RITZ January Issue 2016 by RITZ MAGAZINE

SOUTH INDIA’S PREMIER UBER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2016 VOL 12 | ISSUE 06

`100

BOX OFFICE BARON

AJAY BIJLI TELLS US HOW HE BROUGHT ABOUT THE MULTIPLEX REVOLUTION IN INDIA AUDI RITZ ICON AWARDS 2015

MY VIEW

Let me begin my note by thanking Bengaluru. As a resident of flood-ravaged Chennai, I am ever grateful for the spontaneous help and support this city has extended to my home town with tons of relief material. Next year, if there's an Audi Ritz Icon Award for the Most Helpful City, it's a no brainer as to who will win it hands down. Is India tolerant? The answer lies in the question, in what Bengaluru has done for its neighbour, a relationship with whom, sections of the mainstream media often stereotype through the prism of the Cauvery Tangle. I would also like to wholeheartedly thank Bangaloreans for their warm response to our annual flagship initiative, the coveted Audi RITZ Icon Awards Powered by Cutty Sark in association with Air Asia and CNN IBN, held at Taj West End, Bengaluru, on December 13, 2015. It took a lot of guts and gumption to shift the event from its traditional bastion of Chennai to a relatively new city. But the overwhelming response from Bengaluru floored us. I thank our sponsors who motivate us to scale up the event every year, and the winners for inspiring us to better our best. It is because of you that the Audi RITZ Icon Award stands tall as a coveted honour for the best of the best. On that note, we are thrilled to feature Ajay Bijli, Chairman of PVR Cinemas on our cover this month. We admire his vision, dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit and are happy to start the year by sharing the story of his stupendous success with tens of thousands of our readers across South India. For many, a New Year is merely a spanking new excuse to resolve to do everything that should never ever have been put off in the first place. Needless to say, I don't believe in New Year resolutions. At RITZ, we are working at breakneck speed, trying to accomplish in a few months, what usually takes years. The big news from RITZ, South India's premier lifestyle magazine, is not just that our uber glamorous events are all set to move to exciting new cities; it is also our foray into business journalism, with our national media venture set for a panIndia launch very, very soon. Let me end by saying, "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." Happy 2016!

ARUNA R KRISHNAN FOLLOW US

RITZ JANUARY 2016

Inside 42

10 Buzzin Chennai limps back to normalcy post the traumatic deluge. A few happenings that we recorded for you A high profile wedding, a new book on shelves and the PM’s visit. Bengaluru was one busy city in December Star holidays that become news, the debut of a new fashion label and the recap of a whole year. This is a little bit of what Hyderabad did last month

18 RSVP There’s never a dull moment in the South, and we’ve captured all that we could on camera. Check out some of the most exclusive events that happened in Hyderabad and Bengaluru

It was that time of year again and the Audi Ritz Icon Awards left Bengaluru talking in its wake for a long time. See the stalwarts that came together for South India’s most celebrated awards night

Bootz South Scope All Star Calendar 2016 was launched at a rocking event in Hyderabad

38 Relationships Are you in a Friends With Benefits sort of relationship? We explore this new concept that has gained much traction with the young generation

42 Cover Story Ajay Bijli, the man who brought the multiplex revolution to India, gets talking on how he began with one single screen cinema in Delhi to today owning more than 491 screens across the country

50 Look Book Designer Monisha Jaisingh predicts 2016’s fashion future and shares some trends to stay stylish

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Gaupa’s designer Reby Kumar shows off her simple, yet striking cruise collection that’s inspired by Filipino tribes and their way of dressing Stylist Anu Merton Jha gives us her take on what to look forward to in the coming year

Kochi based designer Joe Ikerath showcases his simple, yet functional designs for the differently abled

65 Over A Cuppa Vinay Bharadwaj tells us about his talk show that spreads the message of cancer awareness Manish Pandey is one of the most stylish batsmen on the field. We find out more about the suave cricketer Prakash Dantuluri tells us about his new innovation - the BulBul App for children Make-up expert Dipthi Aashok explains the nuances of make-up

73 Point Blank Sanjay Pinto wonders whether tax payers' money should be spent on a new legislative space or put to better use

74 Corridors of Power Born on Christmas Day, Vikram Kapur, IAS, Commissioner - Corporation of Chennai, is Santa’s gift to the city

80 Spotlight Author Arathi Menon muses on the perils and joys of writing a memoir, especially if it's one about her divorce Anu Acharya’s Genompatri is a revolutionary test that gives a new dimension to prevention and cure of diseases

84 Advertorial Celebrating with a barbecue party is the new way to be. Weber, the world’s premier manufacturer of grills tells us why

86 Design Elements Check out the stunning home of Coimbatore-based entrepreneur Barathan Srinivasan and his wife Hemamalini

90 Wanderlust Presenting the ten most exotic locations captured on film, some real and some which are make-believe, but play their part to perfection

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ARUNA R KRISHNAN EDITOR’S SECRETARY & COORDINATOR JAFFAR ABDUL HAMEED REGIONAL EDITOR - KARNATAKA ARCHANA SHENOY REGIONAL EDITOR - TELANGANA & ANDHRA PRADESH VANAJA BANAGIRI LEGAL COUNSEL SANJAY PINTO SENIOR CORRESPONDENT & CELEBRITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR SHANKARAN MALINI CHENNAI CORRESPONDENT DIYA SUBRAMANIAN GENERAL MANAGER - MARKETING PRAVEEN KUMAR M MANAGER - CLIENT SERVICE SWATHI RAMAKRISHNAN DESIGNER NARAYANAN SATHISH MARKETING CONSULTANT - BENGALURU SANJAY JARIWAL EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - CHENNAI M.GURUNATH PRABHU EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - BENGALURU FAHEEM HUSSAIN EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - HYDERABAD SANTOSH KUMAR Edited and Published by Aruna R Krishnan from 7th Floor, Sigma Wing, Raheja Towers, 177 Anna Salai, Chennai 600002. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. RITZ is not responsible for unsolicited material. RITZ assumes no responsibility for the veracity and authenticity of the advertisements published herein. Readers are requested to make appropriate enquiries before incurring any expenses or acting on medical recommendations or otherwise in relation to any advertisement or article published herein. Also views in articles published herein are those of the respective authors only. RITZ does not necessarily subscribe to these views.

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To advertise in RITZ, call Praveen Kumar on +91 98419 73090 /+91 44 4211 3871or Swathi Ramakrishnan on +91 98419 73088 All correspondence should be addressed to: RITZ, 7th Floor, Sigma Wing, Raheja Towers, 177, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002. Contact: 42113871 / 2 Email: ritzmag@rediffmail.com or ritzmag@gmail.com

BUZZ IN’

A FEW LAUGHS FOR CHENNAI Evam Stand Up Tamasha presented #PokeMe by Karthik Kumar, an effort in the wake of the disastrous Chennai Floods, including the country’s affluent NRI’s and others living abroad into this noble scheme. They could pay for a ticket wherein all the proceeds from ticket sales were earmarked for the cause and could then donate the ticket to a volunteer who could get a seat to watch the show. And judging from the number of seats occupied, the plan was a huge hit. So it was some more much needed money and a chance to grab some laughs for a city that hasn’t had much to smile about in the past month.

VIMONISHA MEGA STYLE SOUK As Vimonisha Exhibitions celebrates its 110th edition and 25 years of fashion exhibitions in Chennai, discerning fashionistas and shopping divas of the city will mark their calendars as the Vimonisha Mega Style Souk is back again with the season's best pick of designers from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru and more! Well known names from the fashion industry and participating fashion week designers and others will be present at Chennai’s fashion event especially curated and put together by Monisha Gidwani, CEO Vimonisha Exhibitions. The event is slated to take place at Hyatt Regency on January 18 and 19.

CHENNAI

A HEART WARMING GESTURE Referring to the battering that Chennai took from the torrential rains and the resultant deluge, Chennaiyin FC co-owner Abhishek Bachchan rightfully dedicated his team’s title triumph to the people of the city. “None of us have gone back home yet for we wanted to share the cup with the people of Chennai first,” he said at the Nehru Stadium recently. Also present, were co-owner Vita Dani and some members of the champion squad, basking in the achievement. “It was heartbreaking for the boys that they were not able to play the first-leg semifinal at the Marina Arena. The team played this tournament for the people of Chennai and the journey would be incomplete if we don’t share the victory with our fans,” he added.

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BUZZ IN’

THE MIKEYBIX WEDDING Ambika Kapur married Mikey Todd at a lavish ceremony in Jaipur last month. Most of Bengaluru’s glitterati, including Sanjiv Shanmugam who is like a big brother to Ambika, friends Anisha and Dia Bhandary, Ritika Luthria Sadhwani and several others joined the celebrations at the Pink City. From the decorations to the accommodation and the typical Bollywood shaadi, proud parents Kamy and Anju Kapur spared no expenses as they gave their youngest child her dream wedding!

IN A NEW SOUP Author Anita Nair’s latest book, Alphabet Soup for Lovers, is very different from her sweeping historical saga, Idris, and her police procedural featuring Inspector Gowda, Cut Like Wound. The book follows Lena whose placid life on a tea plantation in the Anamalai Hills is turned upside down with the arrival of the South Indian superstar Shoola Pani. The love between the movie star and memsahib is told partially through the eyes of Lena’s cook and general factotum, Komathi, as she learns the English alphabet through similarsounding ingredients. The 49-year-old Bengaluru-based author is known for her fantastic writing, quick wit and sharp humour.

BENGALURU

MODI’S YOGA CAMPAIGN Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Bengaluru to address the 21st International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga Research and Its Applications at the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana. Its founder Dr. H.R. Nagendra is considered Modi’s personal Yoga guru. Modi has visited the centre in the past as well. Noting that Yoga is now a global heritage with the world embracing traditional Indian medicine with great enthusiasm, the dapper PM said that his vision for healthcare is an integrated system that understands and builds on the best and most effective of different traditions.

RITZ JANUARY 2016

BUZZ IN’

HIS FIRST TREK Tollywood’s power couple Namrata and Mahesh Babu have returned from their winter break in Switzerland. It was extra special for them as their son Gautam went trekking for the first time on a snow-capped mountain. Sharing her excitement with us, Namrata says, “Gautam’s first trek up the snow mountain! I am so so proud of him. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t stop talking about it. My baby is all grown up.” Sitara, their little daughter, looks super delighted too. Too cute, we say!

DEBUT IN HYDERABAD Hyderabad’s popular store Anonym The Inspired Attire hosted an exclusive event to introduce Kolkata designer Sneha Arora to the city. The event provided unique insights into the inspirations and processes behind her most iconic collections – ‘Appetite’ and ‘Disconnect’. Hyderabad’s most stylish fashionistas were invited to grab a sneak peak at the autumn/winter and summer/spring collections of clothes that maintain avant-garde detailing with a vintage twist.

HYDERABAD

RECAP 2015 IN STYLE Rascalas, a YouTube channel from Culture Machine, released a video to sum up the events that best described the eventful year 2015. Written and performed by Mathiyanan Rajendran, the video chronicles the most heart-breaking and inspiring events in equal measure. Right from Paris being under siege, Maggi’s ban and eventual return, India coming forward to help victims of the Chennai floods, Jon Snow’s death, PM Modi and Obama signing the nuclear deal; Mathiyanan reflects over the words that dominated the news and our conversations. Shot across various locations to best describe the colour and mood of the month, the video tries to capture the emotions associated with each of the events. The poetic video takes you on a nostalgic ride with Rascalas as they best captured the year which saw Sunny Leone stand 1st and late President APJ Abdul Kalam come 3rd in the list of most Googled Indians.

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NEW

PRODUCTS

A BEE-JEWELLED COLLECTION

TO SIR WITH LOVE Celebrate love with Italian luxury this year and gift your man something different this Valentine’s Day. Corneliani proffers a wide range of suave gifting options in multitude of styles and patterns. Giftables comprise of a sophisticated selection of items with clean design, conceived to enhance and complement the gentleman’s closet. From stylish ties to classy cufflinks or neat belts and urbane leather accessories, the brand has lots to offer for the man with refined taste. These gifts sport impeccable stylish detail are good options for expressing love this season.

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CaratLane, India's leading online jeweller, unveiled yet another enchanting collection titled Bee-Jewelled - inspired by the honeybee’s natural creativity and an ode to the perfect symmetry of the Honeycomb. Each honeycomb design has first been hand drawn and then digitized into a CAD model which is then printed as a 3D wax mould and finally casted in precious metal. Crafted in 18Kt gold, the multi-dimensional design catches light at different angles whereas the soft curves accompany small slick geometric shapes to provide an intriguing contrast. The intricate details of the BeeJewelled Collection is perfect for a woman who likes élan with elegance.

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RSVP

HYDERABAD Sushila Bokadiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday party was carefully planned in detail by her family as a surprise for her. The birthday girl was super impressed with their efforts and couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop raving about the arrangements and the friends who turned up in full force to celebrate with her. A great time was had by all at Park Hotel and the party went on till the wee hours of the morning.

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A Memorable Dining Experience

UN MATCHED AMBIENCE

CONTINENTAL

ITALIAN

CHINESE

THAI

INDIAN

TANDOOR

BARBEQUE

RSVP

BENGALURU Fashion extravaganza 1 Style Week Season 3, rocked Bengaluru’s 1MG— Lido Mall. The show featured iconic Indian and International brands and was curated by the flamboyant Ramesh Dembla. While top models walked the ramp, Bollywood starlet Richa Chadda was the showstopper. Two winners of the model hunt at 1MG—Lido model hunt will soon walk the ramp at a show in Colombo.

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RSVP

HYDERABAD Heal a Child is a reputed charity organisation headed by Sabina Xavier, Karen Campos and Rachna Mehta, well-known socialites of Hyderabad. Every year their fundraiser held in December is well attended by the whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who of the city who turn up to show their support. 2015 was no exception. The event was held at Taj Krishna Ballroom as usual.

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RSVP

BENGALURU

A Class Apart!

At an event like Bengaluru had never seen before, the 7th edition of the Audi Ritz Icon Awards 2015 at the Taj West End, Bengaluru, took the city by storm with the star-studded line up of awardees, the launch of the all-new Audi Q7 and a ballroom that was packed with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movers and shakers to witness this amazing event. The stage lit up with the new Audi Q7 being unveiled by actors - Tamil superstar Chiyaan Vikram and and Telugu heartthrob Ram Charan, alongside Aruna R Krishnan, Editor and Publisher of Ritz and Mr. K Subramanian, CEO, Audi Bengaluru. Speaking on the occasion, Aruna R Krishnan made it a point to thank the people of Bengaluru for the tremendous support extended by them to Chennaiites who were in distress due to the devastating floods that ravaged much of the city. She reiterated how trivial issues like the Cauvery dispute between the two states took a backseat during the time of tragedy and how heart-warming it was that Bengaluru went out of the way to do their best to help their distressed neighbours. Mr K Subramanian, CEO, Audi Bengaluru drew a parallel between the never-daydie spirit of the Awardees and the tagline of the new Audi Q7 - Greatness Starts When You Don't Stop. He also lauded the winners of the evening for their drive and determination. The charismatic CEO of Air Asia, Mr Mittu Chandilya lauded the success and entrepreneurial vision of Mr GM Rao in an inspiring and touching video address, while also talking about Air Asia's various initiatives. Ms Pushpanjali Banerjee of Bols unveiled Cutty Sark during the occasion and spoke

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In association with

enthusiastically of several new initiatives and brands to be introduced by her company. Celebrating the highest level of achievers from South India, the Audi Ritz Icon Awards 2015 were presented to stalwarts from across various genres, beginning with the award for Social Entrepreneurship to Ms. Lakshmi Pratury - Co-host of TEDIndia and Founder of INK Conferences; Entrepreneurship to Mr. Hari Menon Founder of BigBasket.com; Art to Mr Riyas Komu - one of the founders of the Kochi Muziris Biennale; Education to Dr. Maria Zeena Johnson of Satyabama University and Fashion to Gaurang Shah for revival of traditional forms of handloom and weaving. Followed by an unveiling of the spectacular cover of the December 2015 issue, which features billionaire infrastructure giant Mr GM Rao, the audience was mesmerised by the simplicity and fortitude of the man himself as he narrated his life story. Accompanied on stage by his wife Mrs Varalakshmi Rao, Mr GM Rao spoke from the heart and expressed his satisfaction at being featured on the cover of RITZ. His story of struggle and success left the audience speechless. The last part of the event concluded with five mega awards being presented to Mr Ram Charan, Mrs Vidya Balan and Mr Chiyaan Vikram for their outstanding contribution to Cinema, the Business Icon Award to Mr GM Rao and the award for Most Inspirational Icon - Politics, being presented to Mr KT Rama Rao, Hon'ble Minister for IT and Panchayat Raj, State of Telangana. The event ended with a fun after party and a truly scrumptious dinner spread specially put together for the ceremony by Taj West End.

K Subramanian CEO of Jubiliant Motors Actor Ram Charan

Lakshmi Pratury

Actor Chiyaan Vikram

KT Rama Rao GM Rao

Dr. Maria Zeena

Actress Vidya Balan

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RSVP The people who made the evening what it was - from sponsor team Audi, Air Asia, Cutty Sark and Studio Tara, alongside awardees Mr GM Rao, Mr KT Rama Rao, Ms Lakshmi Pratury, Mr Hari Menon, Dr Maria Zeena Johnson, Mr Gaurang Shah, Mr Chiyaan Vikram, Mr Ram Charan, Ms Vidya Balan and Mr Riyas Komu. Also seen are Mrs Varalakshmi Rao, wife of Mr GM Rao and Aruna R Krishnan, Editor and Publisher of Ritz

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RSVP The majestic new Audi Q7 which was unveiled at the event

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NOVEMBER 2015 RITZ

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The launch of Bootz Southscope All Star Calendar 2016 was as usual a starstudded affair. Held at Olive Bistro in Hyderabad the limited edition calendar which is a joint effort by Bootz and Southscope, was unveiled by hot n' happening Tamil superstar Chiyaan Vikram and sultry siren Shriya Saran, in the presence of Mr Jayesh Ranjan IAS, IT Secretary, Telangana, amidst high profile guests of the city. The young fans of Vikram went absolutely crazy when they found him amidst them and the sport that he is, the superstar indulged every single request for a selfie. Shriya Saran looked pretty as a painting in her elegant white jumpsuit. The young and dynamic Pushpanjali Banerjee of Bootz spoke of her delight at being an integral part of the Bootz Southscope Claendar each year. Playback singer and actor Sreeram Chandra, popular anchor and budding actress Rashmi Gautham, actors Ghazal Somiah and Upen were amongst the other glamourous faces who were seen enjoying the event thoroughly. Supported by Carlsberg and Tuborg as beverage sponsors and Olive Bistro as the hospitality sponsor, the launch of the Bootz Southscope All Star Calendar 2016 was a super hit! JANUARY 2016 RITZ

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RELATIONSHIP 38

Two

to Tango With social mores undergoing a drastic change and interpersonal dynamics being redefined constantly, the line between friends and lovers is becoming thinner each passing day. So far so good! Who is anybody to judge what a man and a woman choose to do within the ambit of their association? Friends with benefits, is the new age phrase coined to describe a friendship in which casual sex is an integral part. But then when sex becomes a part of a special friendship, does it still remain as simple and straight forward as it would have been otherwise? What sets human beings apart from other species is the faculty of feeling emotions and the ability to articulate them. How detached can a man or woman be with the other areas in the life of a special friend? This emotional conundrum has become a popular storyline in films and TV shows as the trend grows. Apparently, such arrangements are much more commonplace than we would care to acknowledge, right here in the land of Kamasutra. RITZ decided to get a reality check on the changing definitions of friendships and delve into the psyche of friends with benefits.

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RELATIONSHIP

Not so long ago, friends and lovers were distinctly separate beings in our lives. They were different people without whom life wouldn’t be as beautiful. A friend was someone who knew all about you and accepted you the way you are. Warts and all! Mutual affection, understanding, compassion, trust, enjoying each other’s company, freedom to be one’s true self without the fear of being judged were all hallmarks of true friends. And needless to mention friendship with the other gender was purely platonic. A lover was someone who you were in love with, made love to and shared intimacy like you would with nobody else in the world. While we had many friends, we had just one lover, at least at a time. We shared friendship with friends and a relationship with a partner. Quite clear, right? Apparently, not anymore! The lead characters in the 2011 film `Friends with Benefits’, played by Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, confidently set out on a friendly agreement to have sex without

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emotion or commitment. What starts off as an easy casual arrangement turns into a complex mess when they realise their deep feelings for each other. Later that year, Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher tussled with the same dynamics in their movie `No Strings Attached.’ Scared of commitment, Mr. Big in `Sex and the City’ refuses to settle with lead character Carrie Bradshaw, and their onoff relationship plays out over the show’s six series - and two films. All these on screen sagas bring us back to the million buck question! How easy or more aptly, how complicated are such friendships in real life? Says Sanjiv Sharma, a 28-year old IT professional from Bengaluru, “I’ve had 2 relationships with close friends of mine. Sometimes things get a bit hot and heavy and carry on for a while. But both times it has ended on a bad note. This happened when I was a lot younger, like 3 years ago. Now. in hindsight, I understand that it was a bad choice of judgement. I am no longer on

talking terms with both the women, one has even gone on to get married. But there’s a sense of awkwardness I feel when I even think of what I did now. How could I imagine that sleeping with a friend was a good idea! Sometimes we really do stupid things in our youth.” But then there are others for whom it works out just perfectly. Like in the case of R Madhava Das, a 51-year old businessman who lived in Singapore earlier. “I’ve been divorced - thrice - and the only kind of relationship I want now are casual ones. There are a lot of single women in my friends circle. In fact I maintain a sort of loose long-distance relationship with a 40-yearold single woman in Mumbai. She is my best friend, but we turn to each other for physical comfort whenever we are together. We both understand that there’s no commitment coming into the relationship. She’s free to see others if she finds them more stimulating. I do the same. And with the hectic lifestyle we both lead, I think its a mutually beneficial relationship. I don’t know if she’s going to expect more from me in the future, but for now, things are perfect,” he says. For a few others like Elizabeth D’Costa, a 40-year old writer, it turned out to be much more complicated than she had imagined! “I’ve never been married, never wanted to get into a serious relationship and I value my independence like nothing else. I hang out with a lot of friends (male) and have made the mistake of getting into a ‘friends with benefits’ sort of relationship with one of my close friends. And believe me, it was a recipe for disaster from the word go. I don’t know what it is about men that they want to get all possessive and personal when you’re in a physical relationship. I hate being smothered and cosseted. It lasted for all of a month and I couldn’t handle it any more. I was forced to tell him that we had to call off this sexual thing we had going between us and that ended our friendship as well. Obviously the friendship thing wasn’t so strong as we thought, else how could he have misunderstood my intentions. That was the first and last time for me…. I think I can live without sex and the complications it brings along,” she recollects even as she analyses.

the turn of some men to cry fowl when their female friend with benefits seeks more benefits elsewhere. “I was in a state of shock when I realised that Mita was two timing me,” Srinath, a media professional from Hyderabad says sharing his woes, “I mean, honestly I can’t call it two timing because we had agreed to have casual sex but when she told me she was serious about somebody else, I just couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that she had been seeing another man all along. I was a complete mess when she dropped me like a hot potato and was painting the town red with him. Eventually she got married to him and it still hurts even after two years when I see them together.” “It’s been the perfect arrangement for me,” says Rupa, an architect, “I’ve an amazing friend with benefits attached and I’m loving every bit of it. Neither of us has to worry about wooing or impressing the other person. We’re there for each other whenever we want without trampling upon our private space. Nobody knows about us and there is zero pressure to conform. I’m sure whenever we drift apart, it will be as easy as it was when we began.” With friends like them, who needs lovers, huh? So you see, what is good for the goose may not be as good for the gander but then it takes all kinds of relationships to make the world go round. Each to his / her own! Wotsay?

Unlike the clichéd `women seek commitment while men want easy sex’, it’s JANUARY 2016 RITZ

COVER STORY Photography: Chandra Shekhar Location: Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cut, PVR Cinemas, Ambience Mall, New Delhi

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The

Box Office

Baron

It appears that black is his favourite colour for there’s nary a picture of Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director of PVR Limited, where he’s dressed in anything but. Yet, his cinemas are filled with colour - ranging from bright reds and deep purples to pops of blue and gold thrown in for good measure. Everything inside a PVR multiplex is about creating a magical cinematic experience for its viewer. From ‘tubs’ of popcorn that were only seen in Archie comic pages, to service inside the cinema hall, bento boxes to eat out of as you feast your eyes on the latest action thriller, loos that boast of soft hand towels and moisturiser, not to mention some of the best reclining seats to sink into and enjoy Tom Cruise’s antics as he dangles from a plane - the PVR experience has spoilt the movie viewer for anything but the best. Steep ticket prices and staggering concession stand rates haven’t deterred the footfalls into the country’s premier multiplex. The brand today serves more than 66 million patrons at the pan-India level and sees at least 5.5 million footfalls into all of its 491 screens each month. RITZ meets the dynamic man who brought the multiplex revolution to India.

Text: Archana Shenoy JANUARY 2016 RITZ

COVER STORY

The Beginning “It all began when my father purchased Priya Cinema in Delhi in 1978. When I joined the business in 1988, I was running the trucking company for two years. I was really struggling there, going to Chandni Chowk every single day and somewhere I knew that this was not what I wanted to do with my life. Luckily my father gave me the opportunity to take care of Priya Cinema, for I think he too understood that running a trucking company was not my calling. I used to frequent cinemas like Chanakya and Archana, the only two halls that screened English films in Delhi back then and observed that Sterling Cinema in Mumbai was one up on all other theatres showing Hollywood films since they had a Dolby sound system. So I spoke to my father and convinced him that we needed to revamp the theatre that we owned and put in a state-of-the-art Dolby system so that we could have an edge over the other theatres in Delhi. My father went to London to procure a Dolby system and that’s how our journey of recreating the cinematic experience for our customers actually started. There was something very drab about a cinema experience till then. Most theatres had functional seats and basic lobbies - I never understood why all movie halls had grey lobbies - there’s so much colour in a film and theatres looked drab! I decided to bring in better seating and more colourful lobby areas - I believed that everything about a theatre, from the way it was decorated to the colours used in the lobby, the seats and concession stands, had to create that larger-than-life, over-the-top experience for the moviegoer. Then I made a trip to Orlando after I got married in 1992, and where I was staying was next to a 12-screen multiplex. I was enamoured by the bright pop colours used in the multiplex and I wanted to emulate these in Priya Cinema as well. These were some of the factors that helped us shape the philosophy of PVR when it was conceptualised. I wanted people to take back more than the movie that they have come to see.” The Priya Village Roadshow Saga “From a single screen theatre, possibly the best in Delhi at that time, I got the opportunity to get into a joint venture with an Australian company called Village Roadshow. After an initial meeting in Singapore and some

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COVER STORY

Niharika relaxes with her father Ajay Bijli at the plush lobby of Director’s Cut, Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj, one of PVR’s premier 4 screen multiplex complexes. The multiplex also boasts of their flagship fine dine restaurant Minstral and a brand new sushi bar

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serious number crunching, we decided on a 60-40 joint venture where I would control 60 percent. There were no multiplexes in India at that time and the market was ripe for the model to make its entry. I reckoned that if we could have several screens showing different movies at the same time, we could offer more variety to the viewer ranging from Hollywood, Bollywood and regional language films being shown under one roof. Unwilling to disturb the flourishing business of the single screen Priya Cinema, I began looking for a different property and ended up buying out a theatre in Saket - Anupam - which I converted into the country’s first 4-screen multiplex. I continued to expand the business in Delhi opening two more multiplexes, till my Australian partners decided to withdraw from India in 2001. I was on my own and the PVR brand emerged of this very fruitful and amiable split. I had plans to make multiplexes bigger with 7 and 8 screens and had signed on projects with several companies developing malls. Our first foray into a mall multiplex was in Bengaluru with Prestige’s Forum. It was an 11-screen multiplex and the response to it was phenomenal. It ended up being the game changer for the company and from then on, there was no looking back. Our expansions moved at lightning pace and today we have 491 screens across 109 locations in 44 cities. And there’s many more on the anvil.” The Numbers “Today PVR is the country’s largest cinema chain with approximately 30 per cent share of Hollywood box office, 20 per cent share of Bollywood box office and 4.5 million square feet of operational retail space. Another 3 million square feet of retail space is under development. PVR’s domestic box office revenue stands at INR 16,000 million per year. Today most mall developers prefer PVR as an anchor tenant as this means an assured number of footfalls into the mall on any given day.” The Brand Story “PVR is the largest and the most premium film entertainment company in India. It is listed as India’s Most Trusted Company in the Brand Trust Report consecutively for the past three years in the Category

of Entertainment and Display. Since its inception in 1997, the brand has redefined the way people watch movies in India. Serving 66 million patrons at the pan-India level, the company acquired Cinemax in 2012 and has recently entered into definitive agreements to acquire DT Cinemas. PVR has made exceptional technology like the IMAX ® and the ECX (Enhanced Cinema Experience) accessible to its audience and very soon will bring the 4DX experience to its cinemas. As a brand it is known for cultivating and spreading international movie culture countrywide and supports independent filmmakers under the banner of ‘Directors Rare’. PVR Ltd, the integrated ‘film and retail brand’ has PVR Cinemas as its major subsidiary. Its other two subsidiaries are PVR Leisure and PVR Pictures. PVR Leisure focuses on rolling out F&B and retail entertainment concepts. ‘PVR BluO’ is the largest bowling chain in India comprising of 135 cosmic bowling lanes, spread across 6 centres. PVR Leisure’s first casual dining concept ‘Mistral’ is another venture that offers patrons a high quality experience. Adding to the portfolio, PVR Pictures has been a prolific distributor of non-studio/ independent international films in India for many years.”

“Our first foray into a mall multiplex was in Bengaluru with Prestige’s Forum. It was an 11-screen multiplex and the response to it was phenomenal”

The Man Ajay Bijli’s passion for movies led him to set up PVR Cinemas in 1995. The largest multiplex chain in India has unassailable lead in the number of screens over competitors. Clearly, he has transformed the way millions of Indians have consumed entertainment content over the past twoand-a-half decades. Ajay’s entrepreneurial spirit has been best translated in his achievement in building the brand. With an Owner/President Management program from Harvard Business School and a passion to venture into the unknown he saw his business diversifying into distribution with PVR Pictures, hospitality and retail with successful joint ventures. Acknowledging his business acumen, Ernst and Young awarded him with the E&Y Entrepreneurial Award 2013 for Business Transformation. He also received CNBC’s Emerging India Awards in the same year. As an industry leader of Indian film exhibition, Ajay is on the Board of JANUARY 2016 RITZ

COVER STORY

Trustees of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) and the founding member of FICCI Multiplex Association (India). He is also a member of The Film and TV Producers Guild (India), Young Presidents’ Organisation and is associated with the Central Board of Film Certification, Government of India. Ajay’s 23-year-old daughter Niharika has joined the company as Director, Special Projects. She is responsible for handling various new projects and heads various film festivals hosted by PVR Pictures across the country. Being passionate about movies and hailing from the family that brought the multiplex revolution in the country, the uber confident Niharika is excited about adding fresh innovations to the company. The Support System Sanjeev Kumar Bijli is the Joint Managing Director of PVR Limited. He has been intricately involved with PVR Ltd. since its inception and has over 15 years of experience in the film exhibition industry. As the Joint Managing Director he manages the cinema acquisition and distribution business and programming activities of the company and also oversees the operations and the marketing. His experience in cinema exhibition stretches the full spectrum of the company’s business, propelling the brand to greater heights. During his tenure Sanjeev has been conducive in setting up relationships with various Hollywood Studios including Miramax, Newline, IEG and Zee MGM. He plays an important role in determining the content selection for the cinemas and is also closely involved in the development and growth strategy of PVR Ltd including the identification of new business opportunities such as digital and franchise opportunities. Sanjeev holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Sanford University, Manchester and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Imperial College London University. On receiving professional

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training in operations and development at the Village Entertainment Center, Australia, Sanjeev excels in management skills and in the domain of cinema knowledge. According to his brother Ajay, who is more involved in day to day operations and detailing of the business, “The movies and entertainment part are solely Sanjeev’s responsibility and all the success in that department has to be attributed to him. There’s no way I could run the show successfully without him.”

“Today PVR has a net worth of more than INR 16,000 million in revenue alone. It is the country’s largest cinema chain with approximately 30 per cent share of Hollywood box office, 20 per cent share of Bollywood box office and 4.5 million square feet of operational retail space”

The Statement His life is surrounded by luxury - from the kind of fabrics used for each seat in the cinema hall, to the premium F&B outlets that he’s particular about and even Payal Jain designing uniforms and styling his staff at each and every PVR auditorium - his eye for everything fine and premium cannot be missed. His personal style is edgy and debonair; the all-black New York look seems his favourite. The watch on his wrist is expensive, but subtle. The car he drives is luxury personified, but not something that he likes to show off. His clothes are custom made, his shoes of the finest leather. Yet, as we sit across the lunch table sampling sushi and miso from the newly added sushi bar at Director’s Cut in Ambience Mall, what strikes us is Ajay Bijli’s humility and his extraordinary drive for perfection. He lights up when he sees his daughter and at the mention of his brother, he can discuss the nuances of his business for hours together. He dislikes talking about his wealth and prefers instead to dwell more on how he can further perfect his business. From the kind of New Year gifts being sent out, to the new print on the concierge’s uniform to the calendar they’re sending out to associates and partners, he wants to have his say in everything. And that’s the reason, he says, that PVR can proudly proclaim that they’re the best and most premium entertainment company in the country. We agree and continue enjoying his company along with the fabulous Japanese meal being served.

Sanjeev Bijli is the go-to man for anything movie related. While his older brother gives much importance to detail and perfection, Sanjeev chooses to concentrate more on content selection for cinemas and identifying digital and franchise business opportunities

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LOOKBOOK

Predicting Fashion’s Future For 2016

Designer Monisha Jaising, recognised as the ‘Princess of Bohemian Luxe’ and the ‘Re-Inventor of the Kurti’, creates ensembles that are alive, contemporary and femininely seductive, with an interesting blend of Western and Eastern elements. She is among the pioneers of the Indian fashion industry and has collaborated with all major players that have shaped the industry. Monisha started her design career in 1989 after graduating from the American College for Applied Arts and then The Royal College of Arts (London). Currently her multi-dimensional label comprises of luxury sportswear, resort wear, luxe evening wear, bridal couture and kids wear. Monisha Jaising is extremely passionate about art, music and modern architecture, but India has always been her strongest source of inspiration. She follows a colour palette meant for the young, ambitious and sexy modern

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woman. Her command over hues is natural and easy, sophisticated and sensual. She creates collections that are alive and femininely seductive, with an interesting blend of Western and Eastern elements. Monisha has created a rage with her interpretation of the demure desi kurta by teaming it with trousers, shorts and jackets; styling it with a corporate edge or a sporty vibe. The magnetism of her alluring designs brings out the personality of the wearer. She completes 25 glorious years in the fashion industry and marks her entry into the e-commerce arena. The designer shares some fashion trends to stay stylish for 2016:

• Handmade lace and net fabric, for summer dresses, halter tops, sheer dresses, tops and gowns. • Mixed prints and fabrics with patch work (Grandma patch work) - Mix and Match of different prints and fabrics. • Geometric and Retro-inspired prints on tops, dresses, pants and blazers will been seen trending on. • Ruffled and voluminous tops, skirts, dresses and gowns. • Tie and Dye is a sure comeback, be it dresses, kurtas, kaftans or tops.

• Fringe and Suede - Jackets, dresses, flare or straight pants will make a perfect style statement for 2016. • Bold solid colours such as orange, yellow, lime punch, blue, red, opal etc. • Fringe has been trending over many seasons, but 2016 will see more of the fringe on tops, jackets and dresses. • Ready to wear, light denim fabric is a sure trend. 2016 will see tops, flowy dresses, trackpants and boyfriend jeans in this fabric. • Sequinned dresses are huge this season, and whether you go for subtle sparkle or all out shimmer and shine, there’s something for everyone. It helps you stand out in a crowd. The drama factor is high and it’s one that connotes a fancy occasion, something probably feminine and eye-catching. JANUARY 2016 RITZ

LOOKBOOK

BENGALURU

Downtown Nonchalance Meets Minimal Chic

Photographs: Jaheem Hussain

Reby Kumar sports a pair of gingham trousers and big chequered top while Sarayu Hegde looks chic in a gold bathrobe cape worn over a short dress

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Guapa is a fun label that is easy, effortless and comfortable. The designer Reby Kumar, has a penchant for picking special elements from the everyday ordinary. She believes in the concepts of simplicity, colour and the free spirit. Her aim is to bring together a multitude of designs that inspire experiences. The looks are easily translated from day to evening. Reby’s target customer is the well-heeled woman who is fun, confident, colourful and loves to experiment! Guapa’s Cruise 2016 collection is inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. The prints, colours and silhouettes all reflect on the various aspects of these tribes. From the Filipino Baro’t saya (national costume) to the flannel print of the T’boli tribe, to the florals of the Maranao, stripes of the Mindanao; all have been juxtaposed to create a look that has a clean resort vibe that is colourful and fresh. Summer Hues, easy shapes, considered print clashes and eclectic colour equations all effortlessly combined and put together. It’s a great example of downtown nonchalance meeting minimal chic.

Photographs: Jaheem Hussain

Designer Reby Kumar plays with a vibrant colour palate. Her collections are usually a mix of maxis, dresses, separates, cover ups, all high on wearability.

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LOOKBOOK

Multi striped bell sleeved blouse with a multi striped sarong

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Box printed dress

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LOOKBOOK

Mindanao layered maxi

Bengaluru: The Bombay Attic, 32 Cunningham Road, Hatworks Boulevard, Bengaluru Hyderabad: Almari, 8-2-686/B/1, First Floor, Above Oma Home Decor Store, Road No.12, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

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Box pleated scatter maxi

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LOOKBOOK

ashion

2016 And

Other Funny Tales My husband says fashion is a conspiracy to keep women occupied. As much as I adore him for his wit and shall I say, insouciance, his (loosely misogynistic?) rib led me to wonder – what is it about fashion that we go nuts over? They’re just clothes, for god’s sake. However, the more pressing question could probably be thus: how does the idea of, and the entire conundrum surrounding clothes play such an important part in some of our lives – so much so that we appear almost funny to those we consider, um, sartorially challenged? Text: Anu Merton Jha

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Fashion

Perhaps Vogue.com chief critic, Sarah Mower’s recent theory/algorithm could begin to demystify. She points out that every generation of designer longs to recreate the styles of its childhood – Christian Dior born in the early nineteen hundreds, displayed strong Edwardian influences in his work, just as Tom Ford, born in 1961, seems to be obsessed with the sixties and early seventies, she reasons. According to Mower, if you subtract the average age of today’s rising designer, which is about 25, from today’s date - 2015, voila – you’ve got yourself the fashion decade of the moment! – the ‘90s presently, if you’re too busy perusing look books to do the math. Which is right on point, if you ask me, seeing as the year that went by didn’t just have a huge nineties moment, the runways predicted even more of the grunge-y, minimal era for this year. The New York Spring/ Summer ’16 shows saw Calvin Klein getting

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LOOKBOOK

Fashio

nostalgic with his Nineties collection of waifish dresses that used to be modelled by a fresh-faced Kate Moss, and on Parisian runways, the decade was the biggest story – from entire outfits revolving around the lacey slip dress, right down to fanny packs – whether you liked it or not. Céline, Nicolas Ghesquière, Dior, Stella McCartney, Gucci – all nineties teens by the way – couldn’t have enough of the decade’s sartorial references. And then there was Alessandro Michele who won over young hearts right

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off the bat with the creation of his vintage, flea market meets high fashion Gucci girl – all romantic trompe l’oeil ruffles, dreamy floral patterns, and layered in ludicrous costume jewellery. Street style went on a ‘90s revival mission as well – we saw fashion influencers, aka those envy-inducing, über stylish people you follow all over social media, nursing a major crush on the highlight of the period – denim, of course, denim everything – and Instagrams rife with overalls, tons and tons of plaid à la Clueless, sky-high platforms and Doc Martens, printed backpacks, and choker necklaces rummaged from closets past. Which brings me to another step of this dance we dance – are the high end, fashion forward ensembles on runways that are now catching dust halfway across the world going to inspire what I wear to parent-teachers’ meetings tomorrow?

Should we also be looking closer home? Not that homegrown designers aren’t setting trends every season – oh no, they even spark trends between them – thanks to the Kardashian-level celebrity style craze we seem to foster for every second Bollywood film star around here (“OMG, did you see what Katrina wore in that song? Totally getting that for my cousin’s best friend’s brother’s wedding next month!”). And with the fairytale marriage of aesthetic and wellpreserved handicraft techniques, there has

on never been a better time to trend-watch in our own native. Some couturiers I’ve been closely following (read: stalking) and loving? The artisanal brilliance of Zoraya, Studio Verandah’s clean silhouettes, Payal Khandwala’s ease, Anamika Khanna’s latest foray into sport luxe at Amazon Fashion Week, dreamy dresses from Pallavi Mohan’s Not So Serious collection, statement capes by Kukoon, Pinakin sarees, Masaba’s rad pairing of a saree and a dress, Bungalow

8, Nidhi Agarwal, Ashima Leena, Surendri by Yogesh Chaudhary, Chicory Chai’s contemporary jaal-work jewellery, Archana Rao’s delicate colours and embroidery, and Krishna Mehta’s dhoti sets. A slew of styles, and aesthetics running the gamut from “That is so me!” to “I’d love to see myself in that!” What’s not to love? At which point I have an interesting moment of self-revelation – this is how it works. This is what it adds up to – all those hours spent shopping online, scouring the recesses of the internet, and all that energy spent stealthily circling the mall twice (fine, thrice) to zero in on that perfect New Year’s eve dress – clothes aren’t just garments, they represent who we are and who we want to be – at least briefly. We’re picking our costumes to make our memories in, and what purpose of fashion is greater than that? Reiterating trends are only a vehicle to revisit the magic of bygone eras – we

pick up from the past to create something new – whenever we seem to have whet our appetite for them (algorithm or not) because a trend done twice is never quite the same. As for my husband’s thoughts on women and conspiracy theories, he could be absolutely right or absolutely clueless, but one look at the shirt he’s wearing while he’s going to town with his wisecracks – and I secretly smile. It’s plaid! JANUARY 2016 RITZ

LOOKBOOK

KOCHI

Of Style And Motion The bustling, palm-fringed neighbourhood of Fort Kochi is a treasure trove waiting to be unravelled. Forward thinking artists and craftsmen blend together in perfect harmony with spice merchants, calm water bodies, quaint cafes, Jewish homes and established art galleries. This crown jewel of Kerala is home to one such established indigenous designer Joe Ikareth. Gifted with a unique design philosophy and creative flair, his label is represented by the quintessential dragonfly. From curating clothing for the differently abled to dressing celebrities like Arundhati Roy, his designs represent all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique and out-of-the-box in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion world.

Photographs: Joesph Kondody

Text: Michelle Sebastian

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Creating costumes for dance, Ikareth realises the importance of integrating movement into clothing. He approaches movement with élan and brings about a feeling of freedom because his garments effortlessly celebrate creativity and uniqueness with equal aplomb. Inspiration takes a new meaning as much by poetry as by the flow of lines through each of his creations. It is interesting to note that Ikareth’s talent and penchant for creativity is not only restricted to clothing but seamlessly extends towards creating music, sound and projections for his shows and for dance companies too! At his store you will discover the beauty and simplicity of bias-cut

cotton dresses, structured tunics, corset tops and quirky skirt-trousers. Ikareth extensively pays homage to the indigenous fabrics of Kerala together with traditional techniques to bring alive each of his creations; each reflective of the land and echoing his signature design. He makes a limited number of garments using traditional techniques of embroidery and wood print that are representative

Photographs: Priyadarshini Ravichandran

An alumni of Corpus Christi, Kottayam, in the wonderful buildings designed by the architect Laurie Baker, under Mary Roy’s philosophy of education sparked by an early awareness of his environment and sustainability laid foundation to what eventually followed. Bestowed with the award for Best Design Collection from NIFT in 1994 and having worked for three years in Delhi, the question of sustainability and clothes came back to him. This paved the way for Joe Ikareth to take the journey back home to start his own studio with a hands-on approach to design. The theory of maximum utility ensured each fabric is put to its best and optimal use during production, hence leaving minimum spaces for wastage. Ikerath’s brand rests on the core philosophy of the three Rs - Reuse, Redesign and Reenergise - which he mindfully applies to a conceptual collection, ‘Things to carry to wonderland’ showcased at his store in Mattancherry.

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When Ikareth first set up base in Kerala, people viewed his clothing as being too avant-garde and it took him many years to find a certain sense of acceptance. The emergence of Art Biennale in Fort Kochi served as an interesting catalyst for Ikareth. He began showcasing Fashionart performances with a group of creative people and over the past few years the exchange has been uplifting. “With the recent debut of design spaces, galleries and restaurants lending further character to Fort Kochi, the journey ahead is bound to be positive”, says Ikareth. The most recent of his global contributions includes participation at the NORDEN –‘Nordic Independent Living Challenge’. Ikareth says it is all about the exchange of ideas with a diverse group of people from caretakers of disabled people to tech geeks, university students, designers, differently abled people and city council members from the Scandinavian capitals all coming together to work on the ‘Challenges of Independent Living’. He firmly believes that in India too, with support from the government and CSR bodies we can develop new ideas and solutions for differently abled people by bringing together multidisciplinary groups. It is a feast to the eyes to see how Ikerath’s 11 year old daughter Tilotama, who has restrictive

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Photographs: Mary Flecher & Joe Ikareth

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of exclusivity and sheer diversity. Notable highlights in the recent past include ‘Varadakshina’ – homage to artist Namboodiri using dancers from ‘The Floor’, for the Goodkarma Foundation. Ikareth’s contemporary creations lean towards traditional Kerala breath easy fabrics including his very first creation. His classic cotton handloom collection pays ode to this creamy, cool fabric resulting in a balance between practicality and style.

arm moments since her birth, manages her daily activities independently. With Ikareth at the helm of affairs on clothing and Murielle his wife a movement-based therapist from France, inspiration has many dimensions. Murielle is his muse and she helps him understand the extent of movement that each of his creations offer. Thanks to this clothes have a functional meaning with effortless style in Tilotama’s wardrobe. Buttons and zips are cleverly replaced with magnets and velcro, while asymmetric cuts take centre stage, together with ergonomically designed and personalised clothing exclusive to the wearer. The approach is to focus from the evident body disproportions amongst the differently abled wearer. Such designs allow for immense flexibility for the differently abled to perform daily tasks like using the washroom or dressing with no dependence. Natural and relevant, this has led to the birth of ‘MOVE ABLITY’ a new range of clothing curated by Ikerath, designed exclusively for the differently abled to develop their confidence and self esteem. The Ikeraths have transformed the situation into a happy and exciting innovation that is practical, thoughtful and liberating in every way. What began as a sensitive start to a need is now bound to be a revolution and a meaningful one at that! Tilotama is a bundle of energy and this also comes about with her being fiercely independent and adept at managing her daily chores or beautifully swaying with grace as she dances with her mother unperturbed by her arms. Ikerath’s next big efforts are invested towards sourcing NGO’s and corporates to subsidise the designs so that it can be affordable for economically constrained families. Ikareth doesn’t believe in separating work from leisure because he believes they coexist. “It is important for me to bring creativity into different aspects of my life; from engaging the kids with music or cooking” exclaims Ikareth. This gifted artist admires the works of Rei Kawakubo, Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Iris Van Herpen and Issey Miyake from the global fashion fraternity. Back home, renowned Indian novelist, activist and global citizen Arundhati Roy is his muse and one of his most loyal clients.

OVER A CUPPA BENGALURU

Making A Difference Vinay Bharadwaj never thought heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be producing and hosting a talk show - that too with Bengaluru big-wigs and celebrities - to spread the message of cancer awareness among viewers. The 32-year-old, who works in an international bank in Singapore in a strategy planning role, was happy pursuing his hobby as a fashion designer when fate dealt him a cruel hand and he lost his mother to a deadly form of cancer. As she battled the disease for 54 days while in coma, Vinay decided that he had to do something to make people more aware of how precious their life and health is. And hence, the idea to produce a talk show called Lets Talk With Vinay thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slated to go live on an international YouTube channel next month Text: Archana Shenoy JANUARY 2016 RITZ

OVER A CUPPA

What do Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, cue sport champion Pankaj Advani, Kannada star Puneet Rajkumar, badminton ace Ashwini Ponnappa, singer Vasundhara Das and dancer Mayuri Upadyaya have in common? Ask Vinay Bharadwaj, the 32-year-old banker from Singapore, whose hometown is Bengaluru, and he responds. “They’ve all lost someone - a friend, a parent, a relative or someone close to cancer and are keen to support my cancer awareness cause in any way possible.” Having roped in 19 of the city’s most prominent names and faces to interview, Vinay, who has absolutely no background in media or production whatsoever, took it upon himself to begin his initiative to spread awareness on cancer in the smallest way that he thought best. “It was hard for my family and me to watch my mother battle cancer - she collapsed after nine sessions of chemotherapy when she was undergoing an MRI and then slipped into coma for 54 days. The trauma of watching her slip away was unbearable. She had never had

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herself tested for anything, had no insurance and never thought that she would be a victim to this dreaded disease. As I watched her battle each day I decided that though there were many working tirelessly to spread the awareness message, I too had to do my bit. And hence the idea to host a talk show and speak to people about cancer and spread the message to viewers,” explains Vinay. Once the idea took root, he began making calls, reaching out to people on social media and via email to set up appointments and convince them to be on his show. “It is remarkable how everyone responded to me… I’m not a journalist, no one even knew who I was, but they all believed in my cause and chose to support me in my endeavour.” He recalls how he was briefed by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s team and told to stick to only pertinent questions. “But surprisingly she opened up to me, empathised with me and spoke at length at how she too had lost a loved one to cancer and how she was doing her bit to spread the awareness

message as well. Similarly with Puneet Rajkumar, he too spoke about how a close relative had been diagnosed with cancer, but how early detection helped save his life. These are the kind of stories I wanted to highlight and I hope that when people see my show they will understand what my endeavour has been,” he tells. While the show takes the usual route with Vinay interviewing and speaking to people about their achievements and careers in the first segment, it is during the second segment that he gets them talking about cancer and gets their stories and messages with regard to spreading the awareness message. “I’ve even got a message from Yuvraj Singh on successfully battling cancer that will be added to one of the episodes where I’ve interviewed cricketer KL Rahul,” he tells us enthusiastically. Presently looking to partner with a television channel as well, in order to further the reach of his campaign, Vinay is in talks with some of the leading channels and hopes that one of them would see the value in his effort and look beyond the monetary angle and come forward to pick his show. “I have produced and conducted the entire 19 episode series with Bangaloreans with my own funds. There were only a few partners who saw potential in what I was doing and came on board at no cost - like Hyatt Bangalore for the venue and PN Rao who styled me. Every other expense had been paid for by me and my motive is not to make money, but to spread the message,” he tells. “As no one is presently looking beyond the money part, I shall begin with YouTube and hope this popularises the show enough for me to make more seasons with people from across the country and then move on to international shores,” explains the enterprising young man. And when he’s not working in the bank in Singapore, Vinay indulges in a spot of designing and also has a label Shinayele, which he retails from a few stores in Singapore and Bengaluru. “In fact many of the guests on my show - Ashwini Ponnappa, Anna Chandy, Vidya Pillai and Radhika Chetan were styled by me and wore Shinayele,” tells the multi-talented man. JANUARY 2016 RITZ

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BENGALURU

Swashbuckling Hero Manish Pandey has already gone into the annals of history as the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. A renegade, he likes to play by his own rules, both on and off the pitch. A naturally gifted batsman, his batting is more about timing and picking out gaps, he can also hit big sixes if needed. Now part of the Indian cricket team battling it out in Australia, RITZ met the stylish cricketer from Bengaluru before he took off to storm the greens Down Under Text: Archana Shenoy 68

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Photography: Lucky Malhotra

OVER A CUPPA Manish Pandey was Karnataka’s leading run-getter in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy with 212 runs in five innings. He first made headlines when he was a member of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning team in 2008. But it wasn’t until the 2009 IPL, where he became the first Indian batsman to score a century in the tournament, that he was being talked about. Since then, Manish has been a permanent fixture in Karnataka’s squads across formats. His first international call-up came in October 2014, when he was picked for the T20s against West Indies. He was denied that opportunity after West Indies pulled out of their tour. He put that disappointment behind him by scoring heavily as Karnataka ran riot in the domestic circles, winning the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy for a second successive

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season. An international debut came in Zimbabwe last year, where he made 71, in a 144-run, fifth-wicket stand to steer India out of troubled waters. And now he’s been given the chance to prove his mettle once more with his selection to India’s T20 and ODI squads for the tour to Australia. Says the stylish batsman, “Had I not made it in life as a cricketer I probably would have eventually found my way into the army.” His father, an army officer, had high hopes that his son would follow in his footsteps. But taking note of his son’s love for cricket he embraced his dreams and became Manish’s most ardent supporter. “My dad has been the greatest influence on my game,” he says. “He was the one who spotted my talent and encouraged me to pursue it.” At the age of eight, he began formal

coaching at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket. Manish then came to Bengaluru when he was 15 and stayed back when his father was transferred to Rajasthan three years later. In those three years he came to be well regarded in the KSCA league, represented Karnataka at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels, and was always marked for a Ranji cap. He also represented India in the U-19 World Cup in 2008, though he didn’t get many chances to display his prowess in that winning side. Like many other players of his ilk, Manish too came into the limelight only when he began playing in IPL. “The IPL was a huge platform for me,” he says. In the last eight seasons he has played for four different teams from Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers, Pune Warriors and finally Kolkata Knight Riders. He was the star of the finale in 2014, effortlessly steering his team to a thrilling win against Kings XI Punjab. “After the match when Shah Rukh Khan came down to congratulate me, he hugged me and said that he had a feeling in his gut that I would win the match for KKR. Its feels great to be appreciated for what you have done,” says Manish,. Often considered a tad aloof, Manish chooses to speak out in his defence saying: “I am not aloof; it’s just that at times I prefer my own company. I’m an extremely private person and I like to introspect and reflect at times, then I go into my zone and stay there for a while. I am always focussed when playing, but off the field I tend to keep to myself and am often misunderstood because of this.” When he’s not playing cricket, Manish prefers to keep fit, either in the gym or playing other sports like football, golf and tennis. His job at Bharath Petroleum also ensures that he is regularly playing cricket for his company. “I’ve been with BP for five years now and am grateful for the opportunities and constant support I get from them,” he tells. Calling his game of choice a learning experience in life, Manish says that his interactions with foreign players in IPL have helped him learn a lot and groom himself in the right manner. He hopes he can ride this wave of success to the fullest and find a permanent place on the Indian squad soon.

OVER A CUPPA

HYDERABAD

childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

play

Prakash Dantuluri, film maker and serial entrepreneur from Hyderabad, has created history with his new start up BulBul Apps Library by garnering more than a million views on YouTube and over a quarter million downloads on the app store, in just four months. In conversation with RITZ, the genius innovator speaks in detail about what makes the app the first-of-its-kind. Text: Vanaja Banagiri JANUARY 2016 RITZ

OVER A CUPPA 72

BulBul, currently among the top apps in the iOS platform in India, is a home grown smartphone and tablet app for children below 6 years old. A free to use app without adverts and in-app purchases, BulBul is developed by a team led by Prakash Dantuluri, the Founder/CEO of the company. Red Herring has picked the BulBul application among the top 100 winners in Asia quite recently. The debut app, currently available on all platforms, is the publisher’s new interactive city discovery series for kids with no advertisements and no in-app purchases. Prakash, who has rich experience in building technology platforms, also co-founded Paradigm Creatives, a hugely successful technology services company which currently has more than 200 engineers on its rolls. The BulBul library app which enables illustrators, writers, musicians, animators to collaborate to create stories for kids for aged 6 and under is a unique platform. Bulbul’s goal is to be the world’s largest kids’ app library with child appealing apps for all regions and languages. It is a platform that brings artists from around the world together to create fun filled apps for children. For example, a Christian writer from Mumbai, a Spanish artist from Mexico, an Israeli music studio, a Muslim animator and a Hyderabadi voice-over artist collaborated to create Krishna

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and the Universe, a mobile phone story for children. “Similar interactive stories have been created as part of BulBul Apps, which was started to bring world class local content to kids with the help of the global artist community,” elaborates Prakash. BulBul is a library app and it has eight categories that encompass Baby First, Folktales, Princess Stories, Aesop’s Fables, Indian Mythology, Mowgli and BulBul, Krishna Series and English Rhymes. The latest addition to Bulbul app library is Tuk-Tuk in Mumbai. It promises a beautiful imaginative journey by TukTuk and Rinku the Taxi, on their adventures to find out famous places in Mumbai. The advertisement free 13 page interactive e-book with graphics, animations, music and narration by a professional voice artist brings Tuk-Tuk characters to life in a modern yet classic style in English and Hindi. “BulBul finds a huge potential in this edutainment segment as India is home to more than 310 million kids who are

under the age of eight, with over 100 million of them, greedy for content and eager to lay their hands on a small device in the next few years,” tells Prakash. “Currently, the app Library is among the top apps in India and Jordon. The app has over 50,000 downloads till date and has a 4.2 star rating on Google Play. Our immediate plans are to grow our user base in Mumbai and launch in new cities across India,” he adds. Prakash and his team have plans to add more features like vocabulary, puzzles and reasoning and analytical skills to the apps in future.

No. 1 on iPad and iPhone in India Princess and the Pea went on to become the No. 1 eBook in 14 countries Featured by Windows Phone on their home page No. 6 on Android in India

The other night on a live Times Now TV debate on whether the country needs to spend hundreds of crores of tax payers money on a new Parliament building, I was pitted against a few MPs. My stand was simple. If the present building is indeed dilapidated or faces security risks, by all means let the highest legislative body have a new space. During the course of arguments, one of the hon’ble members of parliament revealed that during a recent downpour, drops of water kept falling from the ceiling, that some rows have very little leg room and so on. I found that line unacceptable and insensitive, coming as I do from a city that had just witnessed unprecedented monsoon fury in which thousands of people, from every strata, had lost their homes and all their belongings, including things that no money can buy. The contrast was stark. ‘We The People’ had our homes submerged under upto 18 feet of water and those who are meant to represent us want a new building because rain drops were falling on their head? If the roof is leaking, why not just fix the problem? If space is a constraint, why not use a little ergonomics? Do these hiccups warrant a new building? The present Parliament House is an 88 year old heritage structure. It’s a repository of history, a symbol of national pride. You don’t need to be a conservationist to know that heritage structures must be maintained and not abandoned. And 88 years may be old for a politician, not for a building! The US Capitol Hill is over 200 years old. The Palace of Westminster in the UK has been renovated and retained for centuries. The proposal from the Lok Sabha Speaker is not unprecedented. A similar idea was mooted during the previous dispensation. The reasons cited are not convincing. Is the need urgent? Even if one goes by the Heritage Grade -1 structure

BY SANJAY PINTO

POINT BLANK

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD...

Question Hour. Each disruption costs the exchequer a staggering 2 crore a day or 25 lakh per hour. Shouldn’t the focus be on performance inside Parliament – better attendance, more active participation, more eloquent speeches, more issues raised, more questions answered, less walkouts and disruptions, rather than the building? We have school children sitting under trees with no classrooms but determined to get educated. We have poor students sitting under roadside lamp posts to study. We have elderly citizens shivering on pavements in the biting cold without blankets. We have child labourers scratching around dustbins for morsels of food. So much for our priorities.

building rules, the life of the present building is a 100 years. The seating capacity of the building is 550. The present strength of the Lok Sabha is 545. By the 91st Constitution amendment, the freeze on the strength of the law making body ends only in 2026. The explanation to clause 3 of Art 81 of the Constitution stipulates the State wise representation based on population figures. The next census is due in 2021. So what’s the hurry, folks?

Aside of the fancy perks – travel, telephone bills and the like, what about the subsidised parliament canteen rates – soup and toast at 8 rupees, veg thali at 18 rupees, mutton curry at 20 rupees, fruit salad at 10 rupees? Just to refresh our memory, for us lesser mortals, didn’t the price of Toor Dal shoot up by 100% to Rs.200 per kilogram? And now the government wants to snatch away LPG subsidy from those whose annual income is over ten lakh.

In any profession, perks and allowances are linked to performance. With reports about walkouts, disruptions, unsatisfactory attendance and participation in debates having become a template, wouldn’t the heartburn over a proposal for a 100% salary hike for MPs be justifiable? In the just concluded winter session, the Rajya Sabha is reported to have worked for 51% of the scheduled time, its average productivity has been pegged at 61% with the passage of 7 bills, 6 without discussion. 14 Ministries did not answer any starred questions during

I’m just wondering about the timing of the new building proposal. Why not do it 6 months before elections? Voters can discuss it directly with the candidates as they go around canvassing. Meanwhile, how about donating umbrellas to them. After all, they couldn’t be used during the floods. Before you do that, ask yourself: what’s my MP’s name? (Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor & Former Resident Editor – NDTV 24x7) JANUARY 2016 RITZ

CORRIDORS OF POWER

An Officer And A Gentleman To some, this officer born on Christmas Day has been Santa’s gift to Chennai. To others, the cross he carried during last month’s floods wasn’t good enough. But Vikram Kapur is not the sort of bureaucrat to get bogged down by criticism. Keeping his composure and a brave face despite being in the firing line, he hopped from one tv studio to another to focus on relief efforts, took a makeshift raft to reach his hot seat in Ripon Building, responded to calls, text messages and pinged back people on facebook messenger on action taken on complaints well past midnight. Chennai’s Corporation Commissioner has kept the Kapur family legacy of public service intact. With a ‘My Daddy Strongest’ sense of pride, the suave 1988 batch IAS officer recalled his father Baldev Kapur’s stint in the IAS in Punjab; as well as his cousin Vijay Kapur’s tenure as Chief Secretary of Delhi.

“ The Civil Services has been a family tradition and I was almost destined to be a civil servant.” Although a young Vikram stood 8th in the CBSE examination and could have walked into any IIT or Engineering College, he chose a BSc (Honours) Physics Course at St.Stephens

BY SANJAY PINTO

College with a clear goal of clearing the civil services examination. And clear it he did in his maiden attempt at the age of 21, which was no mean feat especially in the late eighties, as opposed to today, with the brightest students opting for careers in

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Management and now even Law. Well before he could savour the delicious Venu Biriyani in Dindigul when he was posted as the Collector, Vikram Kapur had to tackle law & order issues in the district. The task of revamping Corporation Schools during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner (Education) of the Chennai Corporation beckoned. “We have made giant strides in Corporation schools over the years. Imagine a tie up with Columbia University and using digital technology and data analytics to monitor student profiles, attendance and so on.” Name a sensitive post and Vikram Kapur has been at the helm. Although he was the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for only about six months, he initiated steps to curb pollution levels caused by the “unsustainably high vehicle explosion.” Deputation with the Tea Board of India as the Executive Director for five years was literally his cup of tea. Based in Conoor. “The industry was in bad shape in early 2000. Exports had collapsed and tea growers were hit. It was a challenge to revive the sector. We introduced a host of schemes, the most outstanding of them being the country’s first E-Tea Auction.” Kapur’s innings at the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) as the Member Secretary, came right after the Second Master Plan had been rolled out. The no-nonsense officer had to grapple with development regulations, perspectives on urban planning, demolitions and follow up. “This was when the stage was set for the emergence of Greater Chennai.” The Master Plan had envisaged a paradigm shift to Public Transportation as an answer to the city’s cluttered roads. “In a way, my ‘indoctrination’, as it were, in the CMDA paved the way for my stint as the Chennai Corporation Commissioner.” Ripon Building, the headquarters of the city’s municipal body, has been the most eventful point in Kapur’s career, a period in which he has garnered a share

(Pic: Vikram Kapur, IAS, Commissioner – Corporation of Chennai) of encomiums and flak. Well before the floods, the Corporation had bagged an award for the ‘Best Non Motorised Transport Project’ by redesigning streets and it found international recognition at the Climate Change Conference in Paris, a stage its Commissioner missed as he was on duty battling the monsoon fury. For the record, I have not met Vikram Kapur so far. My only interaction had been through text messages and facebook messenger, untill a chat on the telephone recently for this column. And yes, I no longer anchor or report on NDTV. Yet, every SOS I had sent asking for help, sometimes even for perfect strangers who would ping me, has been acted upon. That’s been my experience with this officer and it automatically rebuts accusations that he responds only to those known to him. I bounced several posers to him. (Please see the box)

Q. Was the Chennai Corporation accessible enough to those in need? A. “On an average, the Corporation helpline 1913 used to get 200 calls a day. During the floods, it shot up to 13,000 calls a day. I roped in my contacts from HCL and brought in call centre executives to ramp up our response.” Q. It became a cliche on most tv channel discussions on the recent floods. Was it a natural disaster or a man made tragedy? A. “I understand that sections of people are angry. We have learnt some valuable lessons. But we have had unprecedented rainfall. Upto 30 cms on a single day. ” Q. I meant the alleged absence of warning before the release of 30,000 cusecs from Chembarambakkam. A. “I don’t buy that argument that no advance warning was given. More than thirty thousand people were evacuated that night. We did send out warnings. There were instances of people reluctant to move out. Nobody anticipated the magnitude of the disaster.” Q. Why were the storm water drains not effective enough? A. “Storm water drains cannot be bigger than the size of the roads! They are meant only for local run offs. Don’t forget that only one-third of our roads have storm water drains. These drains cannot be stand alone structures. They have to empty out into something. 3 rivers were in spate. Water cannot flow from a lower to higher level.” Q. Was desilting done ahead of the monsoon? A. “Yes, of course, as in previous years. This can only give us 5% relief. We are missing the wood for the trees. It is a question of macro not micro drainage.” Q. Having been at the helm in CMDA in the past, why have buildings on water bodies been allowed to come up? A. “ Under the CMDA Master Plan, there are approvals for layouts. Developers take the short cut and carve out plots leaving local bodies to build drains etc.” Q. So what are the lessons learnt? A. “Core infrastructure needs to be our priority. For instance, in China, infrastructure comes first, development next. In India, it’s often development first and infrastructure follows.” Q. The joke doing the rounds is that abroad, after an hour of rain, the water disappears. In India, the road does! How long should a well laid road last? A. “ Roads are our priority now. Depending upon the usage, load and other factors, roads can last 5 years, arterial roads about 3 years. We are closely monitoring the process of repairing and relaying them.” Q. Was garbage cleared on time? A. “ We worked day and night to clear accumulated garbage. For instance in one of the worst affected zones, 1658 workers with 46 lorries and 9 JCBs had worked flat out under the supervision of 4 IAS officers. Between the 7th and 9th December, 1500 MT was removed. People were throwing out huge quantities of damaged items. Many contract workers could not turn up for work as they themselves were affected by the floods. We got workers from other Corporations. These guys had been working their hearts out. There have been scores of nameless, faceless people who lost everything but never batted an eyelid to join in the relief efforts.”

Kapur salutes the “great work” by volunteers from civil society. “They made us all proud.” He is quick to recognise the silent but pivotal role played by his wife Ibha Kapur, a Bharatnatyam dancer who “sacrificed her dancing career for the family”. I went home at ungodly hours during those days but she was so supportive and a great stress buster, always been that way.” Mrs.Kapur is quite camera shy and politely declined the usual photo shoot at the residence. In a facebook chat, she sent me a long and heart warming message explaining why she avoided the photo shoot and played down her role saying it was limited to providing a “conducive environment and good meals at home.” You would imagine that his daughter Divya Kapur, who also went to St.Stephens, would follow her father’s footsteps. But “she has a mind of her own”. Divya has decided to devote two years of her life to the ‘Teach For India’ mission and works in a government school in Delhi. Junior Kapur Anant is a Class twelve student at DAV School who “loves football.” If you just browse through his facebook page, pictures will reveal that Vikram Kapur is a complete family man. Like his son, he too loves sports and plays football, squash, badminton and, given his height, predictably, basketball too. Vikram Kapur may look like a very serious person but I detected a friendly veneer, candour and sparkling wit from my only conversation with him. That has probably rubbed off on to his office staff as well, with old timers like V.Vijaykumaar being extremely helpful and on call 24x7. Criticise them till thy kingdom come but good work will speak for itself. You can’t make a bull worker a scape goat.

(Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor and former Resident Editor of NDTV 24x7) JANUARY 2016 RITZ

OVER A CUPPA 76

RITZ JANUARY 2016

Making Magic With

Her Brush

Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the most well-known make-up artists from Bengaluru, with effortless style and a seamless understanding of skin and facial contours. Dipthi Aashok has dabbled with several careers before she finally found her calling as a make-up artist. And standing behind a mirror in a salon with B-grade cosmetics and a picture for reference are not her style at all. She prefers to use her artistic flair and creative eye to enhance oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face in the best possible way, keeping in mind each individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural looks and style.

JANUARY 2016 RITZ

OVER A CUPPA It isn’t often that one sees a student of psychology and journalism veer so far away from such subjects to finally make a lucrative career as a celebrity makeup artist. But that’s what Bengaluru girl Dipthi Aashok did. “I was always inclined towards fashion and style,” she explains. “I come from a family of creatively inclined people - my grandmother was a violinist, my father was from theatre and my mother is an artist. I was encouraged to follow my passion and soon after completing my graduation I began studying fashion under Mr Vidyasagar, one of the most prominent city-based designers in the 90s.” Following on the same path Dipthi worked briefly with designer Manoviraj Khosla before moving to Europe with her husband. “I had started a small fashion line myself, but my move abroad made it difficult for me to manage clients in India. Hence I was forced to shut down my business. In Europe I saw that the concept of fashion and style was very different and I also began

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to realise that women paid a lot of more attention to the way they made their faces up. Looks were very subtle, never garish or loud. They accentuated the shape of their eyes and lips and kept their best features highlighted. Most importantly, they never tried to camouflage their natural looks,” she tells. So once Dipthi returned to India she had found new focus in her life and headed to MAC where she underwent a brief training course under stalwarts like Mickey Contractor and Vimi Joshi. Wanting to learn more she even chose to work there for a while, understanding all that she could about a person’s face and how to accentuate it in the best possible manner.

“After my stint at MAC I even trained for a while with Swati Gupta of Bodycraft in order to learn and understand more about the art.” Dipthi explains how make up is so different from simple drawing and sketching. “With make up one has to highlight and create an illusion on a face, sometimes flawed and hence the need to hide and enhance certain attributes and sometimes so perfect that just minimal enhancement is needed. I firmly believe that make up should be used to enhance the way you look and not change your looks completely. Some of Dipthi’s best work can be seen on actress Suman Ranganath, a local girl and one of her most faithful clients. Similarly she’s worked with other well-known brands and people from the city, namely Sudarshan Jewellers, Mysore Sandal Soap and Unlimited for their ad campaigns, editorial work for some of the leading magazines

from the city doing make-up for their cover shoots, make-up for models in Aparanje Jewellers’ TV commercial, for male models in the Levi’s TV commercial and make-up and styling for umpteen brides and bridal parties. Running one of the most well-known makeup studios in the posh Sadashivnagar area, Dipthi also runs a training institute where she teaches people and aspiring make-up artists the tricks behind this art. “I have many women coming to me to learn how to do their personal make-up. Obviously you can’t head to a professional make-up artist for every occasion and I encourage people to learn to handle their daily make-up with a little assistance on how and what to use,” she tells. She also adds that she’s keen to create awareness on make-up, what brands are the best to use, what products one needs to use, and to educate people on what looks suit them best. “It’s important for a person to understand his or her looks and what suits them best instead of picking up a photograph or magazine and pointing to one particular look that they want to copy. That’s the worst thing you could do to yourself,” she tells. Presently her studio is her sanctuary and Dipthi is happy to share her knowledge and experience with anyone who wants to learn more about make-up. And once you’ve had an experience of the kind of magic she can create with her brush, you’re sure to keep going back for more of her expertise in enhancing your already beautiful looks!

Address: DA Studio, No 318 15th Cross, 6th Main, Sadashivnagar, Bengaluru Phone: +91 9845 26 73 23 Email: dipthiaashok@dastudio.co

JANUARY 2016 RITZ

SPOTLIGHT

The Perils Of Writing A Memoir (And the Joys!)

Arathi Menon, a journalist, chose to deal with a life-altering incident in a way very different from what the normal female reaction would be. Her memoir Leaving Home With Half The Fridge, deals with the dissolution of her marriage in a fresh and novel manner. Here is her first-person account

I had accompanied a friend to a garage sale, the proceeds from which would go to a ‘Save the Cats’ charity. I was more than happy to buy some more useless stuff I didn’t need like a forest green box with a dragonfly frozen in mid-flight to save starving, helpless feline creatures. Innocently prattling away with my friend, I browsed through the wares - a jumble of clothes, shoes, knick-knacks and the odd eccentricities of an individually curated sale, when I felt someone’s eyes boring down on me. I looked up and sure enough, across the room was a dapper young man, in a blue office shirt, mismatched with the green flecks in his eyes, staring intensely at me. I gave a hesitant smile while my brain screeched ‘Psycho, psycho, psycho’. Clearly, the warning system every woman has in her head was working efficiently in mine. He took my quizzically stretched lips as an invitation and trooped over. We shook hands. He looked deep into my eyes and still holding the hand I had long stopped shaking, claimed with breathless certainty, ‘I know you.’ I gave an even more vague smile, ‘Umm, we met at …?’ ‘I read your book’. Ah, the penny droppeth. One of the occupational hazards of writing a divorce memoir is that people do know you. They know how you broke the news of your divorce to your mother, why you cut holes in your Ex’s shirt, the odd sort of men you dated and which ones you kissed in that motley line-up, how you cried in cabs and even who got to keep the Marquis de Sade of your book collection.

RITZ JANUARY 2016

A month after the book released, L called and asked me how I felt about ‘Hanging it all out’. Truthfully, till then I never thought about it. Perhaps, that’s why it was so effortless to be completely honest. I had written this memoir for the ‘me’ of six years ago, divorced, broke, unhappy without a guide on how to twist out of the tangled web I had woven. It took time, tears and patience but I had finally found the route to happiness and I wanted to shout it out from the highest rooftops with the loudest megaphone. I did just that, I wrote a book on how to survive a divorce happily.

The only thing I was a bit apprehensive about was reader responses for my suggestions were techniques which worked for me. Would it work as well for an unknown stranger of either sex? The mails I got a few months after the book release answered my question so emphatically, it was humbling. Someone wrote in to say I had given her feelings words. Another man told me the book helped him understand his daughter’s divorce. An absolutely charming 18-yearold wrote he was not married nor divorced, neither did he have a girlfriend yet he loved

the book. How much I laughed when I got a couple of mails stating this divorce book of mine helped their marriage. There were many other mails of pain, fragility, frustration and the sheer vulnerability of being human, of having loved and lost. Those are their secrets, and I dare not say more but hold on with immense respect to the confidentiality between a writer and a reader. My other nameless fear was how the family would react. Coming from a middle class family I was unsure how my quaffing down bottles of wine, dating random men, printing my insecurity, fears and loneliness in black and white would be viewed. My doubts dissolved when my mother went to our ancestral house in Kerala, that 200-year-old tharavad where we all come from. There, the grand uncle who looks after the place was holding my book and he had even read it. He told my mother with affectionate amusement, ‘She has her grandfather’s guts.’ I knew I didn’t need anybody’s approval after this blessing for the audacity of my genes. People ask me, ‘Do you feel better after writing it? Was it therapeutic?’ I shake my head firmly, ‘No’. I couldn’t have written this book if I was unhappy, the reason it has so much hope is because it came from a place of reignited happiness, a place where a single flower in a graveyard bloomed. What I got from narrating my story was so much more than happiness, I got my raison d’être. My memoir taught me to write, to understand the discipline and life of a writer. I had written this book for other people but in doing so, I found my calling. An excerpt from Leaving Home With Half A Fridge Chapter: The Wedding Album That Was More Resilient Than The Wedding Seven hundred and fifty bright, shiny rectangular photographs, mounted on hard glossy cardboard, bound in expensive, ugly velvet stood testimony to the happiness a couple had shared one unforgettable day. Neither the happiness nor the couple would survive. Wedding albums are expensive must-haves of a wedding. It’s fine if things go well and the mother can dandle her grandkid on the knee and say, ‘Look at your amma and achan before you were born’. Then it becomes worth the trouble.

If you’re like me and the marriage ended, luckily before that dandling grandkid came, you’re stuck with a 7 kg error that can be used as a small stool. After the divorce, when I was going through the wedding album (occasionally, as we’ve seen, I’m a bit of a masochist) I remembered how I had fought with the Kerala photographer who was given the important task of capturing the event for posterity. He wanted me to do the cheesiest things. For instance, one of his demands was that I look out into the distance like a lovesick puppy. He explained that he would take this pose and Photoshop the Ex’s picture in front of my eyes so that a ‘Waiting for the lover’ effect was created. When I refused to do this, he wanted me to sit under a coconut tree, drawing hearts in the mud. Naturally, I didn’t oblige. With tears in his eyes he told my mum that I was the most difficult bride to shoot. I felt secretly pleased and every time I looked at him during the wedding and saw his tortured anguish, I‘d break into the most beatific bridal smile. In the album, there is this picture of me wagging a finger at the Ex. It looks incongruous for it is not a normal wedding posture. It seems a bit angry and accusatory. I’m sure the photographer put that picture in to get back at me. I didn’t mind for we knew that the gesture was in jest. I was warning him not to cheat at ‘Word-building’. We had begun playing this game in the middle of the wedding as we were thoroughly bored with the rituals that seemed to go on for hours and

hours. I think at the moment that this photo was captured, the Ex was trying to spell aardvark with a single ‘a’. In that album, there are 250 pictures of us touching various people’s feet, mostly relatives, well-wishers and old friends. I can’t help thinking what happened to all those heartfelt blessings. Weren’t they enough to protect us? Why didn’t the goodwill showered on us form a shield and shelter us from the disastrous future we were going to have? My friends stand in a group snap grinning ear-to-ear. Their tomboy, ‘I-will-nevermarry’ best friend was finally tying the knot. I could see the mirth in their eyes, the gentle teasing smiles. As my eyes scan their faces, I remember each one’s reaction when I told them about the split. As I flip the pages, the photo of the pujari, looking like a hairy orang-utan, makes me smile in spite of the tears that are flowing silently. He was the oddest creature. He had a battery operated fan, which would blow the puja smoke into our faces, and he would chant his mantras into a handheld loudspeaker, amplifying the already strange-sounding slokas. Every time he’d pause between the chants, we’d celebrate the silence with relief. I contemplated taking a microphone and going to inform him personally, and as loudly, ‘The marriage is off! We are dissolved now!’ {Arathi Menon is the author of Leaving Home With Half A Fridge; How To Survive A Divorce Happily, a memoir published by Pan Macmillan. Currently, she is writing her second book and tweets between words at https://twitter.com/unopenedbottle} JANUARY 2016 RITZ

SPOTLIGHT

HYDERABAD

All in the genes

In May 2013, Angelina Jolie revealed that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after tests showed that she carries the BRCA1 cancer gene, which left her with an 87% chance of contracting breast cancer. However, 15 years ago, Anu Acharya had already begun heralding the new paradigm of health management harnessing personal genomics for better health. RITZ speaks to the Hyderabadi genius who coined the term Genomepatri (inspired by Janampatri, the Indian term for horoscope), a revolutionary test that gives a new dimension to prevention and cure. It goes beyond systems, organs and calls, this innovative test studies the DNA - the core that defines a person Text: Vanaja Banagiri 82

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Anu Acharya’s entrepreneurial journey started providentially in 2000, the beginning of a new century, when she decided to move back to Hyderabad from Chicago. She founded a company, called Ocimum Bio Solutions, which helps scientists in their research. By 2030, she hopes to reach out to more than a million lives. Ocimum went through 3 acquisitions and two rounds of funding from Kubera Partners and World Bank, over a period of 14 years. But that wasn’t enough for her. “I kept asking myself,” she narrates, “What was it that I really wanted to do. The real desire was to be able to create an impact. To create a big impact you have to look at how you can actually affect people directly. When you are working merely on the research side you are working as a sub contractor to the pharma companies. The process is long. So you are not directly impacting people. That was the main driver to start MapMyGenome.” Anu’s dad was a professor of physics and she wanted to study physics at IIT. “I wanted to become a Nobel laureate in physics during my school days. I did join IIT Kharagpur for physics but soon changed my plan. I did some soul searching and knew that entrepreneurship was my calling. After researching and brainstorming on several ideas, we founded Ocimum Biosolutions in 2000 as a pure bioinformatics company. In a few years, we grew to become a global genomics outsourcing partner for discovery, development and diagnostics with three international acquisitions and two rounds of fund-raising,” she says proudly. Curious to know more we ask Anu how Mapmygenome was started. She explains, “By 2011, we had 11 plus years of expertise in genomics. It was time to start thinking about the next level. How can we use the knowledge gained to reach out to a large number of people? Can we impact people’s lives? Genomics in healthcare looked like the best way to go ahead. In addition to knowledge of genomics, we had a state-of-the-art laboratory, a team of bioinformatics experts, and access to gold standard databases – the perfect mix of elements required for a genomics company. We started working on this, registering the company Mapmygenome in 2012 and offering our services to the public

beginning in April 2013.” What are the main offerings and objectives of the venture, we ask. “Genomepatri, our flagship personal genomics product, is a once-in-a-lifetime, non-invasive test that gives your DNA-based health profile for 100+ conditions, traits, and drug responses. One simple saliva swab can help you know yourself better, prevent or delay onset of disease, manage weight, lead a healthy lifestyle, and protect your family. We have smaller panels for heart, brain, cancer prevention, women’s wellness, and lifestyle management. If you are looking for low-priced tests, we have Sugargene for diabetes prevention and management and Slimgene for weight management. In addition to a report, most of these tests

have a genetic counselling session, where our experts correlate your genetic findings with health history and give you actionable steps towards better health. Another important offering to labs is the Spoligo TB diagnostic kit, which can help technicians in detection and typing of Mycobacterium tuberculum. We also offer a range of brain wellness solutions and molecular diagnostic tests on rare and cardio and neuro conditions,” she elaborates. For something so path breaking, there must have been some obstacles, for sure. “Of course yes,” she responds, “Being pioneers in the space of personal genomics, we knew we had an important and difficult

task at hand. We were introducing a new product in the healthcare space. Confidence had to be built not only among individuals, but also in the medical community. Fortunately, many senior medical practitioners, who are thought leaders, showed active interest in this new technology and helped us build additional products and suggested changes. Another challenge was to find the right markers that would work for people in India. We had to deal with issues like paucity of data. Having a brilliant bioinformatics team was the key reason we could create the right algorithm and reports for the consumer and we continue to make it better.” So how has the journey been so far, we enquire. “The journey as an entrepreneur has been very exciting. I was keen on being able to make it a brand that people recognise and desire. Challenges in moving from B-to-B model to primarily B-to-C model took a lot of adjustments in the way we function as a team. We had to create the right team to counter those challenges and it has been a fun journey. We must have done something right, that’s why we have received several awards and made it to top lists – ET startup - Women Ahead, Nasscom- Leage of 10 , VCCircle innovation award, FICCI - Innovation...,” she says modestly. What’s her daily routine? “No day is typical and that’s the best part of my life. I wake up at around 6.30 AM when I am not travelling. Get kids ready for school between phone calls and answering emails. Exercise and get to work and then a range of different things to be done. Spend time with kids and occasionally experiment with cooking. Get back to work till about 1:302:00 AM,” she describes. And what would be her goals for the future? “Mapmygenome’s vision is to impact more than 100 million lives and save at least 1 million lives by 2030. We are currently focused on expansion – increasing sales volumes and scaling up the operations,” she elucidates. Any words of wisdom for entrepreneurs? “Know yourself - Spend time to know yourself. You are unique and you must remember that you are like no other. Believe in what you do. Delegate well - You don’t have to do everything yourself,” she signs off. JANUARY 2016 RITZ

ADVERTORIAL CELEBRATE WITH A HOME BARBECUE PARTY The temperature has dropped a couple of notches, making it the perfect setting for a barbecue party. So get your veggies and meats, gather your friends and fire up your Weber barbecue grill. It doesn’t get easier to win compliments. There’s no better way to chill out this season than having a barbecue party in your own home whether it is in your balcony, terrace or garden. You can play host to your friends and family and give them a fun time with your own Weber barbecue grill with delicious starters, mains and desserts. Cooking food over an open fire is one of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors with the lingering aroma of smoked food, the crackle of fire and the warm glow of charcoal. Grilling has evolved from being a mere kitchen activity to

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a total entertainment form, which is both interactive and participative. With the availability of quality charcoal and gas grills in India from Weber® (www.weberindia. com), the barbecue trend is gaining a lot of importance in the Indian cooking space. Weber grills are compact, comfortably movable and easy to clean. They even come with useful accessories to make your party the best in town. Barbecue is not just about delicious meat on a flame. It’s amazing to see the wonders one can create with vegetables and fruits including veggie pizzas and grilled desserts for a fitting finale to the barbecue experience. Some things to remember before grilling are to ensure that your grill grate is brushed clean and that you pre-heat the grill with the grill lid closed to attain the ideal temperature. To help with lighting charcoal easily, use Weber’s Rapidfire Chimney Starter, charcoal briquettes and lighter blocks. These help you to get the coal burning easily without the mess and the necessity of adding liquid fuel or blowing on the charcoal. Barbecue evenings are fun ways to unwind with family and friends, and perhaps, one of those occasions when everyone gets together to bond over delicious grilled food. Time to fire up that grill!

Weber® Q® 1000™ Titanium Gas Grill: This portable grill’s excellent performance and handy size provides ease and convenience for gas grilling on a balcony or terrace. The stylish looking table-top grill includes a cooking space set over a stainless steel burner and a push button ignition which starts the grill quickly and easily. The Weber® Q® 1000™ Titanium grill sports a removable catch pan making cleanup easy.

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WEBER® ORIGINAL KETTLE™ (22”) Premium Charcoal Grill: Experience the charcoal revolution with this grilling powerhouse in your balcony, terrace or garden. The iconic Weber® Original Kettle™ Premium grill is engineered for excellence with it’s porcelain-coated steel bowl and lid, One-Touch™ cleaning system and cooking grates big enough to accommodate six large steaks, twice as many burgers, or up to a dozen paneer kebabs! The perfect complement to an evening of food, fun and friends.

• Preheat the grill with the lid closed for a few minutes before you start grilling. • Keep the lid closed while grilling to trap the smokiness, avoid flare-ups and maintaining required cooking temperature. • Clean the cooking grates every time you grill, not only to be tidy, but also because any residue left on the grates may cause your food to stick. • Never try to blow on the charcoals to hasten up the cooking process, it’s just a way to get the ashes all over the food. A Weber® grill comes with brilliantly designed vents, use them. • Like with fashion, accessorize! It’s incredible the versatility a lot of the Weber® accessories bring to your repertoire, and take a simple barbecue to a whole new level. • Weber® grills are easy to maintain, just follow a few simple maintenance tips, you’ll see a lot of elbow grease disappear as opposed to cleaning poorly manufactured grills. ABOUT WEBER®: Weber® is the world’s premier manufacturer of charcoal and gas grills and grilling accessories. In 1952, founder George Stephen sparked a backyard revolution with his invention of the Weber® kettle. Sixty years later, the company remains the industry leader with its Weber® brand and the Weber® range of products are sold globally including India. Weber® is about delicious barbecue food, fun and entertaining times. At Weber® we promote the barbecue culture and encourage more and more Indian consumers to enjoy the outdoor barbecue experience with their friends and family.

Weber® can be reached on toll free number 1800 102 3102 or +91 80 4240 6666 or +91 99000 27067. For information on Weber® products, grilling tips and original Weber® recipes, visit www.weberindia.com. JANUARY 2016 RITZ

DESIGN ELEMENTS

COIMBATORE

A Heavenly Abode

East End at Singanallur in Coimbatore is an elite private enclave, home to just five posh residences belonging to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s affluent families, one of whom is entrepreneur Barathan Srinivasan popularly known in the city for his associations with social causes such as Siruthuli, RAAC and the Red Cross Society. The well planned enclave has a large common parking area, well kept gardens and an aesthetically laid avenue within. The residents here even get to enjoy some of Coimbatoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s native flora and fauna, along with spectacular birdwatching at the nearby Singanallur tank Text: Rajesh Govindarajulu

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DESIGN ELEMENTS 88

Entrepreneur Barathan Srinivasan and his wife Hemamalini were among the first to move into East End. Today, this private enclave has become one of the most coveted pieces of property in all of Coimbatore and what makes it different from the other gated communities coming up in the city is the fact that there are just five massive residences within its compound walls. Some of Srinivasan’s neighbours include Dr. Jay Varadaraja of ELGI, Vikram Mohan of PRICOL and Mr Soundararajan of Suguna Poultry, all stalwarts from the city who choose to live in the privacy of this plush enclave. Built on a plot of land measuring more than 10,000 square feet, and designed by well known architect Karthik of Turya, the Srinivasans have taken keen interest in the design and styling of their home. “A house is a once in a lifetime project. It should suit our requirements and taste while also addressing our current and future needs. Therefore our family went into the smallest of details before putting things in place. If something does not suit us then it is we who have to be blamed and nobody else. Once you build a home keeping all this in mind your home will be heaven on Earth,” states Srinivasan. A couplet from the ‘Iso Upanishad’ welcomes the visitor at the entrance. The oil on canvas image of Garuda as found in Sri Rangam, by the eminent artist Gangadharan, adds to the beauty of the verandah. On entering the house one is bound to notice the little wooden chairs placed under the lovely picture of Srinathji which was purchased from Nathdwara in Rajasthan. Barathan Srinivasan is deeply religious and has been to a number holy places throughout Asia including Mansarovar, Muktinath in Nepal, the 12 Jyotirlinga Kshethrams and the 106 Divya Desams located in this region. The penchant to know new things and visiting off the track destinations took him to Sriharikota were he witnessed a rocket launch some years ago. A scale model of

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the rocket has been added to his collection on display at his house. The living room is a veritable treasure trove. The bronze replica of Varkala Janardhana created by master craftsman G Masilamani Sthapathi is the highpoint of the room. There are also more than 1000 idols of Lord Ganesha on display here. “My passion for collecting idols began early in life and now I have over thousand of them and each one is different, with no two similar ones. I continue to collect and cherish them,” he tells. The living room is an art-lover’s pride and a water colour of the divine poetess Andal with two of her companions is displayed elegantly along with the other valuable works of art. The courtyard used to be a standard feature in Kongu households and the Srinivasans have replicated this in their home. The courtyard has a number of pretty pieces of art made of bronze and other materials on display. The dining room adjoins the courtyard and huge Kerala art by Sasi Edavarad is the main attraction

here. The work is not just art but a display of an episode from one of the epics relating to Lord Ganesha. The house has two kitchens - one for daily cooking and the other one for special or ceremonious occasions. There is also a spa room with an attached bath adding to the indulgence of the home. A graceful statue of Sri Sai Baba from the pilgrimage town of Shirdi overwhelms one corner of the house. Barathan Srinivasan has made the pooja room the centre of his household and this has added to the aura of the home. A very large composite Tanjore painting

with all his favourite deities is the central piece on the altar. Each and every lamp and other accompaniments used for the prayers are from different parts of the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My father Barathan and my mother Padmavathi were very religious. Therefore we have brought in features that were part of their lives. Plus they were keen to do something for society and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why our family is part of a number of charitable organisations,â&#x20AC;? adds Srinivasan. The house also has a pretty water body on the eastern side and it adds to the calmness of the setting. JANUARY 2016 RITZ

WANDERLUST 90

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On Location On Location Movies are often about depicting the adventures of actors and actresses in exotic locations. While the people are real, characters and locations are often not. On occasions when films are actually shot at certain locations, the results can be spectacular. Presenting the ten most exotic locations captured on film, some real and some which are make-believe, but play their part to perfection. JANUARY 2016 RITZ

WANDERLUST

Monuriki, Fiji – Cast Away It’s not easy to find an uninhabited island these days, especially not when there are more than 6 billion people vying for space on Earth! Yet, in Tom Hanks’s film Cast Away, he managed to find himself one beautiful tropical island with absolutely no trace of human habitation. Or so we were made to think. Monuriki is one of the Mamanuca archipelago - a group of around 20 volcanic islands belonging to and located off the coast of the main Fijian island of Viti Levu. Although viewers were given the impression that Monuriki is alone and isolated, visitors are able to clearly see several other islands of the Mamanuca group from Monuriki’s beautiful beaches. The popularity of Cast Away has resulted in a steady stream of tourists to the island, which is not particularly hard to get to (or get off like in the movie) once you arrive in Fiji. Sweethaven Village, Malta – Popeye Popeye Village or Sweethaven Village, located at Anchor Bay in the north-west corner of the Mediterranean island of Malta, has grown from its days as the film set of the 1980 musical production Popeye, to one of the major tourist attractions in this island destination. When Elzie Segar’s 1929 cartoon strip took life with Robin Williams playing the lovable spinach-eating sailor, little did director Robert Altman realise that the set he created would go down in history as one of the most elaborate sets ever to be created at an outdoor location. Sweethaven, or Popeye Village, retains its original character but has grown into a theme park for children featuring shows, rides and a museum. Sweethaven does double duty in December when, for a few days at least, it becomes Santa’s Toy Town. Maya Bay, Thailand – The Beach This Hollywood flick that released in 2000, stars the dishy Leonardo DiCaprio and some of the loveliest scenery ever to cross the silver screen. The setting of The Beach is Koh Phi Phi Leh island, located in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand’s Krabi province. The island

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is roughly crescent shaped and its steep sided limestone bluffs shelter Maya Bay and some of the most pristine tropical beaches on Earth. The filmmakers, 20th Century Fox, took a lot of flak for altering the natural contours of Koh Phi Phi Leh island’s beaches and were sued by the Thai government for spoiling the setting. Ecologists feel that the 2004 tsunami that swept the island drastically improved its looks for the high waves cleaned up the beach and removed much of the landscaping that the Fox production team had added. Abu Dhabi, UAE – Sex and the City 2 After showcasing Mexico in Sex and the City, the sequel showed the girls – Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte put in a little bikini and fruity cocktail time in the exotic desert paradise of Abu Dhabi. The much-hyped sequel to the 2008 hit showed the femme fatales kicking up their high heels in the capital of the Emirates… until the Sheik who invited them regrets doing so after seeing way too much camel toe! Ironically, both SATC flicks have been banned from theatres in the UAE and the producers were refused permission to film anywhere in the Emirates after the government read the script. What purports to be Abu Dhabi onscreen is actually Marrakech, Morocco (dunes, check; Arabs, check). Legs are legal in Morocco, you see, thereby making life (and filming) much easier for the fashionable foursome. Salzburg, Austria – The Sound of Music While Julie Andrews sang ‘The Hills are Alive’ in her mellow intone, moviegoers were dazzled by spectacular Alpine scenery that was blazoned across the screen in the blockbuster film The Sound of Music. Most of the outdoor scenes of the film were shot at Salzburg, Austria and Bavaria in Southern Germany. The timeless beauty of the snowy mountains and lush meadows, liberally sprinkled with Edelweiss, provided a stirring contrast to the darker moments as Austria, the Von Trapp family and the world slid agonizingly into war.

Petra, Jordan – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Though filmed at a variety of locations, the penultimate scenes of 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade take place in the ancient and abandoned city of Petra in Jordan. Specifically, inside The Treasury (or Al Khazneh), an enormous Greek-columned building carved out of a canyon’s pink sandstone walls by hand that was used as the entry

Sweethaven Village, Malta – Popeye

to the temple housing the Holy Grail. Though only the exterior of The Treasury is featured in the film the eerie silence and palpable great age of Petra resonate through the film’s climactic scenes. Ko Tapu, Thailand – Man with the Golden Gun Popularly referred to as James Bond Island, Khao Phing Kan, a pair of islands off the west coast of Thailand, was where antagonist Francisco Scarmanga based his

hideout in the 1974 Bond flick Man with the Golden Gun. About 40 meters from the shore of the island is Ko Tapu, a 20-meter tall islet of limestone that was shown several times in the film, hence becoming part of the Bond moniker that their original names are now rarely used by tourists and locals. After the release of the film the island became a popular tourist destination, gradually contaminating its pristine beauty with litter. In 1981 the island became the

most famous part of the newly established Ao Phang Nga Marine National Park and since 1988 tourist boats have been forbidden from approaching Ko Tapu in an effort to stop erosion of the limestone rock that might eventually result in its collapse. Glod, Romania – Borat When Sacha Baron Cohen wanted a village to depict the impoverished hamlet of Kuzcek, Kazakhstan, he chose Glod in Romania. The 2006 mockumentary film JANUARY 2016 RITZ

WANDERLUST

Salzburg, Austria –

The Sound of Music

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Sex and

the City 2

diana Jones and

Petra, Jordan – In

Monuriki, Fiji – Ca

st Away

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the Last Crusade

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (or just Borat, for short) featured the miserable village of Kuzcek, Kazakhstan, where Borat was born and raised – possibly by wolves. In actual fact the British actor and comedian could not find a suitable Kazakh village, selecting instead the gypsy hamlet of Glod. Romania has at least 5 villages that go by the name of Glod, which is nothing to boast about since ‘glod’ in Romanian means mud. As one might expect, Glod was never a tourist attraction and since the villagers are up in arms (chasing off TV crews with pitchforks) over Cohen’s exaggeration of their occupations and lifestyles, it will probably stay that way! Lhasa, Tibet – Seven Years in Tibet Now here’s another film that’s been in the news for the location it was filmed at. Seven Years in Tibet is the story of an Austrian mountain climber who travels to the country in 1939 to climb Nanga Parbat peak and through a series of misadventures, trials and tribulations finally returns home having gained much wisdom and an appreciation for the strength and resilience of the Tibetan people. China banned the director and lead stars - JeanJacques Annaud, Brad Pitt and David Thewlis from ever entering their country again, because the movie portrayed Chinese soldiers in bad light. Also in dispute was the use of “Chinese Embassy in Tibet” and the term “occupation of Tibet” in the movie, that didn’t sit well with them. However, Annaud had the last laugh in 1999 when he suddenly revealed that most of the movie had been filmed in Argentina, Austria, Canada and Nepal. Only about 20 minutes of footage in the final film had actually been shot at Tibet! Ngong Hills, Kenya – Out of Africa “I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills,” the story begins and goes on to describe the colours, the scents, the shapes and the essence of Africa. Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, features the idyllic scenery of Kenya’s Ngong Hills, southwest of the country’s capital Nairobi. The Ngong Hills rise up to 2460 meters (8070 feet) above sea level and there is a walking trail along the ridge. The area around the Ngong Hills was a favourite of colonial settlers and plantation owners such as Karen Blixen, played by Streep in the 1985 film. The four peaks appear in several scenes during the movie. Some stately homes located close to the hills dating back from colonial times have been preserved, including Karen Blixen’s house (now the Karen Blixen Museum).

BENGALURU

Hurray

FOODIES INC.

Hic! Hic!

An evening spent at Bengaluruâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new hot and happening night spot is going to leave you Sotally Tober the morning after! JANUARY 2016 RITZ

FOODIES INC.

With a name so drunk, one can only expect and look forward to a night of revelry, with much food and fine drink being the highpoint of the evening. Koramangala’s newest hot spot has been striking the right chord with the city’s foodies and tipple bugs, what with their super selection of pub grub, snazzy cocktails and vibrant ambience. Started by friends Prarthna Pratap, Niveditha Devraj and Karthik Shankar, who quit their day jobs for this infinitely more fun nocturnal gig, Sotally Tober is completely unique with its two-storey bare interiors, paint-splattered walls and deep comfy sofas

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with teapots, egg beaters, pickle jars and jam pots masquerading as lamp shades. The concept was to simply create an environment that is vibrant and well suited to have great conversations, taste unique and creatively designed food and varied spirit, beer and cocktail selections. The menu is a mix of old favourites and interesting innovations like Tober Bites (liquor-infused) and signature cocktails. At the end of a long day when you are looking for the perfect pick-me-up and something delicious to tuck into, whether it’s their classic Whisky Sour or a daring LIT you will

find it at Sotally Tober. If you’re into quirky drinks make sure to sample queer concoctions like the Sour Chai, Pear Cobblins, Ging-App Martini, Inglish Summer, The Monk Pop or Tiffanies, all lethal blends of spirit and fruit mixes courtesy the always sober mixologist. And obviously, he wasn’t all that sober when he planned the food menu, for he ended up adding a splash of liquor to almost all his food. There’s a special place for liquor-infused delights like corn on the cob splashed with vodka, peanut masala tossed with tequila, Old Monk barbeque chicken curry with herb rice, Malabar chilly beef with whiskey-honey dip, and

grilled basa marinated in rum, lemon and parsley. But if your palate can’t handle all the heat, then stick to bar basics like Soto Fish and Chips, Soto Chilli Toast, Crispy Cheese Nachos, Classic Beef Burger and Thai Mac n Cheese (he wasn’t sober when he planned this, we guess)! In a city that has no dearth of good F&B joints, Sotally Tober is presently the attraction point, all thanks to its sotally unique name and menu that can’t leave you tober even if you try your damnedest. Just make sure you don’t get hauled up for drunk driving after you’ve indulged in an elaborate afternoon meal at this Hic! spot.

Address: Sotally Tober, # 769, 80 ft Road, 4th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru Contact details: +91 80 40965500 JANUARY 2016 RITZ

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