the food my cook Bhagat Singh makes.

Truthfully, I’d like to be vegetarian. Given a choice, I would eat stuff like lauki, tinda, kaddu and karela. If you wanted to win my heart, the best way to do it would be to gift me a basket of fresh, organic vegetables.

My wife Manjari, on the other hand, is a complete foodie.

You seem to be very fitness conscious.

Is it because of the profession you are in?

I have always been very committed to good health and want to be absolutely fit to the last stage of my life. I have always led a very active and disciplined life. I ride horses, play tennis, climb mountains and indulge in various other adventure activities.

I don’t stick to one regime but try out new things all the time. And I think that being fit also means things like getting to the sets on time and participating in various activities.

You are now hosting a show on some of the best super cars in the world. Have you always been interested in cars?

I wouldn’t say I have been crazy about cars, but like any other guy, I had posters of Ferraris and Rolls Royces in my room. But that was it.

I wasn’t passionate about them. In fact, I prefer SUVs and often drive up to Leh where I camp out. I also drive to Corbett when I get the chance. Last year, I bought a Scorpio 4x4 and completely customised it for camping purposes!

As far as hosting this show is concerned, honestly, I’m doing it for my own ego. Not only have I got the chance to drive some of these beauties but also to learn so many interesting and unknown facets about these cars. Each of them has a story or history behind it. I hope I’m doing a good job as an anchor.

Have you ever gone on a driving holiday with Manjari?

Yes, we recently drove to Leh in the Scorpio and it turned out to be one of the craziest trips we ever had.

Our trip happened just seven days after the tragic cloudburst incident in Leh and for the first time I decided to go to Leh via Chandigarh. It took us two and a half days to get to Leh as the entire route from

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

Rohtang was badly hit due to landslides and many vehicles were stuck in the mud and slush.

Fortunately, my Scorpio has a motorised winch in front that helped me pull other cars out of the mud.

Manjari was terrified and I must say that this was one trip that I am not going to forget in a hurry!

What was it like to host a controversial show like Sach Ka Samna?

It was a great experience. I don’t know a single intelligent person who slammed the show. The show made me realise that we are all hypocrites and it takes a lot of courage to come out with the truth. I never found any of the confessions shocking. What was shocking was the courage shown by the people who came on the show. It was just amazing. In the end, the show helped make society better.

Would you ever participate in such a show yourself?

I would love to as long as I have Rajeev Khandelwal asking me questions! veenus@hindustantimes.com

HUNGRY FOR MORE? To read the full version, log on to hindustantimes.com/rajeev

COVER STORY

SIMPLY THE BEST As the HT City Crystal Awards heat up, VIR SANGHVI presents his personal list of the finest places to eat out and the people who make the perfect hosts

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OR YEARS and years now, I have been listing out my favourite restaurants in Brunch and in the HT City Food Guide to Delhi. HT City also hands out popular awards, voted for by its readers (The Crystal Awards) every year. The Crystals are a mark of popularity and success. My awards are much more modest amounting to no more than a list of personal favourites.

There are some surprises in this year’s list. For instance, non five star restaurants and outlets have done very well in areas that were traditionally dominated by the hotel sector. For instance, the Best Chinese restaurant, the Best MultiCuisine restaurant and the Best Bakery are all standalone operations. I have also instituted a new award for The Restaurant Chain of the year to recognise the growth in this sector.

But some things do not change. The Best Indian restaurant award still goes to Dum Pukht.

The Orient Express is still India’s best French restaurant. And Pan Asian manages to reinvent itself every year.

Best Chinese: Royal China

For years and years, this award has gone to the relatively obscure “The Chinese” in Connaught Place. But because the road outside the restaurant has been dug up for months making access difficult, I’m giving “The Chinese” a break this year.

Instead the award goes to the Delhi branch of Royal China, a London-based chain of separatelyowned restaurants. There are already popular Royal Chinas in Bombay but they are not in the same league as the Delhi outpost with its exquisite dim sum, its great roast pork and its perfect stir-frying.

The restaurant’s only handicap is its location on the higher floors of an office building in Nehru Place but once you get inside, the food is so good and the view so wonderful that you’ll forget that you are in an office building.

Best European: Orient Express

This is one of those categories where things rarely seem to change. In terms of service, the Orient Express is Delhi’s finest restaurant. Partly

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because it is small, waiters and chefs ensure that every guest is made to feel special. Small wonder then that it is the first choice for a birthday, an anniversary or a celebration of any kind.

The food can be outstanding. Chef D N Sharma has been a mainstay of the kitchen for years.

Along with Chef David Tilly, he ensures that the food is sophisticated and delicious. You don’t have to order the luxury ingredients – foie gras, truffles, wagyu etc. – but if you do, rest assured that this is the one restaurant in Delhi that will do justice to them. Service under Ashutosh Kapoor is flawless. This is the restaurant where Delhi’s A list feels totally at home, so you will probably see at least one famous face each evening – if not more.

There was a time when the Orient Express was considered wildly expensive. It is still not cheap.

But it is not as expensive as at least four other hotel restaurants I can think of. And it has the best and most reasonably-priced wine list of any hotel restaurant in the city.

Best Indian: Dum Pukht

The reason I like the redone Dum Pukht is because it is one of a kind. Whenever expensive Indian restaurants are designed (and Dum Pukht re-opened last year in a new room designed by a Bangkok-based interior consultancy), they always change the menu to make it more “modern Indian”. But ITC has held firm with Dum Pukht.

Even though the room has a contemporary feel to it, the food is still traditional North Indian And it is still terrific. These are the best kakori kababs in the world, the juiciest raans and the most amazing biryanis. Dum Pukht is justly famous for its gravy dishes but vegetarians may

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

EUROPEAN DELIGHT Chef D N Sharma (above) ensures that the food at The Orient Express (above left) is sophisticated and delicious

want to try its yellow dal, a worthy rival to the more famous black dal they serve upstairs at Bukhara.

Best Japanese: Wasabi

Ever since Sakura closed down for refurbishment, there has been no alternative to Wasabi for classy Japanese dining in the heart of the city.

That said, modern Japanese has rarely been done better anywhere in India. It is a measure of Wasabi’s success that its only rival in food terms is the Bombay original.

Both Wasabis grew out of a collaboration with the Japanese Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Though the food at Morimoto’s New York restaurant can be fresh and original, the Indian Wasabis began by serving clones of the Nobu menu (Morimoto was Executive Chef at the New York Nobu), which delighted diners in Bombay and Delhi.

Now, the Wasabi menu is a little more daring.

Some of Morimoto’s own classics have made the cut, Hemant Oberoi has created a whole range of vegetarian Japanese items and in Delhi, Chef Vikramjit Roy has introduced his own creativity.

Add to this, superlative sushi made by Japanese chefs sent over by Morimoto and you can tell why the food is always so good.

Akshay Tripathi, the manager who opened the restaurant has been promoted but his successors have maintained his high standards.

JAPANESE PLATE With some superlative sushi (below left) and a more daring menu, Wasabi (left) remains the best place for classy Japanese food PHOTO: RAJ K RAJ

DIVINE FOOD Cafe Diva is a terrific restaurant created by Ritu Dalmia, a chef at the height of her powers

Plus there’s wonderful music and, as the weather changes, two outdoor terraces where you can eat al fresco.

CHINA TREAT The Delhi branch of Royal China (above) with its great roast pork (left) serves the best Chinese food

Best Bakery: L’Opera TASTE IT ALL Setz is a world class establishment that betters five star standards

TRULY INDIAN The redone Dum Pukht (left) still serves the best traditional North Indian food. These are the best kakori kababs, the juiciest raans (above) and the most amazing biryanis

GLOBAL FUSION Le Cirque mixes the influences of New York, France and Italy for a crowd that effortlessly fuses West and South Delhi

Multi-Cuisine Restaurant: Setz

Best Oriental: Pan Asian

One of the enduring mysteries of Delhi’s food scene is that though it is easy to get good Japanese or Chinese food in the city, there are so few superior Thai restaurants in Delhi, making it tough to find good Thai food.

Till that is set right however, we have Pan Asian at the Sheraton in Saket. Most of ITC’s many Pan Asians only work in parts (you can eat well at the Bombay Pan Asian if you restrict yourself only to Chinese), but the Delhi Pan Asian is easily the best of the lot – or at least it has been since Benita Sharma took over as the General Manager of the hotel.

Under Sharma, the Chinese food, which was the restaurant’s mainstay, has remained good (though they need a new Peking Duck oven) but the Thai has improved immeasurably to the extent that Pan Asian has the second-best Thai food in Delhi (the best is at another multi-cuisine restaurant, Setz) and, after they stole the chef from Sakura, the best traditional Japanese in all of North India. (The only competitor is Edo in Bangalore).

So, nowadays, if I want Thai or traditional Japanese I tend not to go to one of the specialty restaurants, but head directly to Pan Asian.

Where else can you start with Sushi, move on to Som Tam and end with Red Curry?

Delhi has long been short of a good bakery. Even at most five-star hotels, the bread is never as good as it ought to be. The opening of the Oberoi pastry shop and delicatessen was a step in the right direction but the city needed something outside a hotel at non five-star prices.

That gap has been filled with the opening of L’Opera in Khan Market.

Run by French people and packed out with expats, this is a small boulangerie and patisserie that sells bread and pastry products at prices that are surprisingly affordable. I like the sourdough bread but the other loaves are also recommended. I’ve had wonderfully flaky almond croissants and delicious melt-in-the-mouth macaroons as well.

Its success proves that there is room in the market for good bread shops. And you don’t necessarily have to be located in the city’s most expensive market. I’m sure the L’Opera formula can be replicated all over south Delhi in other local markets and I hope it will be.

BEST OF TWO WORLDS The Summit Brunch on Sundays allows you to eat from both the West View and Humble House kitchens

Best Brunch: ITC Maurya

West View, at the top of the Maurya, has always been a restaurant in search of a purpose, while its neighbour My Humble House has only just turned around. But somehow, when you go to the Summit Brunch on Sundays which allows you to eat from both the West View and Humble House kitchens, it is easy to forget what the history of both restaurants is.

Masterminded by the hotel’s new kick-ass General Manager Anand Rao and its brilliant Executive Chef, Manisha Bhasin, the Summit Brunch is ITC’s attempt to show off the best it can do: superlative dim sum, live noodle counters, stir-fries made to order, grills, artisanal pasta, foie gras, caviar, oysters and all the champagne you can drink.

I have to say I still call it Zest, after the name it was born with. But no matter what you call Setz (which swept these awards last year with both Restaurant of the Year and Restaurateur of the Year for Prasanjit Singh) it is the restaurant that broke all the rules for standalone outlets.

Part of a generation of multi-cuisine restaurants that developed over the last decade globally (after the success of Singapore’s Mezza9, which was designed by Super Potato as is Setz), this is a world class establishment that betters five star standards and still charges lower-than-five-star prices.

All of the food is good. But I am particularly partial to the European and the Thai (the best in Delhi). But then, I also like the cheung fan dim sum, the falafel, the steaks, the excellent breads, the Peking duck, the home-made ice-creams – oh forget it!

Let’s just say I like it all.

Opening of the Year: Le Cirque

When the new Leela Palace announced that it was tying up with New York’s clubby Le Cirque to open a Delhi outpost, reactions ranged from “what is Le Cirque?” to “won’t it be very expensive?”

The Leela has spent a lot of time telling Delhiites what Le Cirque is (books, DVDs, personal visits by the founders etc.) but yes, there is no getting around the fact that it is easily the most

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

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COVER STORY expensive restaurant in Delhi with very highpriced food and massively over-priced wine.

But here’s the thing: the food may be expensive but it is also very good. Chef Mickey Bhoite has whipped the kitchen into shape so that the cooking is technically accomplished and his Florentine steak (for two) is to die for. (But this is a Leela specialty, Executive Chef Glen B Eastman serves Delhi’s best steaks at the coffee shop, too.) Service is outstanding, more sophisticated than anything the Leela group has ever managed before.

Besides, it is doing well. Despite the prices, the restaurant is attracting more guests than anyone thought it would. Perhaps the time is right for global fusion: Le Cirque mixes the influences of New York, France and Italy for a crowd that effortlessly fuses West and South Delhi.

HOTEL OF THE YEAR The Oberoi, Gurgaon is probably the most important hotel to have opened in Delhi in the last 20 years

F&B Manager of the Year: Surinder Thakur I don’t think it is any secret that when the Imperial lost the General Manager, F&B Manager, Sommelier and sundry other expatriates who had turned the property around, most people in the hotel business wrote it off – a slow decline is inevitable, they said.

The fact that the Imperial’s restaurants have given the lie to this prediction and have flourished in a largely expat-free zone is a tribute to native Indian ingenuity. The current F&B manager, Surinder Thakur is not from some fancy hotel management school, only did a one-year hospitality course in Chandigarh and joined the Taj group in the housekeeping department before moving to the Imperial in 1998 as a restaurant captain.

He became F&B Manager a couple of years ago when the hotel was widely believed to be on the verge of a decline. But because he had worked in every single outlet during his career at the Imperial, he understood the hotel’s strengths and weaknesses and the preferences of his guests.

Though he is stuck with a two restaurant property (an excellent Italian and a popular coffee shop) and can’t do much about the hideously over-decorated and dingy Spice Route or the little-known Indian restaurant, he has maintained the hotel’s reputation for fine food and wine. Most people who go to eat there have no idea of the expat-exit or the mass churning in the back of the house. They just love the Imperial.

Restaurant of the Year: Café Diva Who would it have thought Ritu Dalmia still had it in her? She runs Diva in Greater Kailash-2 for over a decade now. She runs the super Latitude in Khan Market. She does TV shows for Good Times. And she is a best-selling cookbook author.

(Full disclosure: she is also my friend, of many years standing.)

But which chef/restaurateur, at this stage of a flourishing career, would risk everything on a first floor café in a market in GK-1? Especially, when she doesn’t need to?

One look at Café Diva’s Eva Jiricna-style interiors and you know that you are in for an elegant experience. The food is about the best Ritu has ever done: Vietnamese spring rolls, grilled halloumi cheese, lasagna, salads, stuffed chicken, Sindhi curry, pizza verde, prawn curries and chicken cafreal.

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PERFECT HOST F&B manager Surinder Thakur has maintained the Imperial’s reputation for fine food and wine

GOOD COMMAND Jay Rathore can make an Ambassador run like a Rolls Royce

RIGHT TASTES Lite Bites with its brands like Zambar in Vasant Kunj (right) and Punjab Grill in Saket etc. cares about the authenticity and the quality of the cuisine

This is a terrific restaurant created by a chef at the height of her powers.

Restaurant Company of the Year: Lite Bite Foods It is a measure of how much the food scene is changing in India that the real innovations are no longer restricted to the deluxe hotel sector. The growth of malls, airport terminals and the like has offered restaurateurs thousands of square feet of new real estate in which to operate.

The company that has made the best use of this new opportunity is Lite Bite Foods. You probably don’t know the name but you know the brands: Asia 7, Punjab Grill, Zambar, Fresco etc.

With 50 outlets (and growing!) in under two years, Lite Bite is a phenomenon and the Punjab Grill in Bombay must be one of that city’s most successful restaurants. New Punjab Grills in such cities as Bangalore are also packed.

Though it has a national presence, Lite Bite is a Delhi company (hence its presence on this list) and its Delhi operations (Zambar in Vasant Kunj, Punjab Grill in Saket etc.) are substantial. Plus, it is the one food company I know of that cares about the authenticity and the quality of the cuisine, not just about turnover, profit and new openings.

This is probably the future of the standalone sector in India: new domestic brands, uniform quality, consistent food and upmarket ambience.

General Manager of the Year: Jay Rathore When you consider the air of elegant luxury that the Delhi Oberoi represents, it is sometimes hard to remember that it is one of Delhi’s oldest modern luxury hotels. (The Imperial, which seems like a century older, is actually only about 40 years older and the Ashoka is not a luxury hotel anyway.) Designed in 1961 and opened in 1965, the Oberoi is older than the majority of its staff.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

The fact that it should seem so refined and modern despite being planned as an American chain hotel in the early 1960s is, of course, a tribute to Biki Oberoi’s successful remaking of the hotel in the late 1980s. But in operational terms, this is not an easy hotel to run, much less to run with such a seeming (and it is only “seeming”) lack of visible effort. The Oberoi is over a decade older than the Taj or Maurya and over a decade and a half older than the Hyatt or the Taj Palace.

One reason why the hotel runs so smoothly and seems as contemporary as any modern property is because Jay Rathore, its elegant, understated General Manager commands the respect of his staff, understands the needs of his guests and knows how to make an Ambassador run like a Rolls Royce. His attention to detail is phenomenal and his flair for luxury is breath-taking.

A class act.

Hotel of the Year: The Oberoi, Gurgaon An absolute triumph. Nobody thought that Biki Oberoi could trump the excellent Gurgaon Trident by opening a full-fledged Oberoi next to it. But he has – and how!

This is probably the most important hotel to have opened in Delhi in the last 20 years. It is stark, modern and yet entirely luxurious. Take everything the design hoteliers (Andre Balazs, the Kemps, Ian Schrager etc.) were trying to do, add a North American sense of space and efficiency (Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton etc.), combine with Oriental refinement (Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula etc.) and then shake it all around in a special Oberoi jar to create the paradigm for the 21st century Indian hotel.

Plus, there are also a strategically brilliant General Manager (Kapil Chopra), the usual excellent Oberoi service, an adventurous Indian restaurant and a trend-setting coffee shop in 361.

It is hard to see how the Oberois can top this – but knowing Biki, he probably will.

indulge play

| listen | live

Split Wide Open

THE CORRECT CAPTURE The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S borrows a lot from Sony’s famed Cybershot cameras

techilicious

Rajiv Makhni

The iPhone 4S was a disappointment – it’s blown open the doors for the competition to come barging in. So who’s there?

I

T WAS an event that had the world on hold. And yet, at the end, it wasn’t even about what it was billed as. The iPhone 5 release event wasn’t about an iPhone 5 at all. It was for an upgrade to the existing iPhone 4. More than the downer about the phone, it was also pure disappointment over the presentation. Most of us are now used to the amazing skills and aura that Steve Jobs would bring to an event. This was dull, dry and mostly frustrating.

And when push comes to shove, the 4S has disappointed most. It’s not a bad phone, it’ll still sell well. But it hasn’t set the world on fire with excitement. Most importantly, being an incremental upgrade, it has blown open the doors for the competition to come right in. What does the future hold for smartphones? What are the most exciting ones coming out soon? If you were holding out for an iPhone 5 and aren’t overly thrilled with the iPhone 4S, where can you park your money and get the most bang for your buck? Here are the future superstars of the smartphone world.

SAMSUNG NEXUS PRIME

It’s a phone whose intriguing curved form factor has the world lusting. A body that is just 9 mm thick and has an impossibly curved glass screen in the front. The insides are also quite prime: it runs the all new Ice Cream Sandwich, the new Android mobile operating system (version 4.0). It tops out at 32 GB of internal storage, sports a dual-core processor, has a 4.65 inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720, 1080p video capability, a 1.3 megapixel front camera, wireless N connectivity and a fantastic battery life. Also, Samsung played its part in going from super hype to super sensitive. They were to announce it as an iPhone 4S killer but held back after news of Steve Jobs passing away. “We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs’ passing,” a Samsung spokesperson said. The Samsung Prime could now also be called the world’s most sensitive phone.

ful processor and 16 GB built-in storage. The USP? It can do 5.1 surround sound with SRS enhancements. How effective can a 5.1 speaker system originating from a phone really be is the question that will soon be answered. Meanwhile, the other USP is going to be the price.

Almost all Windows Phone devices seem to be very aggressively priced and this could be one of the first to start that price war.

SONY ERICSSON XPERIA ARC S

This is a phone that takes a lot from Sony’s famed design centre and also borrows a lot from Sony’s famed Cybershot cameras. The look and feel are above and beyond all other Android phones; there is a certain sophistication to this that is tough to describe, and the slim arc is actually quite a design marvel in itself. A 1.4 Ghz processor, the capability of shooting 3D panorama still shots, a live dock that can make this phone have the capabilities of a laptop or even a gaming machine and a pretty good battery life. The arc may just be on the curve to great success.

SAMSUNG WAVE 3

I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again. I find it impossible to believe that Samsung can carry on supporting three different OSes. They have Android, they have Windows Phone and they have their own Bada. Something’s got to give – and yet they continue to defy the laws of smartphone manufacturing. The Wave is the perfect example. Bada phones were supposed to be the economy version of smartphones and yet, the Wave 3 goes the opposite way.

It’s priced right there with the best of Android and Windows Phones, thus showing the confidence that Samsung has in this operating system. This one has a 4 inch Super AMOLED screen, NFC, a completely revamped interface and a hearty processor – this phone starts off a new war in smartphones as Bada throws the gauntlet down.

NOKIA’S SEA RAY WILL SHAKE THE MARKET UP LIKE NEVER BEFORE

HTC TITAN

This is another one of the big ones, screen and otherwise. A 4.7 inch screen and a mindboggling resolution, this one has all the trappings of HTC’s famed build quality and ergonomics. A Windows Phone 7.5 OS, this one can pull off 720P video, has great still photo optics, a very powerPOWER PACKED The Samsung Wave 3 (far left) has a revamped interface and a hearty processor.

The HTC Titan (left) does 5.1 surround sound

12

NOKIA SEA RAY

It’s been dubbed the Sea Ray and it may well be the most aggressive bid into the smartphone arena in a long, long time. It has the future of two companies at stake and both Nokia and Microsoft will leave no stone unturned with this one. It’s supposed to have the best hardware that Nokia has ever put together in a phone, have special add-ons from Microsoft and is supposed to have a price that may well have the world’s jaw drop as a collective reaction. This should shake up the market like never before. We should get to hear more details and see a working prototype within days and a release early in 2012.

There are more. The Moto Droid Bionic (Motorola hasn’t been aggressive in India but after the Google takeover it may well be with this one), the Samsung Galaxy Note (a giant phone with Tablet aspirations), HTC Sensations XE (with Beats audio, this is one of the most anticipated music phones), BlackBerry’s latest (with an OS revamp that puts QNX in charge) and a spate of smartphones from LG. Like I said, the iPhone 4S has formidable opposition for the next few months.

Until the release of the iPhone 5, that is.

Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv onTwitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

indulge listen Instrumental Ensemble play |

download central

Sanjoy Narayan

| live

Sometimes, you are so preoccupied with your own thoughts that you just need instruments. Nothing else.

GONE TOO SOON KVHW, the short-lived band that guitarist Steve Kimock (left) was a part of, consisted of Bobby Vega, Ray White and Alan Hertz (left to right)

as it is explorative. He blends psychedelic riffs with sounds derived from jazz and oriental music and has a touch that is uniquely his own.

His guitar-style is melodious and laidback and it has often been compared (not in terms of the sound but in terms of the attitude) to that of Jerry Garcia’s. There, indeed, is a Grateful Dead connection to Kimock: he played with former Dead band members, Donna and Keith Godchaux’s Heart of Gold band. That band folded after Keith’s death and Kimock co-founded another Bay Area band called Zero.

The formation of KVHW followed as did several live concerts. Many of these are accessible free (and legally so) on www.archives.org and almost all of them are good recordings. I particularly like a December 7, 1999 show at the Wetlands Preserve, which used to be a live concert venue in Tribeca, New York. The two-set concert will fill three CDs and has many great tunes – long, melodious and extremely soothing if you’re stressed or down in the dumps or just simply feeling fragile.

The three-hour plus concert has several original KVHW tracks but also some surprise covers: The Allman Brothers’ Whipping Post, Frank Zappa’s Willie the Pimp and a great version of the Albert King song, Born Under a Bad Sign. Kimock is the quintessential hippy musician playing because he loves it and not because he’s driven by commerce.

His music has a laidback vibe that has incredible stress-busting powers and his bandmates appear to complement his guitar, very obviously the main driving force of the band.

I have other KVHW concerts – there are more than 50 that you could download – including one from September 19, 1999 at The Fillmore that is also rather good. Sadly, KVHW disbanded when one of its members quit but Kimock quickly reformed his remaining bandmates and added new ones to form the Steve Kimock Band whose music too is downloadable on the same website. I have one that is a 2005 gig at Dallas’s Granada Theater and features Kimock on the guitar as well as the lap steel and has an excellent bunch of co-musicians – Rodney Holmes (drums), Robert Walter (keyboard) and Reed Mathis (bass). Walter is an excellent exponent of soul jazz on the keyboards and is the founder member of the funky Greyboy Allstars. On the set that I’m talking about, his inclusion brings a great New Orleans feel to their versions of Cream’s Glad and The Meters’ Cissy Strut.

Kimock, 56, has evolved his band into a new avatar a few years back.

It’s now called Steve Kimock Crazy Engine and features a cellist, Trevor Exter on bass, Melvin Seals (an old member of the Jerry Garcia Band) on keyboards and his (Kimock’s) son, John Morgan Kimock, on drums. I’ve just downloaded an April 19, 2009 concert they played in Fairfield, Connecticut’s FTC Stage One that I’m going to be listening to while you’re reading this on Sunday.

KIMOCK BLENDS

I

PSYCHEDELIC RIFFS WITH JAZZ AND ORIENTAL SOUNDS

USUALLY like my music to come with vocals and lyrics. I like to listen to the singers, their voices, the words they sing and what they mean. They could be joyous and exuberant or morose and melancholy, lovestruck or angry. It doesn’t matter. I like all of that and depending on my mood, I usually love to hear songs sung as much as I do the rest of it – the music, the beats, the rhythm and the solo riffs. But sometimes, words can become a distraction. Sometimes, like it was for me last week, words just don’t do it for you. You are too preoccupied with your own thoughts to need somebody else’s words and you just need instruments and nothing else. No pernicious interruptions by vocalists, no matter how great they are.

So that was what it was last week when I turned to a great but short-lived band named KVHW. The band (named after the last names of its members: Steve Kimock, Bobby Vega, Alan Hertz and Ray White) was essentially a live gig playing outfit that toured for two years – from the beginning of 1998 to the end of 1999. And they mainly played long, jam-heavy instrumental numbers. Last week that seemed perfect for my mood – I didn’t want to get distracted by clever (or stupid) lyrics. And I was craving for some nice noodling guitar, lots of bass and drums solos. keyboards and that sort of thing. KVHW provide shovels full of that.

For one, Kimock is a brilliant guitarist whose style is as inventive

14

To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter or visit our website: www.hindustantimes.com/brunch

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

indulge live Without My Daughter play | listen |

Movies are just dandy for Sanjay Dutt; but his daughter should steer clear, or else...

PHOTOS: REUTERS

spectator

Seema Goswami

RULING THE ROOST Madhuri Dixit still rules over the hearts of millions of Indians.

Aishwarya Rai continues to make movies even after becoming a Bachchan bahu

LADY LEGENDS Nargis, who became an actress during a conservative era, was universally loved and respected. Sharmila Tagore, who broke several class barriers when she joined Hindi cinema, is seen as an icon of style and grace even today

I

F YOU are of a certain age, you probably remember a time when conventional wisdom had it that the world of movies was steeped in sin. And that while it was okay for strapping young men from good families to join the film business, it was no place for a woman from a ‘decent’ household. Raj Kapoor, the great patriarch of Hindi cinema, famously declared that no woman in his extended family would ever work in the movies. Thus, both his daughters-in-law, Babita and Neetu Singh, dutifully retired from the film world once they had acquired the Kapoor family name. And most film stars of his generation took their cue from him, forbidding their wives, sisters, daughters and daughters-in-law from joining the film industry.

You would think that many decades down the line, things would have changed. After all, a new generation of Kapoor daughters, Karisma and Kareena, has taken the lead to become the leading actresses of their time. Even as traditional a Jat as Dharmendra had no objection to his daughter with Hema Malini, Esha Deol, making her debut as an actress. More recently, Anil Kapoor’s daughter, Sonam, made her entry into the film world as did Sonakshi Sinha, the daughter of the yesteryear star, Shatrughan.

In all of these cases, the fathers took a certain pride in their daughters’ achievements. And even if they didn’t quite splash out on a huge debut for them under the home banner, they supported and cheered them on from the sidelines. They certainly didn’t take the old-fashioned view that the film industry was a Very Bad Place, which their girls had to be sheltered and protected from.

But just when it looked as if the bad old days – when Hindi cinema was seen as a predatory place where women were at risk – were over, along came Sanjay Dutt to remind us that chauvinism is alive and well and kicking ass in the film industry. Dutt’s daughter from his first marriage, Trishala, announced that she wanted to become an actress but Daddy declared that that was out of the question. There was no way any daughter of his was joining the film industry, said Dutt.

Yes, the same Dutt whose mother, Nargis, was a legendary star of Hindi cinema; whose first wife, Richa, had been an actress; who had dated and nearly married Madhuri Dixit; and whose second wife, Manyata, had been an item girl in her time. But despite the fact that nearly every significant relationship in his life so far had been with an actress, Sanjay declared that that was not a career option open to his daughter.

Why, you ask? Well, he’s never really explained

it. So, I guess all we can do is speculate.

The charitable explanation, of course, would be that Dutt is wildly protective of his daughter and would not like her to be subjected to suspect behaviour if she joined the movie business. There’s only one problem with this theory. No one in their right minds would dare to mess with the daughter of Sanjay Dutt, a man not exactly known for his calm and even temper. So, it’s not even remotely possible that Trishala would be sexually harassed or fall victim to the infamous casting couch of the film industry. On the contrary, film producers would probably be queuing up for the privilege of launching her in the movies.

Or perhaps Dutt feels that actresses are not respected by society, even looked down upon because of the nature of their profession. But surely, empirical evidence suggests otherwise. His mother, Nargis, who became an actress during a much more conservative era, was universally loved and respected right until her untimely death. Sharmila Tagore, who broke several class barriers when she joined Hindi cinema, is seen as an icon of style and grace even today. Shabana Azmi and Hema Malini have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha (as, indeed, was Nargis). Madhuri Dixit still rules over the hearts of millions of Indians. Aishwarya Rai continues to make movies even after becoming a Bachchan bahu. And even the current crop of actresses, from Bipasha Basu to Deepika Padukone, are treated with respect by the film industry (yes, even those who do not have star dads).

So, what exactly is Sanjay’s problem? Why is he so implacably opposed to his daughter acting in Hindi movies?

Well, I’ve puzzled over this for days but only one explanation make sense. And that explanation has more to do with Dutt himself than the film industry he seems so down on; it’s more about his own attitude to women than the treatment accorded to them by Bollywood.

Because if you think about it, it is Dutt who shows scant respect for his female co-stars when he announces that his daughter would never be allowed to become an actress. It is Dutt who reinforces the idea that the movie business is a dangerous place for women by trying to bully his daughter out of it. And it is Dutt who falls short of honouring the right of a woman to make her own life choices when he lays down the law to his adult daughter: don’t join the movies or else...

Yes, at the end of the day, this whole sorry episode is an indictment of Dutt’s values and beliefs; not a judgement on the film industry.

Perhaps Trishala should keep that in mind before she comes to a decision – a decision that is her own, not her Daddy’s. seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami

FROM BIPASHA BASU TO DEEPIKA PADUKONE, THE FILM INDUSTRY TREATS ACTRESSES WITH RESPECT

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

City Slickers

The new, revised kitty party THAT TO THIS Women-only kitty party clubs of old have become cool ‘couple kittys’

Kitty party ‘aunties’ aren’t what they used to be. Now they’re cool, corporate, liberal with cash – and some of them are even men!

by Pooja Biraia Illustrations by Tejas Modak

T

HINK BACK over the last five years and you’ll remember seeing groups of brightly dressed women, mostly 40-something homemakers, playing games and gossiping over lunch at a neighbourhood restaurant, before revealing the lucky member of the group who would bag the kitty that month. That was the kitty party. Something of a joke to young (and slightly mean) people, who shook their heads at such aunty-like behaviour as a bunch of middle-aged women having such a sedate idea of fun.

But it’s 2011 now, and the sober and sedate kitty party has now transformed into a high-end, lavish, cocktail do. Often held at five-star ballrooms or out of town weekend locations, frequently including such activities as ramp walks, sushi demos and beauty tips, this new age version is something that lures not only homemakers, but also working women and even their husbands.

These are kitty parties? Can such things really be?

hitherto an exclusive women-only club.

This new trend has redefined the term kitty party altogether.”

With men beginning to join, the kitty (the foundation of the kitty party – every member contributing a certain sum of money a month, the total to be handed over to one member of the group every month) has grown bigger than before.

Charu Mehra, who, along with her entrepreneur husband is a couple kitty party regular, says enthusiastically, “We are a group of 10 couples all in their early 30s, and the journey of moving from a ladiesonly group to getting our hubbies involved has been fantastic. The stakes have gone up considerably, with each couple now pooling in about R30,000 a month for 10 months, as opposed to the R10,000 that we ladies would pitch in before.”

The men aren’t complaining, as they think a get-

MAN, OH, MAN

Yes, they can, says Madhuri Raijada, professor of sociology at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. In fact, the couple kitty party is now the new phenomenon. “This is exciting,” says Raijada. “Men have now entered, or have been made to enter what was

‘LATELY, KITTY CONTRIBUTIONS

HAVE BECOME AS HIGH AS R1 LAKH PER PERSON PER MONTH’ 18

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

together of this kind helps them establish a network. That’s why Gopinath Vasantharaj from Chennai, a commercial pilot, joined his wife three years ago at kitty parties. “I’m an extrovert and like meeting new people and exploring new places. My couple friends insisted that I join, and at the time, I knew just three people in the group,” he says. “But now we are a close-knit bunch. I think a kitty party is a good way to socialise.”

But how did the concept of the kitty party change? Nimisha Mirani, coordinator of E-cube Global College, says men must be around in order for the couple to move up the social ladder. But Charu Mehra feels differently. “It makes us feel loved and cared for when we have our husbands besides us at kitties,” she says.

“And of course, their presence means late-night dinners, weekend getaways and a lot more money.”

AN EXTRAVAGANT AFFAIR

Lajpat Nagar resident Kalika Dhingra, a couple kitty party regular since the last six years, can remember the good old days when all there was to a kitty party was homemade chaat over a game of cards, tambola and a modest contribution that never exceeded the sum of R3,000R4,000 per person. However, these days, bigger stakes are involved. “Lately, contributions have been as high as R1 lakh per month per person,” says Mirani.

And it’s not just the fund money that has increased substantially; over-

TRADITIONA L The elements of a traditional kitty party:

Earlier

■ A group of ho usewives mee t up once a month over lunch, af ter finishing their hous ehold chores.

■ The kitty is generally a re ticent affair, where mem bers meet at th e hostess’s resid ence or somet imes at a neighbourhoo d restaurant.

■ The cost pe r head, if at a restaurant, does not exceed R100 or R125.

■ Entertainmen t would mean a variety of card ga mes or an ela borate game of tambo la, where the to tal prize money wo uld be betwee n R200 to R400 .

■ Conversatio n would range from neighbourhoo d go and in-law prob ssip to marital lems to recipes and beauty tips.

■ The kitty wo uld be a collect ed fund of about R10,00 0-R15,000 wi th each member cont ributing a fixed amount.

It was more ab out the money and catching up wi th friends, than the location, ambi ence, food an d other paraphernalia .

Women would gather at a member’s home for lunch, play cards, complain about their husbands, kids and in-laws and share recipes and household tips...

KITTY PARTIES

NOW INCLUDE ACTIVITIES SUCH AS STRIPPERS, RAMP WALKS AND SUSHI DEMOS

all kitty parties have become more lavish.

“About two to three years ago, a decent party at a neighbourhood restaurant could cost up to R150 per head,” says Mirani.

“But now, when you factor in a plush three star, even five star hotel, with cocktails, soft drinks, elaborate fare and other paraphernalia, the cost can skyrocket to R50,000 per head.”

Needless to say, in this desire to go high-end, the concept of hosting a kitty party in the comfort of one’s home has vanished. “Now, if you say you would rather host it at your place over a game of cards and drinks, followed by dinner, you are looked down upon,” says Dhingra.

This extravagant expenditure is not just reserved for couple kitty parties.

The ladies too aren’t wary about doling out enormous amounts of cash. This change can be attributed to the financial independence of women now, and a manifold increase in incomes, says Pia Agni, an independent stylist and trend analyst.

“Women now go for kitty parties at restaurants and lounges such as Bungalow 9 and Hakkasan in Mumbai, where the per head cost is no less than R4,000-R5,000 for salad and drinks alone,” adds Agni.

DRESS IT UP

The new age look of kitty parties is also evident in the way women dress up for them. The once popular image of women at a kitty, wearing gaudy sarees and jew-

20

...Corporate women meet at a fancy restaurant for dinner, and discuss world tours and office politics

Now

says Agni. Another important factor that has led to the change in sartorial styles has been the increasing participation in kitties of corporate women in their early to mid thirties.

“I know CEOs and COOs of well known companies who are kitty party members and these women, unlike others, discuss world tours rather than husbands and mom-in-laws,” says Agni.

And as kitty parties get more sophisticated, restaurants and event organisers are now offering custom made entertainment solutions – including fashion shows, ramp walks, strippers, tarot reading, spa treatments, live sushi preparation demonstrations and much more,” says Gary Saldanha, general manager, Busaba, Mumbai. “Twice a month, we have grand kitty parties at each of our properties in Mumbai and there are as many as 40 to 50 ladies in each group. Requests range from ramp walks to strippers. About two to three years ago, you would find these parties to be more sedate affairs, wherein ladies would come and play a few card games, have lunch, contribute the money and walk away. But lately, they want much more than that,” Saldanha adds.

Event organisers too have added kitty parties to their list of clients. Shalini Gill, an event organiser based in Delhi, says, “We organise theme-based kitty parties with detailed arrangements and I’ve observed that the line between a corporate party and a kitty party is now blurring. The latter is equally sophisticated and as dolled up as the former.”

Another new concept that has recently joined the kitty party club is the yellow metal. Kamlesh Barot, director of Revival Indian Thali, a restaurant in Mumbai, says, “A peculiar trend that has lately taken off in the kitty party circle is that instead of money being pooled in, it’s gold now. We have couples coming in groups, and chipping in about two to three grams of gold, so the one who wins the chit that month walks away with a good 10-12 grams of the metal.” So, why move from cash to metal, we ask. “I believe gold makes for excellent longterm investments,” he responds.

GET OUTTA HERE

ellery, has given way to one that comprises full-length dresses and denims.

“Women have stopped wearing Indian outfits altogether as the culture of highend parties requires them to dress accordingly. They now flaunt designer bags and follow the latest fashion trends,”

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

But what do you do once you’ve explored all the latest concepts in kitty parties? You take them to another level. Homemaker Ritu Sabharwal explains, “We are 18 couples in all, and once every two months we make it a point to conduct our kitty at a nice place out of Mumbai. These weekend getaways are relaxing.” And how does the group handle expenses? “We go Dutch on all expenses, but the food cost is borne by the host,” adds Sabharwal.

The group from Chennai which Vasantharaj is a part of also organises such affairs. “We go on two-day mini vacations on weekends, when the kids stay at home and both me and my wife go out with our kitty group,” he explains.

pooja.biraia@hindustantimes.com

Variety

The next time you see a celebrity in a TV commercial, listen carefully. Is that really the way she or he sounds? Or could you be hearing a ‘voice impressionist’?

I

by Amrah Ashraf

MAGINE ENTERING a room blindfolded.

You can hear the creak of a chair, but your groping hands can’t seem to find one. Then suddenly Amjad Khan taps you on the shoulder and bellows, ‘Kitne aadmi the?’

As you almost jump out of your skin in fright, you hear Amitabh Bachchan’s reassuring baritone. ‘Aye saala kya bolta hai,’ he says. And as you turn towards him, Saif Ali Khan offers you potato chips while Deepika Padukone explains how it is healthy to chew gum after eating.

What a nightmare! But it’s for real and you snatch off your blindfold, expecting to be surrounded by film stars. But all you see are four very regular, very normal people. Huh? Who are they?

They are some of the country’s best voice impressionists All the voices you heard were theirs. ‘Voicing’, as their profession is called, is a talent, and voice impressionists are much in demand in the ad industry, dubbing for celebs who don’t have the time to do more than shoot for a commercial. So that isn’t Saif Ali Khan talking to you in the Lays commercials. A voice artist dubbed for him. Shah Rukh Khan in the Sunfeast ad?

That too was dubbed. And do you claim you could recognise Amitabh Bachchan’s voice in your sleep? Listen again.

Before live sound recordings came in, the Big B’s baritone belonged to... somebody else.

So what’s it like to be, say, the voice of Amitabh Bachchan? Or Sachin Tendulkar? Or Kareena Kapoor?

Four voice impressionists tell us.

THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR...

amrah.ashraf@hindustantimes.com

CHETAN SASHITAL:

THE VOICE OF SACHIN TENDULKAR

L

ooks are truly deceptive! If you bumped into Chetan Sashital, you would never imagine that the sixfoot-tall burly man is the voice of willow master Sachin Tendulkar. But Sachin’s voice comes naturally to him.

“Sachin has a very high-pitched voice but somehow, I don’t have to think for even a second before modulating my voice to suit his,” says Sashital. “I just have to change the pressure centre of my voice.”

He has dubbed for Sachin in many Pepsi and Visa Power commercials.

Chetan Sashital has been in the industry for over two decades. He started his career with feature films and dubbed for a range of personalities – Salman Khan in Biwi No 1, Sunny Deol in Aag Ka Gola, Sanjay Dutt in Andolan and Dharmendra in Zulm Ki Hukumat. Then he moved to commercials, in which he ‘did’ a perfect Shah Rukh Khan for Pepsi and Sunfeast.

22

Apart from SRK, he has also dubbed for Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, and sport stars like Sachin, Vinod Kambli, Mohd. Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

“When Sehwag shot for ‘Sehwag ke thande funde’, he had a very strong Jat accent. That needed to be polished and cleared while keeping the character of his voice the same. So I removed the accent and dubbed it in his voice. This is what you call voice cosmetics in the ad world,” says Sashital.

A man of many voices, Sashital also dubs for animated characters, such as Baloo the bear in Tailspin and the genie in Aladdin, working purely on instinct. The result, he beams, has always been bang on.

But he doesn’t mind being a ‘voice’, not a ‘face’. Fame, he feels, is not important.

“I felt I needed to be a known face when I had just started out. But with maturity you realise that it’s not important. People

like me were always destined to be just the voice of a known face.”

Voicing, for Sashital, is more than work. It is his passion, his moment of ‘complete nirvana.’ Perfection and complete concentration are paramount. “Before you mimic someone, you need to catch the natural frequency of their voice,” he explains. “For that you need great concentration.

Voicing, according to me, is the greatest fine art. A good voice impressionist is like an actor. He needs to act and emote while dubbing for someone else.”

Sashital is also an actor, musician, painter, and photographer. He truly believes in the power of speech: he claims to have taught his dog to recite a poem and says he can converse with crows. Is he for real? We may question this, but for Sashital, voicing is his life, his gift from god and his prayer.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

PHOTO: KALPAK PATHAK

I DON’T HAVE

TO THINK BEFORE I MODULATE MY VOICE TO SUIT SACHIN. IT IS VERY NATURAL

PHOTO: PRASAD GORI

RAHUL MULANI

HRISHIKESH KANNAN THE VOICE OF AMITABH BACHCHAN

I

t’s quite something to be told that your voice is better than Amitabh Bachchan’s. Especially when that compliment comes from Amitabh Bachchan himself. Naturally, Hrishikesh Kannan can’t stop beaming when he tells you that story.

“I once emceed an event organised by the Bachchans where I had to read a poem,” he says. “I decided to read it in Amitji’s voice and after I was done, Amitji came up to me and said that I sounded as good, if not better, than him. I was completely blown!”

Voicing came easy to Kannan, who was just another Delhi University lad moonlighting in theatre before he became a hot jock with a popular radio channel. Before he knew it, the ad industry came calling.

First there were voiceovers for commercials. Next, he was a full time voice artist.

“I didn’t have to peddle my work at all,” says Kannan.

So how did he start dubbing for Amitabh Bachchan? “It happened purely by accident,” he grins. “Amitji was shooting abroad and didn’t have dates to dub the ad film. The agency needed to roll with the ad and so they contacted me.” It sounds so simple, but it’s true.

Now, however, things are changing in the industry. Since the advent of live sound recording, Bachchan and a host of other stars prefer to use their own voices in their commercials. “Amitji and Aamir Khan make it a point to dub most of their

ads,” says Kannan. “They believe they can emote better than a voice artist and are very conscious of the quality of product they roll out. For instance, Aamir dubbed all the Tata Sky ads himself. Now other actors have started dubbing their own spots too.”

This means that Kannan can no longer call himself the voice of Amitabh Bachchan, but that doesn’t bother him. Well, not a lot. Work comes in steadily – he does voiceovers for channels like Channel V and shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, not to mention ads. Fame is not important, he feels.

But recognition is significant.

“I have a RAPA (Radio and TV Advertising Practitioners Association) award for my radio work, but there are no awards for voicing,” says Kannan. “Voice artists should also be given their due. Often, our work goes completely unnoticed. I understand that it is impossible to have credit rolls in commercials, but what about TV programmes?

They, too, have stopped running end credit rolls so there is no way that viewers can know who we are.”

AFTER I READ

A POEM IN AMITJI’S VOICE, HE SAID I SOUNDED AS GOOD, IF NOT BETTER, THAN HIM

THE VOICE OF SAIF ALI KHAN

I

f you’re a Mumbaikar, you probably know Rahul Mulani. He TRUE GRIT was the voice of Times FM in the Rahul Mulani mid-’90s and boy, did he have a fan kept practicfollowing! But Mulani wanted to chaling till he lenge himself and break out of his comcould make fort zone. So he quit radio in ’98 to his voice become a voiceover artist. sound like Saif “Even while I was a radio jock, I enjoyed voicing,” he says. “I quit radio because I knew there was a lot more scope in voicing. I faced hard days initially, but I made it.”

Mimicking is almost second nature for Mulani who used to ‘do’ his teachers and friends all the time. A ‘voice cosmetician’ if you will, he can change the timbre and tone of his voice faster than you can wink. But it’s Saif Ali Khan who really fascinates him. So much so that Mulani has become Saif’s voice in many Lays and Colgate Max Fresh Gel advertisements.

But how did it all start?

“I was very fascinated by Saif’s performance in Dil Chahta Hai and I started copying this one dialogue from the film where he talks to his girlfriend over the phone,” explains Mulani. “I kept practicing it and one day I cracked the code. The first time I dubbed for Saif was about nine years ago for a Lays ad. Now I study and

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

23

SONIYA NAIR

THE VOICE OF JUHI, KAJOL, KAREENA, PREITY, VIDYA

O

PHOTO:

observe Saif’s mannerisms, facial expresSATTISH BATE sions and body language. It’s almost like living a character.”

But Mulani is quick to point out that Saif and a lot of other actors insist on dubbing for themselves too. “It’s a matter of availability for the stars. Sometimes they are out of town for work and cannot make it for recordings. That is when we do the job for them,” he says. “Obviously, the commercials in regional languages are dubbed by us. But whenever the option of sync sound is available, the stars insist on doing it themselves.”

Unfazed by the lack of recogMANNERISMS, BODY nition and fame, Mulani doesn’t understand why voice artists LANGUAGE AND FACIAL fuss about it so much. “I am EXPRESSIONS. IT’S there to do a job and I get paid ALMOST LIKE LIVING for it. Dubbing for Saif does not mean that I should be as famous A CHARACTER as he is. But there is a difference between ad films and feature or animated films. If I dub a movie, I want to see my name in the credit roll. Sadly, a lot of times voice artists are ignored.”

Still, he’s excited by the changes that have been taking place in the field of voicing. “The industry has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last five years, and now the younger generation is challenging the older brigade,” he explains. “That makes things fun and competitive.”

The kind of involvement that people put into projects today is also exciting, says Mulani. They are more involved today, he explains, which adds an extra dimension to the work. “What excites me most about my job, though, is when I am challenged to produce different kinds of voices for an ad film,” he says. “That breaks the monotony of daily work.”

I STUDY SAIF’S

24

ne moment she’ll babble like an eight-year-old and the next, talk like an 80-year-old. Meet Soniya Nair, one of the busiest voice artists in the industry. Shuttling between studios in the maddening Mumbai traffic, working late into the night, recording voiceovers for commercials and dubbing for actresses for commercials, Nair loves every minute of her job. Ask her what she would be if not a voiceover artist and she says, “I really don’t know.”

We are not surprised.

Nair started dubbing at the age of four which she jokingly calls “child labour.” Introduced to voicing by her father, the first ad she dubbed for was the Rasna girl.

Now, whenever she sees a kid dubbing, she makes it a point to wait till the end and encourage the kid.

MOST FUN TO WORK “Recordings are hard WITH. I DUBBED THE enough for grown-ups, CATCH MASALA ADS FOR think how intimidating it could be for a kid,” HER. HER ENERGY LEVELS ARE INFECTIOUS sheAsays. veteran in her own right, she is the voice behind many TV commercials featuring Aishwarya Rai, Vidya Balan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta and Juhi Chawla. “Juhi is the most fun to work with. I dubbed the Catch masala ads for her. Her energy levels are infectious.

Apart from her I enjoy dubbing for Vidya. She has a very nice base to her voice. In fact, the latest Good Knight ad PHOTO: is running with my voice,” says Nair.

PRASAD GORI A queen of intonation,

JUHI IS THE

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

Nair can switch from a cartoon character to Hema Malini in under a second.

“Dubbing for actresses is harder because most of them don’t have a specific style of talking unlike say, a Shah Rukh Khan,” she says. “Actresses don’t have a punchline that you can mimic. So you have to work extra hard to catch their natural frequency. Take Rani’s voice for instance.

It is very husky and I find it extremely hard to get the exact texture.”

Not one to mince her words, Soniya feels that voice artists are usually not given their due credit. “It is a tough and highly specialised job. Even within the industry, there are so many awards for different genres of post production, but voicing is completely ignored.”

What irks her more is when a technical category award like the ‘Voice of the Year’ is given to a celebrity. “Voice artists are completely ignored.”

Having said that, she is quick to point out that it is not fame she is looking for. “I don’t care about being famous. I don’t even tell my friends and family that I have dubbed for celebrities,” says Nair.

Known as ‘Miss Fabulous’ amongst her contemporaries, Soniya Nair is definitely going places. Loaded with great attitude and oodles of versatility, she is the voice which will stick around for a long time.

Wellness

SHIKHA SHARMA

THE FOOD THAT YOU FORGET

Are you still putting on weight despite a strict diet?

Blame it on ‘eating amnesia’

by Kavita Devgan

Y

OU WOULDN’T think, would you, that you could forget all the yummy (and not so yummy) food you eat every day. And yet, according to experts, that is actually what happens on a daily basis. The term ‘eating amnesia’ includes all those few nibbles of a few chips from a friend’s pack, a hasty bite of your partner’s burger or finishing a child’s leftover tiffin – all of which can add up to unaccounted calories.

Consider this: A few French fries can add up to 80-100 calories, half a samosa 125 calories and a piece of peanut chikki some 50-odd calories – and you simply forget about it later.

The tricky part, say experts, is that eating amnesia is neither deliberate nor conscious, which is why it is more frustrating.

EATING WHILE DISTRACTED

Do this exercise – ask yourself how many food-related decisions you think you make every day. When Cornell University researchers asked 139 participants this question, the average answer was 14 decisions. But after a detailed breaking down of their day, it transpired that the participants made an average of 226 food decisions a day, 59 of which related to what kind of food to eat.

There is another grey zone – ‘eating while distracted’. This also contributes to eating amnesia. In a study published in the American

MIND BODY SOUL

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

That happy feeling

E

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers observed women who normally watch their portions, eat their lunch in different situations. They found that women ate 15 per cent more (72 additional calories) when they ate while listening to a detective story as compared with when they ate alone and free of distractions. Multitasking is a common reason for snatched bites, so there’s a compelling reason to move your TV out of the dining room.

WHAT TO DO

STAY IN FOCUS: Look carefully at what you are

eating. The simple act of concentrating on your food can save you a huge amount of unneeded calories.

SIT AND SERVE: Serve yourself and sit down to eat – never just pick up a handful and eat moving about. This way you’ll be able to account for everything that goes inside you.

KEEP A RECORD: Maintain a food logbook and carefully record every little bite you take.

AVOID TEMPTATION: Keep sinful goodies out of reach; say, in the highest kitchen cabinet. And never ever keep treats in transparent jars.

Another way of staying away from fattening foods is to not buy any of them.

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT: Watch what you put in your mouth – nibbling adds calories. If you must nibble, ensure you stick to healthy foods as far as possible.

(The author is a Delhi-based nutritionist and writer) brunchletters@hindustantimes.com

VERYONE aspires to a good quality of life. But what exactly does that mean? In my experience, for a good quality of life, the basic needs of an individual – food, shelter, safety, health, freedom of life and self-determination – must be met.

How the state of emotions impacts us has been a subject of great deliberations right from Aristotle to Lao Tzu. Emotions can be pleasant or unpleasant; negative emotions not only make any experience unpleasant, but can also lead to several diseases. These include: PAIN: either in the lower back or legs, headaches or migraines, in the chest or arm, joint pains or cervical pain.

ACIDITY: This can be a major part of the stress response.

HORMONAL IMBALANCES: Insulin gets imbalanced due to stress, and this eventually leads to diabetes. In women, several ovarian hormones can get imbalanced due to the stress response – leading to disorders like hypothyroidism.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS: Several disorders are related to stress and it has been seen that an unhealthy diet coupled with stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders.

SKIN ALLERGIES, IMMUNE AND ALLERGIC DISORDERS: Such disorders frequently crop up after a period of stress and are connected to a hyper inflammation of the immune system.

In a survey, two kinds of people were interviewed two years after they encountered a life-changing experience. The first group were those who had received a financial windfall, and the second were a group of people who had been diagnosed with a severe illness or suffered an accident.

To the surprise of many, when asked how happy they were in comparison to before, they conceded that though their living environment had changed significantly, their state of happiness/sadness were almost the same as before. This led researchers to hypothesise that everyone has a base level of sadness/ happiness, which depends not so much on the life situation but how we actually think.

Finding lasting happiness depends on how we process our thoughts and read the external environment. ask@drshikha.com

Happiness does not depend on a life situation, but how we actually think

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

PERSONAL AGENDA PHOTO: MCT

The Shararat girl worked for six years in television before making a foray as a character actor on the big screen. After Fanaa (2006), Shruti Seth played parts in Ta Ra Rum Pum, Slumdog Millionaire, and more recently Rajneeti (2010). She married Break Ke Baad director Danish Aslam earlier this year. She will next be seen in My Friend Pinto alongside Prateik and Kalki Koechlin.

ACTRESS

SHRUTI SETH One word that describes you best.

Sharp.

Which superhero would you like to be and why?

Mystique from X-Men. Who wouldn’t like to be a shape shifter and super hot at the same time?

If a traffic constable hauled you up, what would you do?

Earlier, I would have said that I’d plead a little in Marathi and hope to be let off, but now with the whole fight against corruption I’d pay the fine and hope to be let off.

Your first kiss was…

Clumsy.

The colour ‘pink’ for you is…

The latest symbol of metrosexuality; lately I’ve seen more men wear pink than women.

A tune you can’t get out of your head?

I still haven’t found what I’m looking for (live version),

which I heard at a U2 concert where the first line was sung

by Bono and the rest of the verses were sung by the 70,000 fans in the audience.

What did you do with your first pay cheque?

I gave it to my nani.

The one law you would break if you could get away with it?

Gravity. Would be nice to levitate every now and then.

Do you love Luv Storys?

I most certainly do.

Choose: Air India or Indian Railways?

The former, only because I prefer to fly.

The last time you rode on a bus?

Was in June this year, in New York.

If you could have chosen your own name, what would you have chosen?

As terrible as it may sound, I really wanted to be called Natashka (I actually consid-

26

ered changing it when I was in college).

What is the weirdest thing that ever went into your mouth?

Frog legs… eeeeewwwww, I know! I was tricked into eating them in Singapore.

You are late for work and all the roads are jammed.

Choose a mode of transport: a cycle, a horse or a skateboard. Why?

A PLACE WHERE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE LOST FOR A MONTH?

AUSTRALIA. I THINK I’LL NEED AT LEAST A MONTH TO EXPLORE THE ENTIRE CONTINENT

A cycle and a skateboard would be my first options but with the state of Mumbai roads, I think a horse would be best.

Earth’s crowded and chock full of trash. Choose another planet.

Jupiter.

If you could be born either rich or intelligent, which one would you choose? You can’t say ‘both’.

YOU GET HIGH ON?

FIVE-INCH HEELS

PHOTO: MCT

Definitely intelligent. If you know how to use your brain you will find a way to get rich.

What makes your day?

Whenever my husband wakes me up in the morning.

What screws it up?

A night shoot.

Your favourite freedom fighter?

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL SEXY?

A BIKINI

PHOTO: MCT

Mahatma Gandhi.

Love is…

Blind.

The last movie that made you cry?

Aarakshan. Whenever I see

Mr Bachchan cry on screen, I find it impossible to hold back my tears.

If you were the last person left on earth, what would you do?

Wait for my logical end and hope to get it right the next time.

HINDUSTAN TIMES WEEKLY MAGAZINE OCTOBER 16, 2011

— Interviewed by Priyanka Jain

IF YOU COULD HAVE HAD A STAR PERFORM AT YOUR WEDDING, WHO WOULD IT HAVE BEEN AND WHY?

BONO. DANISH AND I ARE BIG FANS OF U2