WEEKLY MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012 Free with your copy of Hindustan Times
From left: Madhur Bhandarkar, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Rajkumar Gupta and Siddharth Roy Kapur
We got brilliant brains and beautiful people to discuss the changing face of the Hindi film heroine. The result? A night to remember!
indulge
VIR SANGHVI
The new Australia
SANJOY NARAYAN The Dylan tempest
SEEMA GOSWAMI
Celebs and privacy don’t click
RAJIV MAKHNI
All about the iPhone 5
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B R E A K FA S T O F C H A M P I O N S
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Brunch Opinion
WOMEN ON THE VERGE!
T
HE WHOLE idea behind Brunch Dialogues – Conversations with Indian Cinema is to engage with interesting people from the film industry and get them to discuss all sorts of issues – such as the Bollywood gangster film (the topic at the first Brunch Dialogues, held earlier this year; oh and by the way, the Brunch team is full of passionate movie-goers!). And to do this in a fun, intelligent way. The second edition of Brunch Dialogues, held on September 14 in Mumbai, was about an exciting recent trend: the changing face of the Hindi film heroine. For us at Brunch, organising an event of this nature was full of the mandatory tension, excitement, anticipation. There were all those compulsive last-minute double-checks (“Have the lights been set up for our photoshoot?”), mini heart attacks (“Exactly how many people are stuck in the Bandra Fair traffic jam? Oh, even the teleprompter is stuck in the jam?”), and finally the happy moments (“What great sessions!”). The entire team pitched in to pull off a fabulous event, even though not everyone could make it to Mumbai. But there’s always the next edition of Brunch Dialogues…Till then, tell us what you thought of the discussions, we’d love to hear from you. And enjoy the special coverage in this edition and on our website! by Poonam Saxena, Editor
‘Ooh, I Love What She’s Wearing’
A picture is worth a thousand words. So, we decided to show you three galleries of handpicked photographs from Brunch Dialogues. The criteria was simple: good-looking people only. Log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch for more!
Straight From The Horse’s Mouth Brunch columnist and adviser, HT Media, Vir Sanghvi was also the moderator for Brunch Dialogues. For his version of the panel discussions, read his blog Medium Term on blogs.hindustantimes.com/medium-term
The Devil Is In The Detail
by Parul Khanna
Why wasn’t Sharmila Tagore’s co-star not allowed to use the bathroom? Who was Tiger Pataudi’s favourite actress? What happened when Kareena met Saif for the first time? And where does Karisma take her kids very often? We know it all. Why? Because they told us, of course. And we will tell you. For all those little details from Brunch Dialogues, log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch There’s also the uncut conversation between the Kapoor sisters and Sharmila Tagore, moderated by Vir Sanghvi
ON THE BRUNCH RADAR New features on the iPhone 5 ■ The fireflies moment in Barfi! ■ A badass new Britney on X-Factor ■ Cheap deals with Restaurant Week ■ Narcopolis (just pretend you've read it!) ■
by Rachel Lopez
LOVE IT !
E SHOV IT !
Sept issues with NOTHING in your budget Another fuel hike ■ Great lines, bad delivery on 2 Broke Girls ■ Mercy pleas from terrorists ■ Honkathons outside your window ■ ■
NOW, SLOWWWLY SPREAD YOUR LEGS... by Aasheesh Sharma
Photo: PRODIP GUHA
BROUGHT TO YOU BY... (From left) Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Rachel Lopez, Poonam Saxena, Mignonne Dsouza, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi and Amrah Ashraf
LETTER OF THE WEEK!
Inspired living for all
THE ‘GOOD Homes Special’ (September 16) was an eyeopener for big city dwellers who live in small apartments and yet want to keep things neat and tidy in those constrained spaces. The novel ideas on managing one’s wardrobe and the cute chairs were a great read. Movie star Neha Dhupia’s home was the cherry on top of the cake for those who wished to take a leaf from her elegant apartment. Her ideas of inspired living and her valuable tips served as a big boost for us to make our own homes more welcoming. KRUPALI GAYNAR, via email Krupali wins a Flipkart voucher worth `2,500. Congrats!
The best letter gets a Flipkart voucher worth R2,500!! The shopping voucher will reach the winner within seven to 10 working days. In case of any delays, please contact chirag.sharma@hindustantimes.com
Cover Design: ASHUTOSH SAPRU Cover Image: NATASHA HEMRAJANI
There’s much more to yoga than flexibility and strange poses. Great sex, for one thing. In this Brunch Q, we got Bharat Thakur, founder of Artistic Yoga, to talk about the connection between asanas and sensuality, consummation and spirituality, yog and sambhog.
BrunchQ: Read all about it!
A Pardesi Watches Bollywood a three-part series
EDITORIAL: Poonam Saxena (Editor), Aasheesh Sharma, Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi, Rachel Lopez, Mignonne Dsouza, Veenu Singh, Parul Khanna Tewari, Yashica Dutt, Amrah Ashraf, Saudamini Jain, Shreya Sethuraman, Manit Moorjani
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
DESIGN: Ashutosh Sapru (National Editor, Design), Monica Gupta, Swati Chakrabarti, Rakesh Kumar, Ashish Singh, Shailendra M
R100 ONLY!
BRUNCH POST-ITS: This week, read Bohemian Rhapsody by Shreya Sethuraman. Poetry is more than just words
You need BrunchQ to develop fully and wholly. In order to live and to love. In the last issue, we decided to get some expert help for the young men who want to score – you absolutely can’t be a boor. We got actor and model Angad Bedi to tell you exactly how to make it through that crucial first date. It’s now on the web. Log on to hindustantimes.com/brunch for the Dude’s Guide To Getting Lucky. You’ll thank us.
India Bana Pardes
NOW STANDOSN ,
Missing the last installment of our series? It will be there next week. Sorry about the delay! Drop us a line at:
brunchletters@hindustantimes.com or to 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001
TA L K I N G P O I N T
facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
That Was Well Said
The second Brunch Dialogues entertained, engaged and made headlines!
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HE SECOND edition of Brunch Dialogues – Conversations With Indian Cinema set the tone for a night of Bollywood discussion that went beyond filmi gossip. The spotlight was trained on cinema’s female side; because where would our blockbusters be without their leading ladies, their fearless heroines, their sultry seductresses and their irresistible girls next door? Our films have celebrated women down the ages, but do our new films break stereotypes or simply create new ones? How far has the female lead come? How far will she go? And who’s taking her there? Two panels (of powerful filmmakers and stunning and equally powerful actresses) discussed all this and more at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai, on a glittering Friday evening. The city played a great host and the Mumbai rains decided to come too. Read on...
Session One: Emerging From The Stereotype “Actresses prefer to remain an object than a subject” by Rachel Lopez
THE PANELISTS: Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD, Studios, Disney UTV; Madhur Bhandarkar, Director, Heroine, Fashion; Rajkumar Gupta, Director, No One Killed Jessica, Aamir Moderator: Vir Sanghvi, Advisor, HT Media
our men sit down to discuss FAnd women… it turns out to be a pretty
upbeat evening – quickfire quotes, surprising truths, money talk and good natured ribbing. But then we’d expected nothing less. It starts off with a bang. Madhur Bhandarkar is discussing his new film Heroine, explaining how his central character, the fading star Mahi (Kareena Kapoor), is based on people from Bollywood, Hollywood and the film industries of South India. Madhur: Mahi is not a one-dimensional character. She’s fragile, temperamental, neurotic, unstable…
“Earlier a strong female protagonist was either a devi or a prostitute”
Vir: And heroines are like that? Madhur: It’s a dramatisation of what is already the case. It’s about dealing with fame. Vir: But why do people only focus on neurotic women? What about the men? Siddharth: It’s audiences who’ve made female protagonists a better bet than before. Umrao Jaan, Arth and Bhumika had strong female roles. But they were called “different” films. It’s changed. Movies that were art cinema earlier are now mainstream. Vir: But isn’t it true that cinema looks at women as either weepy or ball breaking? There’s Rani [Mukerji] in No One Killed Jessica… Rajkumar Gupta: As a director, you have the creative liberty to give the character an edge – to do what you want to do. Madhur: Even Heroine is 70 per cent Photo: SATTISH BATE
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THE MEN WHO CALL THE SHOTS: From left: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Rajkumar Gupta, Madhur Bhandarkar with moderator Vir Sanghvi
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
real and we needed to add 30 per cent of drama to Kareena’s character. It was the requirement of the film. For Chandni Bar I went to a lot of bars, but the film itself was made in a budget of one-and-a half crore. In Heroine, Kareena’s costume budget alone was bigger… Siddharth: And it’s required for her character. If you’re making a film like Heroine then you can’t buy clothes from Fashion Street. Heroine’s entire budget is R20 crore. And costumes actually cost more than the R1.5 crore. Madhur: Well she has some 127 costumes… Vir: What draws you to womencentric films? Rajkumar: The nature of the story. The story of struggle is what is most inspiring. I take inspiration from the papers, the headlines. Ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Vir: And how do audiences react to something like this? Siddharth: Male-centric movies are always entertaining but women centric films are more commercially viable. I don’t think the audience wants to see Katrina or Kareena playing Salman’s role in Ek Tha Tiger – they want glamour. A male film can be over the top, but a woman-centric film has to be real. Earlier a strong female protagonist was either a devi or a prostitute. Today women characters have shades of grey… Madhur: Actresses too prefer to remain an object than a subject. They prefer mainstream movies because it means a big actor, an item number, endorsements and money.
FROM THE FRONT ROW... ...actress Poorna Jagannathan asked why there were no women on the panel (well, that was panel number two) and whether filmmaking was male dominated or not. Rajkumar Gupta’s response: For anyone who thinks this, you have to come on the sets to see how many women work in a film. Women form 70 per cent of the crew. Adman Alyque Padamsee declared that cinema was just using women as legs and cleavage today. “People seem to have forgotten when there were Nargis, Meena Kumari as leads.” Vir’s response: So films just use women as props... And of course, advertising never does this!
Photo: SATTISH BATE
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KAL AAJ AUR KAL: From left: Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore
Session Two: A Heroine’s Life On Celluloid by Parul Khanna Tewari
“I was married to Saif in my mind the day I met him”
The panelists: Actresses Sharmila Tagore, Kareena Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor Moderator: Vir Sanghvi, Advisor, HT Media
ever before have these three N ladies been on stage together. They were there along with Vir
Sanghvi (lucky man!) to discuss films, heroines, marriage and their relationships. Vir: How has the face of the Indian heroine changed? Sharmila: Today, money is in place. A film is made in real time. Earlier, sometimes, it would take two to three years to make one film. Unless it was a Yash Chopra or a Raj Kapoor film. Also, there was a clear demarcation of stereotypical roles. What a heroine couldn’t do, the vamp would. Vamps were far more interesting and layered than the heroines who were all goody goody. Women are still playing second fiddle to actors. There is nothing written for the older heroine. The change is very superficial. By and large, the film industry is still traditional. Vir: Do you agree with Sharmila? You can disagree, I am sure she won’t mind… Kareena: (Laughs) It is a great time to be in the industry today. Things have been looking up since 2010. Actresses are taking up prominent roles. Take Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture or Priyanka Chopra in Saat Khoon Maaf, or in Barfi!, where she is
playing a daring role, that of a deaf and dumb person. The girls are ready to take up the challenge. Also, take my role in Heroine for instance. Most girls get to play either black or white roles. My role in the movie is grey. I was very sceptical about taking it up so I asked Saif about it. He told me that sometimes one should take up roles to satisfy oneself and I thought I was ready to play a little grey. Karisma: When I had done that song, Sexy sexy, it was something unheard of and there were lots of reactions. To the extent that even the words got changed to Baby baby. I
“My motherin-law essayed the role of a call girl in Mausam. That’s great inspiration”
was in tears. Now, things have changed. Vir: Kareena, at this stage in your career, you don’t need a Madhur Bhandarkar… Kareena: I would want to act all my life but I don’t know if I will have a choice all my life. Today, I want to experiment with my roles and I have the choice to do so. My mother-in-law essayed the role of a call girl in Mausam. That’s great inspiration. Vir: You are calling her mother-inlaw already? Kareena: Of course! It’s an honour to have someone I can look up to at home. Vir: Kapoor girls were not supposed to join films... Karisma: ...That is the greatest myth. My grandfather (Raj Kapoor) wasn’t against women from his family working in films. I want to clear
AND WHEN THE AUDIENCE ASKED... Today because of swear words, vulgarity and sex, we cannot watch some movies with our children. Sharmila: I wouldn’t call it vulgarity. It’s a film industry; we are competing with Hollywood. You don’t have to watch films with your family. Go on picnics with them instead. Being an actor, do you miss out on a normal life? Karisma: No. I don’t. I do the usual things. I go for walks with my children or take them to Baskin Robbins. Sharmila: But Karisma you can do that
because you are in Mumbai. Kareena: Saif walks every day to his gymnasium. I also walk down to Linking Road. How much did you spend on your clothes in Heroine? Kareena: Let’s ask the man who made all the costumes for the film, Manish Malhotra. Vir: Manish, why don’t you stand up and say you just made Rtwo crore? Manish Malhotra: (sheepishly) Yeah, the clothes cost that much. But it’s not like I made Rtwo crore!
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
this once and for all. Vir: (To Sharmila) You got married to a more famous person than you. Did it affect your career? Sharmila: Yes. Marriage does affect a woman’s career. I was a star but I wasn’t affected by stardom so I handled it. Also, Tiger didn’t mind me working. Vir: (To Kareena) Is your marriage going to affect your career? Kareena: I don’t think so. I wouldn’t sacrifice my work for my love and my love for my work. I am grateful to have met Saif. I was married to him in my mind the day I met him. I don’t know about him but I fell head-overheels in love with him. Vir: Did Saif fall head over heels in love with Kareena? Sharmila: I don’t know. He didn’t confide in me. I am very happy they are getting married. They look very good together. Saif is very fortunate to be marrying Kareena. Kareena: I enjoy his company and I am always laughing when he is around. And he never asks me what I am doing. He hasn’t even seen Heroine yet. I have seen all his movies but I don’t think he has seen mine. Vir : Tiger didn’t see all your movies? Sharmila: He didn’t. He liked Vyjanthimala. His children’s films he would see on the computer. brunchletters@hindustantimes.com
MORE ON THE WEB
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T H E S TA R S C A M E O U T , T H E Q U O T E S C A M E I N
“Most events these days have only glamour and loud music. This evening has beaten my expectations. An interesting discussion about a good topic. And so many pretty women around. I’m glad I didn’t give it a miss!”
Alyque Padamsee (with daughter Rael)
PART OF THE SCENE
Siddharth Roy Kapur (left) thought Fashion and Heroine were two of Madhur Bhandarkar’s very best works
Look Showed Up
POWER WALK
Sharmila Tagore and Vir Sanghvi continued their discussion offstage “Growing up, Tiger Pataudi was my ultimate inspiration. Because Sharmilaji was part of this event, I had to be here! She provided a lot of depth to the evening.”
Gaurav Kapoor (with Cyrus Sahukar)
The rain didn’t stop them. The crowds didn’t deter them. They even stayed back to eat, drink, chat and chat and chat. The Brunch Dialogues after party was the sparkliest spot in town GANGSTA RAP
Nawazuddin (left) with Anup Soni
SPECIAL EPISODE
Photos: SATTISH BATE, PRODIP GUHA, KALPAK PATHAK, SAROJ KUMAR DORA
Samir Kochhar talked TV with Brunch editor Poonam Saxena
ROLE MODEL
Rajkumar Gupta mingled with guests “I was so nervous about hosting, but the topic of discussion was apt for today’s changing woman. Yes, the change is evident on celluloid but also in society. It was a fun, and entertaining night.”
Maria Goretti
CONNECTED
Salim Merchant and HT’s Rajan Bhalla talked music, movies and then some
“Vir Sanghvi is awesome and edgy. I was really looking forward to Madhur Bhandarkar’s perspective on heroine-centric films. His movies are such a delight – and have such strong women.” Anu Malik
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
“The roles women sign up for are fascinating. I look for scripts with strong characters. So I was interested in the arguments presented.”
Poorna Jagannathan
WE MADE IT
Kunal Roy Kapur and wife Shayonti fought chaos to get there
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T H E S TA R S C A M E O U T , T H E Q U O T E S C A M E I N “I was at Brunch Dialogues last time and it was such a good experience, I knew I had to be a part of this too! It’s filmi and intellectual, with some very inspiring people around.”
RED, SHE SAID
Manali Jagtap outdid the red carpet
Meiyang Chang
SONG BIRD
Shilpa Rao (right) had fans following her all through dinner
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
Rohit and Manasi Roy thought the Kapoor sisters were a fitting addition to the panel
TRES CHIC
Divya Thakur dropped in straight off a Delhi flight
COMBINED POWERS
Shalmali Kholgade and Shibani Dandekar
“I’m so happy to be a part of Brunch Dialogues. The event was great and I was looking forward to all the exciting talks that unfolded. There was bling and glamour all around and so much excitement.”
“It’s always fun to participate in events with my sister! This is even better because Sharmilaji is a part of it too, and I’ve always admired her. This topic is even closer to our hearts!”
FULL BLOOM
Woodland MD Harkirat Singh (far right) saved his biggest applause for the stars of Session Two
Prateik “I love Brunch! The best part about this is that it’s a seated event. No standing on high heels for the entire evening!”
Karisma Kapoor (with sister Kareena and Manish Malhotra)
Raageshwari FINAL CALL
Sleek International CEO Monesh T Ahuja (far right) gave the filmmakers a lot of praise
“I’m glad I came. Right from the discussions to the food, to all those in attendance, it all seems perfect.”
THE GENEROUS HOST
Birgit Zorniger, general manager at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai cheered for our stars
Huma Qureshi SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
WRITE CHOICE
Author Amish Tripathi liked both sessions
As reported by Kasturi Gandhi
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R E A D B E T WE E N T H E D I A LO G U E S
twitter.com/HTBrunch
Bestselling Meluha author Amish looked shocked on the red carpet when he was asked:
Photos: SATTISH BATE, PRODIP GUHA, KALPAK PATHAK, SAROJ KUMAR DORA
r natural they behave in thei w ho n ow kn ly ib for you! poss get the inside dope t you couldn’t have to bu , em re th fo d be ue s rs ar pu st ly out these am who relentless read and heard ab from the Brunch te ht ig ra st Yes, you must have w, vie l al the fly-on-the-w environment. Get v At the 23rd hour and 59.7583 tti to Gaura th minute, our Maria Gore ar k u musical performer for the even h a S s ru y ing, Meiyang C d n a r u p : a Chang requested a white shirt K urs late o and a black belt h o tw e for the performance! And mad who cam e us run everyf ap the two o “I want to sl was nervous. uI you! I told yo u guys be on yo ’t n a c Why time, ever?”
where, from Louis Vuitton’s pilla r to the hotel staff’s post! We got it done!
ot ma are n and Karis protective sisa n e re a K rcely gs but fie areena just siblin e saw it when K t Karisma, who W u ! o ters inch with hotographers. budge an ep refused to ing mobbed by th d someone please was be her quickly. An reena a et “Please g escort her,” said Kus to frantically
Prateik must really like the loos of our event venues. He se ems to lock himse lf in there ev erytime he attends B runch Dialogu es. This time, he refused to come out for close to 15 minutes
et the When he finally m ntly re journos, he appa esqu t ou got miffed ab y Am to ed tions relat in a Jackson and left hurry
Nawazuddin deserves the ‘Big Brunch Heart’ award. He showed up despite high fever. And we know he wasn’t bluffing, judging by how warm his hands were when we shook them!
Huma Qureshi seemed quite content with her decision to do a rather risqué cove r of a lad’s magazine
alhotra: Manish M lhotra1 @HTMa @Manish fun listening to ad H h c n ES :-) Bru 3 HEROIN e th .. .. ll a Huma Qures hi: @humasqure shi @HTBrunch had a blast at th e event! Great team Super energy : Full Power
arao11 Shilpa Rao :@shilp h for nc ru TB Thanks @H hang gC an eiy @M g havin e# and myself for th s :) BrunchDialogue
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
Sharmila Tagore blushed like a 16-year-old when we caught her touching up her make-up in the waiting area
, I dome n a at c ect p. “Whple exp ake-u peowear m’t like to I don uch.” it m
They producers may be successfu l and came to posing fo directors, but wh r Brunch Rajkuma , Madhur en it r Gupta a Bh n hesitant to step in d Siddharth Roy K andarkar, to the sp otlight. A apur were quite nd when did, the th they fina ree lly stop jokin couldn’t g about it . “
The same Amy Jackson, who is his ex-fl ame and had accompan ied him on the red carpet for our first session of Br Dialogues. The unch two had made a great pair!
Even as the Brunch team was scurrying around to ensure everything ran smoothly, we couldn’t help but share our excitement with you guys on Twitter and Facebook. And what began with an innocent announcement of live-tweeting the Dialogues, soon turned into a deluge of responses from the folks of the Twitterverse. Which not only gave us Blackberry thumbs (literally!) but also made #HTBrunch trend all over India! Here’s what some of you said!
“What are you wearing?”
Is this lik e The Ex pendable s?” “Or are w e th Trimurti? e ”
Saumya Sharma@MasakaliBytes @HTBrunch #BrunchDialogues really wanted to be a part of this one. How does one get themselves invited? Paper read ‘entry by invites only’! Manthak : er33 @HT@manojthak na ar K Brunch: ee ses es dr ad r Kapoo mothre SharmilaTago nchDiru #B er-in-law on time .Gr8 alogues #first fans news, All K’s celebrate requested to
Piyush Gupta: @piyush_gupta Changed to Baby Baby.. RT @HTBrunch: “Sexy sexy created an uproar on TV in the ’90s. Sexy is a common word now!” #KarismaKapoor
salim merchant: @salim_merchant @HTBrunch thank u for ur love and kindness @sahilk Sahil Khan : to Kareena has t ha Wonder w a em in “C nch: say. “@HTBru omen as legs w g in us st is ju s today” – and cleavage see Alyque Padam
Malini Agarwal: @Miss Malini Spotted Kareena and Karisma @HTBrunch @KareenaK_FC@Star WorldIndia #BrunchDialogues blo g coming soon! pic.twitter.com /0VlFHeHR id8 media so lutions : @id8mediaso lnValid Point @HTBrunch: “Ear lier a strong fe male protagonist w as either a de vi or a prostitute” – #SiddharthR oyKapur on #BrunchDialo gues" Meiyang Cha ng: @Meiyang Chang On a high si nging with @shilparao11 ! Kareena lo oked like a million bu cks & Sharm ila Tagore was a rockstar! K udos @HTBrunch# BrunchDialo gues
indulge Vir Sanghvi
WHEN I WENT DOWN UNDER Now that I’ve discovered the new vibrant, sophisticated, and multicultural Australia, I’m certainly going back
T
rude travel
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HERE IS an ad running on most English language TV channels these days promoting the virtues of Australia as a tourist destination. For most of us – with no experience of life Down Under – the ad is something of a revelation: wildlife, beaches, reefs, canyons, massages, fine dining, small planes flying past beautiful locations and spectacular cityscapes. There are no large men in shorts wearing silly hats and drinking beer, no aggressive Australian cricketers and certainly, no hapless Indian students recovering from injuries sustained on the streets of Melbourne. The truth, I guess, is that there are many Australias. There is the old Australia of caricature: of swagmen, Crocodile Dundee, Sir Les Patterson, the Australian ‘cultural attache’, of Ricky Ponting and his mates sledging rival teams and of the White Australia immigration policy that endured till the Seventies. And there is a new Australia: vibrant, sophisticated, and multi-cultural. On my first night in Sydney, my driver explained the change to me. He was from Lebanon, he said, and his family had moved to Australia in the Seventies. At first, he explained, it was difficult fitting in. As a schoolboy, he was constantly taunted and subjected to racial slurs. “They called me ‘wog’ or ‘Lebbo,’” he said. “They made fun of everything to do with my culture. When they saw what was in my lunch box, they laughed at me for eating ‘Lebbo’ food.” But he’s had the last laugh. “Now I see the same guys sitting in SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
STUNNING
The Great Barrier Reef (left) is so extraordinary that I don’t think words can do it justice
fancy Mediterranean restaurants, ordering the food I used to eat for lunch and paying lots and lots of money for it. And I think, ‘that was my lunch, you idiots. That’s the same food you made so much fun of when we were in school. Now you’re paying through your noses for ‘Lebbo’ food!’” Other ethnic minorities have similar stories to tell. I met people from all over the Third World who had come to Australia as children – once the White Australia policy was lifted – and faced racial abuse. “I used to tell them at school,” said one such person, “that at least my parents and I came here on a jumbo jet. Your ancestors came here in chains as convicts exiled by the English.” But, in nearly every case, these stories were set in the past. The people who told them had prospered in the New Australia, some had married white Australians and all of them were proud of their Australian identity. They never thought of wherever they had originally come from as ‘home’ and their children were determinedly Australian. Even the old jokes about convict settlements now seem flat and curiously out of date. Though, there was one moment, while filling out my landing card before arriving in Sydney, that I paused briefly at the question which asked whether I had been convicted of a criminal offence. Was this, I wondered wanly, still a necessary precondition for entry? But no matter which Australia we talk about, the old White Australia which was essentially a celebration of British working class culture, or the new vibrant, sophisticated, multi-cultural Australia which welcomes the world and is proud of its position at the edge of Asia, there is no getting around one fact: this is an astonishingly beautiful country. It has everything you would ever want to see, from unusual wildlife to the jaw-droppingly stunning Great Barrier Reef, to the shimmering Blue Mountains to some of the world’s finest beaches. What’s even better is that though Australia’s cities are modern, sophisticated First World conglomera-
ANIMAL PLANET
I discovered that all koalas do is eat and then sleep for 20 hours out of 24
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hindustantimes.com/brunch
I
Hayman Island is one of Australia’s most famous resorts, with villas that are actually on the beach
landed at Sydney airport early one morning and was whisked off to the Wolgan Valley Resort, a relatively new hotel set among 4,000 acres of a wildlife sanctuary. The helicopter took me over the Blue Mountains which – much to my surprise – do actually seem enveloped in a shimmering blue haze. Apparently the trees on the densely forested hills are a breed of eucalyptus which emits an oil that turns into a blue gas. (Don’t ask me how. I don’t fully understand it either.) The Wolgan Valley Resort is small, with around 50 individual villas, each designed to give a residential – rather than hotel-like – feel (to the extent that any villa with its own pool can seem like a residence for most of us) with functioning gas fireplaces, shelves full of books, comfortable chairs and lots of space to hang your clothes. Because it is less than an hour from Sydney by copter (the most popular means of getting there), the resort has become a favourite weekend getaway. From my perspective however, it was a perfect way to recover from jet lag, to discover the wonders of Australian produce and to be introduced to the country’s unusual wildlife. I saw a wombat while driving to the villa and then, on various nature drives, I saw scores of kangaroos and wallabies (smaller versions of kangaroos). POUCH THAT
However many pictures you’ve seen of kangaroos, nothing actually prepares you for the sight of mobs of them hopping past your jeep or for your first sighting of one with a baby (called a ‘joey’) in her pouch. These are things we read about in school but seeing them up close feels both thrilling and different. Australians are justly proud of their food and wine so Wolgan Valley follows a policy of sourcing everything within a 180 km radius of the resort. The chef Anston Fivaz is a South African who has worked in London and Dubai, so he transforms local lamb, beef and seafood into sophisticated dishes. The rate is all inclusive and includes as much food as you can eat plus endless glasses of 15 different local wines (all quite drinkable). I drove through the Blue Mountains, past the famous Three Sisters rock formation to Sydney (about three hours by car) and to The Darling, the city’s newest trendy hotel, done up in a style that can best be described as Ian Schrager-goes-to-Shanghai. The Darling is Sydney’s happening hotel right now: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire stayed there while filming The Great Gatsby and Slash (formerly of Guns n’ Roses) was in the hotel while I was there. The Darling is part of the Star casino complex which includes a less trendy sister hotel, a high-end arcade (Chanel, Bottega etc.) and a host of fancy restaurants including the first Momofuku (booked solid for weeks) that David Chang has opened outside of New York. I wrote about Sydney’s dining scene a couple of weeks ago so I won’t say much more except to add that I was disappointed when I ran through the lists of the city’s best restaurants, as rated by local guides and publications, to find so few Indian restaurants represented. Given that I know of so many talented Indian chefs who have emigrated to Australia, I’m a little surprised that they have not caused more of a stir.
However many pictures you’ve seen of kangaroos, nothing actually prepares you for the sight of mobs of them hopping past your jeep
Photos: THINKSTOCK
tions with great international dining, trendy hotels and impressive buildings – the Sydney Opera House must rank as one of the wonders of the modern world – they seem well-planned and aesthetically pleasing. The landscape is left largely untouched and the hideous urban sprawl that characterises much of Asia is nowhere to be seen.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
IN OZ COUNTRY
The Wolgan Valley Resort is small, with around 50 individual villas, each designed to give a residential – rather than hotel-like – feel
AZURE SUNSET
The helicopter took me over the Blue Mountains which seem enveloped in a shimmering blue haze
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IMPRESSIVE
Australia’s cities are modern, sophisticated conglomerations with great international dining, trendy hotels and impressive buildings such as the Sydney Opera House (above)
CREATURE COMFORTS
The Darling hotel (above) is part of a complex that includes a host of fancy restaurants including the first Momofuku outside New York (below)
Sydney is one of Australia’s most famous cities and, after my four days there, among my favourite cities in the world. I saw it in every way possible – on foot, walking through Paddington and lingering at the Saturday market (like the Camden Market in London); by chopper, flying out to its edges; by speedboat, going out to Manly, Balmain and its other gentrified suburbs; and by seaplane, checking out Bondi beach and hovering over the iconic Harbour Bridge. I did most of the touristy things including a tour of the Opera House (awesome!) and even took a water-taxi (Sydney is a bit like Venice in the way that you can use water routes to get around) to the zoo, which is perched on a cliff, and is designed in a modern, no-cages style that allows you to see uniquely Australian animals including the Tasmanian devil and the platypus up close. The highlight for me though were the koalas about whom I discovered two things: a) they are not bears by species even though they look like soft toy teddy bears and b) all they do is eat and then sleep for 20 hours out of 24 (my kind of guys!). Sydney is not actually that far from India. If you shop around, the airfare can be lower than the fare to London though the distance is vaster: like India-New York rather than India-Europe. Most airlines will let you break journey in Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or wherever, making it an attractive holiday option. I flew from Sydney to Hamilton Island, which is the airport used by Hayman Island, one of Australia’s most famous resorts. Hayman was built in the 1950s, has gone through various owners, and has been razed to the ground and rebuilt more than once. The current avatar, which has MalaysianChinese owners, is the most sophisticated yet. There is a main building with rooms but there are also several Kerry Hill-designed beach villas. Unlike other resorts, these villas are actually on the beach. You walk five steps from your door and your feet are on the sand. Hayman is a self-contained resort but unlike similar resorts in the Maldives, for instance, it is a real island, complete with hills, vegetation and wild animals. It does not have Maldives or Hawaii-style water bungalows but it does have a proper beach (not a small strip of sand),
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a lagoon with clear water and opportunities to go cycling or trekking on the island. (Plus it is cheaper than equivalent Maldives resorts where prices are now sky-high).
T
he emphasis is on high-end luxury combined with natural beauty. For instance, though airport transfers resemble a cruise in a deluxe yacht, the highlight of each transfer is the number of whales you spot on your way. (I saw two engaged in a courting dance!) The villas themselves are brilliantly designed – possibly the most impressive beach villas I have ever stayed in, with a sense of space, luxury and indoor pools heated to near bath-tub temperatures! I was only there for a full day but I made the most of it, taking a chopper to Whitehaven beach on a nearby island where the sand was like soft white powder and then to the Great Barrier Reef, a formation in the water that is so extraordinary that I don’t think words can do it justice. Unusually, for a resort that pays Australian salaries and is bound by Australian trade union rules, Hayman has Asian levels of service that easily match anything you might find in Bali or the Maldives. Plus the resort has several restaurants, ranging from molecular-influenced fine dining to Indian curries, cooked by a chef from Delhi, for anyone who wants them. I left Australia via Brisbane, a city about which I knew little but which seemed bustling and prosperous. The part I stayed in was full of coffee bars and Japanese restaurants but it is hard to generalise on the basis of one night. I did, however, encounter the best and worst of my trip to Australia. The worst was my hotel, the Brisbane Marriott, possibly one of the most terrible hotels I’ve stayed in for many years and a disgrace to Marriott’s reputation, such as it is. The best, however, was Esquire, a new restaurant where I had dinner. I’ll write about it at length another time but this was easily the best meal I ate in Australia, better even than the great meals that Sydney’s famous chefs had to offer. How fitting that it should have been my last supper in the country. Last supper? Well, for this trip, anyway. Now that I’ve discovered Australia. I’m certainly going back.
indulge THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE IPHONE 5 L
What the iPhone 5 needed was ONE thing to make it completely stand out. Maybe in the iPhone 5S?
Rajiv Makhni
ET’S SET a few ground rules before I start this week’s column.
1. I am not an Apple hater (in fact I have said this publicly – that they are the best technology curators in the world). 2. All this blind brand fan following and behaving like brats and overreacting every time you hear one small thing against your favourite company is getting a little immature. 3. It’s time to pit real technology against real technology and leave emotions, sentimentality and jaundiced prejudice out of the equation. Now that we’ve set the ground rules – let’s hit the main story.
AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION
Unless you were living under a rock or were in a coma, you would know that the iPhone 5 has been announced. But for the first time ever, Apple released an iPhone into a market that was very different from before. Competition is at its highest, other brands are selling in huge numbers, and the iPhone 4S sales numbers took a small hit in the last few months. Now merge that with the fact that the iPhone business contributes more than half of Apple’s revenue and the majority of its profits. Add to it that this would be more or less the first real product without Steve Jobs’ fingerprints on it. The iPhone 5 announcement was a watershed
HOW THE BIG THREE FARE SPECIFICATIONS
APPLE iPHONE 5
SAMSUNG GALAXY S3
NOKIA LUMIA 920
DISPLAY
4 inch
4.8 inch
4.5 inch
PPI
326
306
332
PROCESSOR
Apple A6
Quad Core
Dual Core
THICKNESS
7.6mm
8.6mm
10.7 mm
WEIGHT
112 grams
133 grams
185 grams
OS
iOS6
Android 4.0.4 ICS
Win Phone 8
CAMERA
8.0 megapixel
8.0 megapixel
8.7 megapixel
STORAGE CARD SLOT No
Yes
No
BATTERY
225 hours standby
790 hours standby
400 hours standby
CONNECTOR
Lightning
Micro USB
Micro USB
LTE
4G LTE
4G LTE
4G LTE
COLOURS
event for Apple. It needed to dazzle, it needed to shock, it needed to get jaws to drop (hard!).
DID IT?
techilicious
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It didn’t! Don’t get me wrong. The iPhone 5 is a great phone. It ticks everything it needs to. It’s thinner, it’s lighter, it’s got a faster processor, it’s got a bigger screen, it’s improved its optical capabilities, it’s got a future-ready new connector, it takes Siri to the next level, it’s got super fast LTE (Long Term Evolution), it’s got a new unibody design, it’s got better battery life – what it doesn’t have is a killer feature. This is a problem Apple has created for itself. When Apple announces a product – expectations are sky high – we expect Apple to do an Apple on us. To come up with one out-of-the box feature that makes the whole world go – ‘wow, why didn’t we think of that!’ And that’s where the iPhone 5 didn’t deliver.
HEAD TO HEAD
Let’s compare the iPhone with what I think are its closest rivals and see where it stands. (refer to chart below). As you can see from the chart, the iPhone 5 holds up well to the competition. But within that feel-good statement lies the problem.
A GOOD PROBLEM?
I predict that the Apple will sell more iPhone 5s in the next three months than any phone has ever sold on the planet. So, since when is that a problem? It’s a problem when we can only say that for quarter one and two. iPhone 4S did prove that great competition and fantastic new phones can significantly dent the impregnable iPhone sales numbers too. The iPhone 5 with good (but no killer) features needs to last a FULL 12 months. With almost 15 new supersmartphones coming out in the next three months – this could be a very bumpy ride for this sixth generation mobile device from Apple.
THE MISSING CHARGE
What the iPhone 5 needed was ONE thing to make it completely stand out. For me, that would have been wireless charging. That is the future of charging and in Apple’s hands – the solution would have been elegant, simple and would just work. That would have forced every single manufacturer across the world to bring in wireless charging as a standard and our lives would have changed forever. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Maybe in the iPhone 5S? Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3. Follow Rajiv on Twitter at twitter.com/RajivMakhni
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
indulge
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In a week when Bob Dylan’s latest album, Tempest, released, the legendary singer crept into my life in other ways as well
I
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND
The songs on Tempest have wry, angry lyrics. There are some epic songs on it too
NOT JUST A TAMBOURINE MAN
I can’t casually listen to any of Dylan’s albums, particularly a new one from the living legend who is now 71
Sanjoy Narayan
download central
THE DYLAN STRIKES BACK
A
’D THOUGHT I’d be able to give Bob Dylan’s new album a good long listen and then perhaps write my two bits about it in this instalment of DC. Tempest, Dylan’s 35th album, came out on September 11. I managed to get hold of it a couple of days later but before I could properly listen to it, the deadline of this column was upon me (Brunch goes to press really early in the week and its editor is quite a strict disciplinarian when it comes to deadlines). I don’t know about you but I just can’t casually listen to any of Dylan’s albums, particularly a brand new one from the living legend who is now 71. Dylan’s isn’t by any stretch ambient music. It requires focused listening. To do that, you need time and last week was an unbelievably frazzling one, which left little time for indulging in uninterrupted music listening sessions. I did hear Tempest in snatches, watched the somewhat disturbing video by Nash Edgerton (a film director who has also been a stuntman in the Star Wars series) for one of the songs on the album, Duquesne Whistle, which, incidentally, is the only song on the album that Dylan collaborated with a co-writer to write. The rest are all his own efforts. The
THE JUKEBOX
19
fter getting re-hooked to the genre via Keith Jarrett’s new and hitherto unreleased live album, Sleeper, I’m sniffing around for new jazz. And last week I discovered an ensemble called Endangered Blood from Brooklyn, New York. A quartet that channels funk, bebop and even New Orleans funeral marching bands, the two saxes (a clarinet sometimes), bass and drum combo began playing benefit gigs for an ill friend but has blossomed into a full-fledged band. I am yet to lay my hands on their eponymous ood debut album but there’s a concert Endangered Bl on NPR that is simply super (link in album cover the web version).
collaborator for Duquesne Whistle is Robert Hunter, poet, songwriter and, famously, the late Jerry Garcia’s song-writing collaborator. Hunter has worked with Dylan before. The two co-wrote a couple of songs in the late 1980s and most of the songs on Together Through Life, a 2009 Dylan album that, frankly, I haven’t really gone back to too many times, were co-written by Hunter. Tempest – or what little I’ve heard till now – is an album that may stand out among Dylan’s recent ones. His voice is as craggy as ever, only now you’ve sort of got used to it and want it that way. The songs on Tempest have wry and angry lyrics and are sometimes quite brutal yet in a benign sort of way. There are some epic songs on it too. A 14-minute song on the sinking of the Titanic, a part-fiction, part-fact account, and in whose lyrics Leo DiCaprio too features. But as I said, I’ve only speed-heard Dylan’s latest in a week, shamefully, marked by casual and distracted listening. So it wouldn’t be fair to say too much about the album. But Dylan crept in in other ways last week. On a particularly slow commute to work, I found, on an old and neglected iPod, a two-disc ‘soundtrack’ of the Dylan-inspired 2007 film I’m Not There, in which Dylan doesn’t appear but is depicted by six leading actors, including Cate Blanchett. I wrote ‘soundtrack’ in singe quotation marks because it isn’t one in the strictest sense. You can hear snatches of the songs on the film but not all of each or even all of them, and all of them (except one that was sung by Dylan himself) are covers by others. I think it is the most perfect covers album that pays a tribute to Dylan. A wide range of contemporary musicians have done Dylan covers on I’m Not There but some are really outstanding. Nearly all the covers on I’m Not There are excellent but I’d plump for some of my favourite singers: Eddie Vedder’s All Along the Watchtower, Sonic Youth’s I’m Not There, Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus’s Ballad of a Thin Man, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on Simple Twist of Faith, my lo-fi heroes Yo La Tengo doing I Wanna Be Your Lover, Malkmus again on Maggie’s Farm and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James doing a fab version of Goin’ To Acapulco. But one cover I like the most: Cat Power doing her version of Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again. So different from how she covered other people’s songs in her own albums, The Covers Record or Jukebox, where sometimes you can hardly recognise the original. On I’m Not There, her version of Stuck Inside is authentic and riveting. Talking about Cat Power, I’d mentioned her new album Sun here last week. In all of last week’s distraction-laden music listening, I’ve been going back to Sun several times. It’s a great record. And, again, at the risk of being presumptuous, based on what little I’ve managed to absorb of Tempest, I think the new Dylan record is also going to demand repetitive spins. To give feedback, stream or download the music mentioned in this column, go to http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/download-central, follow argus48 on Twitter
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012
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PHOTO-FINISH
There really is no respite for celebrities in a world where everyone has a camera-phone at the ready
Y
PAPARAZZI EXCESSES
Prince William has filed criminal charges against the magazine Closer and the photographer in a French court, seeking jail time for those who’ve violated Catherine’s dignity
It is no secret that the Prince blames the paparazzi pack for the death of his mother
OU HAVE to feel for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Here she is, on holiday in Provence at a secluded chateau (owned by her cousin-in-law Lord Linley) with her husband, Prince William. This is their personal time together before they set off on an official tour of the Far East. So, the couple do what most young people do on holiday. They nap, they eat, they go for walks, they swim, and yes, they sunbathe on their terrace. C’est normale, as the French would say. What the royal pair do not know is that a kilometre away from their idyllic retreat is a public road. And that a paparazzo has taken up residence at the bend – from where you can see the chateau at a distance – with the biggest tele-photo lens known to mankind. So, a camera is clicking away as Catherine takes her bikini top off to get an even suntan; as she lowers her bikini bottom for William to smear sunscreen on her; and as the husband and wife cuddle each other, as people in love are wont to do when they think they are alone, away from the prying eyes of the public. The story explodes weeks later, as Catherine and William are touring Singapore and Malaysia, when a French magazine called Closer (the puns just write themselves, don’t they?) publishes a topless picture of the Duchess on the cover, along with several others inside. The headline screams ‘Oh My God’ as readers are exhorted to take a look at Catherine as she has never been seen before – and will never be seen again. Not surprisingly, William is incandescent with rage at his wife’s privacy being invaded in this manner and releases a statement saying that this brings back memories of the worst paparazzi excesses during his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales’ lifetime (it is no secret that the Prince blames the paparazzi pack for the death of his mother in a Paris tunnel 15 years ago). The couple file criminal charges against the magazine and the photographer in a French court, seeking jail time for those who have violated Catherine’s dignity. Worse is to follow. Another tabloid, the Irish Daily Star, publishes the same photographs in Ireland with the editor defiantly announcing that Catherine was not going to be their queen, so they were going to treat like any other celebrity (Rihanna and Lady Gaga were the names he picked, even though these ladies have made their careers on the basis of being partially undressed – unlike the Duchess who has always been a model of propriety in her public appearances). And then, the Italian magazine, Chi, came out with a 19-page spread of the Duchess’ topSEPTEMBER 23, 2012
Photos: REUTERS
hindustantimes.com/brunch
Seema Goswami NO SPECIAL TREATMENT PLEASE
The editor of the Irish Daily Star announced that Catherine was not going to be their queen and would be treated like Lady Gaga (left) and Rihanna (right) less snaps, with a cover headline that read ‘La Regina e nuda’ (the Queen is nude) which was evocative without being strictly accurate while the story inside speculated on whether Catherine’s breasts were completely natural. But what is the justification of publishing these intimate pictures of a woman enjoying some private time with her husband? Well, according to the editor of Closer, Laurence Pieau (who is a woman, despite all evidence to the contrary), she used them to show a young, modern couple in love. There was nothing shocking about the pictures, blustered Pieau – which begged the question: why the breathless ‘Oh My God’ headline, then? Chi editor Alfonso Signorini too insisted that the pictures did not violate Catherine’s dignity even though the magazine headline chortled: ‘Scandalo a corte’ (Scandal in court). So far, so hypocritical. But all the bluster about press freedom and the inoffensive nature of the pictures notwithstanding, where does the law stand on paparazzi photos of celebrities? Well, the short answer is that it depends on where you are. In France it is illegal to shoot anyone on private property even if you are on public property at the time. But in Italy the law states that you can shoot people on private property so long as you are in a public space at the time. But whatever the local law, the damage to Catherine’s image is already indisputable. The pictures have already appeared in three print outlets and they have proliferated on the Net. All that the Cambridge litigation may achieve is to prevent any further hounding of the Duchess by paparazzi out to make a quick buck. On the other hand, it may not. There is simply too much money to be made from carrying such intrusive shots (as the joke goes: I am so outraged by these topless photos that violate Catherine’s modesty that I can’t wait to Google them and have a good look). And even if the French court comes down heavily and hands out jail sentences in this case, there is really no respite for celebrities in an era in which everyone has a camera-phone at the ready. Privacy laws are all very well, but what we really need is responsible media. The British press – which is self-regulated and adheres by a self-imposed code – has behaved impeccably in this respect, whereas media outlets in Europe (where privacy rights are enshrined in law) haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory. But then, what do you expect when two of the titles in question (Closer and Chi) are owned by that old rogue Silvio Berlusconi. Perhaps in this case, a bit of tat-for-tit revenge may be in order. Maybe some patriotic paparazzo from Britain can take it upon himself to get a few nude shots of the old goat, Silvio himself. I know, it won’t be a pretty sight. But there are times when you just have to open your eyes, fire up the camera, and think of England.
spectator
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seema_ht@rediffmail.com. Follow Seema on Twitter at twitter.com/seemagoswami
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24 W E L L N E S S
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MIND BODY SOUL
SHIKHA SHARMA
BLOODY EXCITING Diet plans based on your blood type could help you emerge healthier and happier
choose skimmed or low-fat milk if they follow a less active lifestyle. It discourages the consumption of chicken but greenlights other kinds of meat. But wheat products and high glycemic index foods such as rice, biscuits, sooji and maida are to be avoided. All green vegetable are beneficial to the blood type and low-sugar fruits work best.
The blood group ‘O’ D’Adamo claims that this is the earliest human blood group. The blood group O O Should
include melons in their diet for sure
Should go slow on wheat and dairy products
AB
the body in balance. So it’s recommended that people with this blood type stay away from foods that generate acids upon digestion. They should cut down on non-vegetarian food, pickles, alcohol, fired foods, dairy and too much wheat and maida. What works better are all kinds of vegetables (especially leafy ones), rice, potato, black chana, all lentils, and fruits – especially melons.
Blood group ‘AB’
Y
OU MAY have heard of the blood type diet plans, which were popularised by Dr Peter D’Adamo when he discovered that patients with a particular blood group responded differently to specific types of foods they consumed. His theories – eating foods that fit your blood group (A, B, O, +ve or -ve and combinations thereof) – were initially met with much scepticism. Many refused to take it seriously, citing lack of clinical trials and research evidence. But over the years, more members of the scientific community are looking into research and analysis of his popular diet plans. WHAT IT’S BASED ON The premise of the diet is that one’s blood group is the reflection of one’s genetic structure. This coding not only manifests itself through the colour of one’s eyes, height, weight, hair and other features but also determines the kind of metabolism the person has inherited. So individuals of a specific blood group are likely to respond best to specific kinds of foods. WHAT KIND OF MEALS TO EXPECT
Blood group ‘A’ For group A patients, the recommended foods include wheat and wheat products. This means more rotis,
A+ Have lots of wheat products such as breads
bread, pasta, kulchas, bakery products and noodles. It also encourages green vegetables, teas (especially green tea), light pulses and lentils. But warns against excess heavy meat (even chicken) and dairy. Fish, in small amounts, and all fruits are fine.
The blood group ‘B’ Those with a B blood group, on the other hand, should thrive on milk, curd, paneer and other dairy products – so long as they
B+ Avoid chicken and have low-fat dairy products
is associated with acidic constitutions or body chemistries that are more acidic than alkaline. Since the natural pH of the body should be 7.4 and leans acidic in any case, naturally acidic constitutions have to work harder to keep
EVEN CELEBS LOVE IT! In Hollywood (and closer home as well) several celebrities have used Peter D’Adamo’s book Eat Right 4 Your Type as their guide to looking and feeling their best. Demi Moore has been a fan, as has Elizabeth Hurley, Sir Cliff Richard, Cheryl Cole and Courteney Cox Arquette. One of the newest converts has been Australian model Miranda Kerr, who believes that the bloodtype diet is the key to maintaining her lean, healthy physique. The 28-year-old, who has type-A blood, started following the eating plan eight years ago and now has a vegetarian-based diet, high in organic vegetables, fresh juices and legumes. In Bollywood, Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt have experimented with the diet.
If your blood is of the AB type, it has compatibility with the A as well as the B group. As a result, foods of both blood types suit the body. The only thing to watch out for is the quantities in which food is consumed. AB types tend to gain weight after their 30s.
Are you +ve or -ve?
Of course, blood groups are as much about the rhesus factor (+ or -) as the letters that come before it. Not much is known about how they are affected by diet. But it is advisable that those with a negative factor avoid dairy as well. HOW SCIENTIFIC THE PLAN IS The plan is based on the fact the we all have a unique genetic structure. The new science of nutrigenetics works towards understanding how the body functions and looks for clues to how blood group and genetics are related. A lot of nutrigenetics research links genetic structure to specific treatments. Eating for your blood group, is therefore the first step to working out the right nutrition for your DNA. You cannot change your genes, you cannot escape your DNA destiny, but work with what you were born with, and you might just adjust to life better. ask@drshikha.com
PERSONAL AGENDA
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twitter.com/HTBrunch
Actress
Minissha Lamba if i could...
SUN SIGN Capricorn
BE A SUPER HERO AND STOP GLOBAL WARMING
Mumbai
BIRTHDAY PLACE OF BIRTH January 18
I WOULD GO BACK IN TIME AND MEET MARILYN MONROE
HOMETOWN Aurangabad
SCHOOL/COLLEGE HIGH POINT LOW POINT OF OF YOUR Sherwood Hall and YOUR LIFE LIFE Chettinad Vidyashram, Chennai; Miranda House, When I signed my first film University of Delhi
One film role you’d give anything to play. Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady. One place you’re sure you can escape the paparazzi. The toilet. The last movie that made you cry? I just finished watching My Sister’s Keeper so that has to be it. If life had a backspace button, what would you delete? My dress sense in college. When I look back at what was in fashion then, I want to hide. The last thing you spent R10 on. A packet of Balaji chips. What can you live in? My all-time favourite dresses. One song that always lifts your spirits?
GO SKYDIVING WITH FRIENDS ENSURE FREEDOM FOR EVERYONE
EAT ALL I WANT WITHOUT GETTING FAT
Losing my pet
A FAST FOOD ITEM YOU CRAVE?
Pizza Reason by Hoobastank. Your 3am friend? My best friend Ashi. On what occasion would you lie? When I don’t want to hurt somebody. What is your greatest fear? To let down my loved ones. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I trust people very easily. The craziest rumour you’ve heard about yourself? That I got a tattoo. The one place where you would never get yourself tattooed? My face. The most clichéd answer you’ve ever given in an interview? We are ‘just friends’. If you were an ice-cream, which flavour would you be? Chocolate. The exercise routine that scares you? CrossFit. It seems to be really ‘in’ these days, but it also sounds like the toughest regime. What does your name mean? Daughter of
CURRENTLY DOING
Travelling to my favourite destinations mankind. For a romantic meal, you would make... I would love to whip up some nice spaghetti in pesto sauce, and lemon grilled chicken, accompanied by a bottle of champagne. What would we find in your fridge right now? Lots of healthy food. One thing about you that isn’t generally known? That I can sleep for hours at a stretch. How many pairs of blue jeans do you own? About 25. Your darkest fantasy? It’s too dark to be shared. A role you wish you had played? Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Three places you love shopping in? London, Milan and New York. Do you believe in fairytale endings? I am a diehard romantic and I believe in fairytale endings. A fashion trend you can’t stand? Tie and dye, and socks with loafers. Yoga or the gym, which do you prefer? I prefer the gym. Your favourite TV shows? Friends, Two And A Half Men, Grey’s Anatomy... the list just goes on and on...
Photos: THINKSTOCK
— Interviewed by Mignonne Dsouza
SEPTEMBER 23, 2012