he AAP’s dramatic rise and the comeback of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar in Bihar marked the first full year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who analysts say is still going strong though his earlier sheen has worn off. For a politician who seemed to be at the peak of his popularity when 2015 dawned, having led the BJP to a historic win in the general election and later in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, Modi suffered the maiden electoral defeat of his career in Delhi in February. It was a personal blow for Modi because the Aam Aadmi Party
(Above) Actors Irrfan Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in a still from ‘Piku’, a comedy-drama directed by Shoojit Sircar; (Left) Actors Ayushmann Khurana and Bhumi Pednekar in unconventional Hindi romantic comedy film ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’
T of content. The biggest example of power of good content is ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Even some of the smaller films really garnered good word of mouth from the audience.” In comparison to the seven films that crossed the Rs.100 crore milestone in 2014, the year just-ending had only five - Kangana Ranaut’s “Tanu Weds Manu Returns” (Rs.150.77 crore); Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan starrer “ABCD 2” (Rs.105.74 crore); Salman’s “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” (Rs.320.34 crore), “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” (over Rs.200 crore); and Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dilwale” (Rs.102.65 crore and going strong)
The Bihar outcome led to open dissidence in the BJP with senior leaders calling for a review of the defeat, but Modi’s popularity remains high
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rime Minister Narendra Modi’s sartorial taste continued to create waves as multiple designers made a splash in the growing segment of menswear and 2015 turned out to be a year for the style-conscious male to rejoice. Modi’s style statements - from the US to China - have been inspiring many men, says designer Troy Costa, who was roped in to create
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he Congress’s 130th birth-
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Pradesh. But these few swallows do not make a summer. In Bihar, the “national” party came a poor third
Not a happy birthday
Politics
Bihar where it was a junior partner to the JD-U and the RJD, its leader Rahul Gandhi forced the government to go on the back foot on its land bill that he said would take land away from farmers for industrialists. Rahul Gandhi also showed more assertion and articulation after a 50-day sabbatical. No one seemed to know for sure where he was during this time. The Congress crippled both the monsoon and winter sessions of parliament on a range of issues from “intolerance” to alleged corruption in Delhi’s cricket body DDCA. Just ahead of the Bihar election,
Looking back at 2015:
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Timeless Therapies From Nature
Congress at 131:
Congress, crushed in 2014, fired salvos after salvos. Charges of corruption and wrongdoing enveloped External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje. Sushma Swaraj and Raje were linked to controversial ex-IPL chief Lalit Modi while Chouhan was blamed for a recruitment scandal which also led to some reported 50 deaths. The CBI was asked to probe the scam and deaths. Although the Congress faced a bleak year, the exception being
a national party any more. It is not all that difficult, in its time of distress, to the root cause and even th - of the Congress’s decline The fateful date was June when prime minister Indir suspended all civil rights b gating the emergency. It did not take long, h
the brutal killing of a M in Uttar Pradesh on rum ate beef led to unprece render of awards by lead and artistes, embarrassin ernment. Despite the BJP’s rever personal popularity rem He continued to tour countries, and ended 2 historic visit to Pakistan him widespread praise. And the BJP became a government in Jammu mir, the country’s onl majority state, for the firs junior ally to the PDP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets children on the occasion of Independence Day at Red Fort in Delhi. (File p
Music
in 2015
Despite jolts, Modi still going strong
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INDIA GROOVING
‘Huge included Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dilwale”. One can’t say the year has audience been “bad” for Bollywood, says for Indian trade analyst Taran Adarsh. classical “It has been a trend since the past so many years now that we have had music more flops and lesseraficionados hits. So you Music got the chance to witness some of the world's biggest abroad’ names genres like Electronic Dance Music (EDM), rock, jazz really can’t say that thefrom yeardiverse has been and heavy metal on the home turf in 2015 a bad one,” Adarsh told IANS. Hopes were high from movies like A pleasant change however was “The year has witnessed a diverse “Shamitabh”, “Roy”, “Detective the welcome to movies like “Baby”, set of films. People chose content Byomkesh Bakshy!”, “Bombay Vel- “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, “NH10” that touched their heart and which vet”, “Dil Dhadakne Do”, “Hamari and “Piku”; as well as to some for- they could carry home after getting Adhuri Kahani”, “Katti Batti” and mulaic entertainers like “Drishyam”, out of the theatres,” Adarsh said. “Shaandaar” with different story- “Welcome Back”, “Kis Kisko Pyaar Rucha Pathak, chief creative officer lines, but they failed to elicit the Karoon”, “Singh Is Bliing” and at Fox Star Studios, agreed that expected response. “Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2”. “2015 has been a great year in terms
INT MUSIC LEFT
(AAP), which swept away the BJP in assembly polls, was led by Arvind Kejriwal, who Modi crushed in the Lok Sabha election in Varanasi in May 2014. Nine months later, Modi suffered the second major jolt -- and of a far serious nature -when his personalized campaign failed to help the BJP to defeat JDU leader Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad. If the BJP won just three of 70 seats in Delhi, it got 53 of 243 seats in Bihar. The Bihar outcome led to open dissidence in the BJP, whose four senior leaders - L.K. Advani included - publicly called for a thorough review of the defeat. The statement was seen as an attack on Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, his Man Friday. Amid the electoral reverses, the opposition, particularly the
Modi’s style statements - from the US to China - have been inspiring many men, says designer Troy Costa, who was roped in to create some outfits for the PM last year
Looking back at 2015:
2015 in retrospect
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inspired a trend of his own. The clothes worn by the PM is seen by many as the revival of classic clothing tion team research the artists, new Napalm Death, Demilich, Anatoproduction experiences and con- mia, Carcass, Inquisition, Hacktivist and Cannibal Corpse made sumer experiences to ensure that their appearances in the country at we give a truly global experience to festivals. Kunal Choksi, owner of our fans. We are in constant touch Mumbai-based heavy metal record with the international artists and label Transcending Obscurity, their agencies to experiment with attributes this growth to "awareness new sounds and new projects and we bring to the country the and promotion". "The fact is that organizers here absolute best," Singh told IANS. are actually making an effort He said that while "dance to get in touch with music is a well established bands of their choice, concept worldwide, and inviting them India is waking up Music to play shows in to it only now and aficionados got the country. In the embracing it the chance to past, this fully". Even on the witness some of remained a dream heavy metal front, the world's an array of artists for most," Choksi biggest names like Megadeth, told IANS.
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FLASHBACK 2015 PM inspires men’s fashion and heavy metal on the home turf in 2015. And there was also a surprise from Coldplay's Chris Martin! EDM has definitely taken the cake, as far as music genres are concerned. Sunburn, India's premier electronic music festival, featured Grammy Award-winning DJ and music producer Afrojack at Sunburn Arena, and is set to host Guetta, Martin Garrix, KSHMR as headlining acts in Goa. The idea is to bring new sounds and fresh projects to consumers every year, says Harindra Singh, vice chairman and managing director, Percept Ltd. "Each year our consumer research, marketing and produc-
ndia’s burgeoning appetite for foreign brands attracted a string of international brands to establish their presence in the country this year. US apparel retailer GAP, Swedish multinational retail-clothing company H&M, British fashion brands TOPSHOP and TOPMAN and more, available at brickand-mortar stores or online mediums, are already a hit. The summer arrival of GAP, which has made inroads into India through a franchise agreement with textile and retail major Arvind Lifestyle Brands Limited, was much talked about. Spread over a 10,000 sq ft south Delhi mall, the first flagship store
Adhik Ravichandran, who isn’t afraid to go against the tide. “Thani Oruvan”: A film that made its audience root for a villain! How many times does that happen in Indian cinema, given the kind of villains our films produce? In a comeback role, Arvind Swamy was terrific in this extremely stylish thriller. “O Kadhal Kanmani”: It doesn’t matter if you’re a Mani Ratnam fan or not, this film will leave you with
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l films that wowed audiences in the year gone by
krillex, Afrojack, Slash, Michael Learns to Rock, Mogwai and Megadeth. The live music calendar for 2015 was long and diverse with a plethora of artists from across the globe, who mesmerized sold out crowds at gigs, festivals and events in India this year. Some of the best - David Guetta and Fatboy Slim of course, are kept for the last! With an unprecedented surge in international festivals and concerts, music aficionados got the chance to witness some of the world's biggest names from diverse genres like EDM (Electronic Dance Music), rock, jazz
REPORT
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When global retailers knocked at India’s doors nternationally acclaimed sitarist Anoushka Shankar says Indian classical music has a strong following abroad, but it's "such a shame" that the genre's popularity hasn't translated in the country of its origin. The daughter of late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar has earned her fifth Grammy nomination for her album "Home", which reaffirms Indian classical music's hold in the West. "I think our music in its purest form is something what we always talk about here as being under threat. I see that less for myself because I don't come here that often, but I see my peers who say that they have to do collaborations and crossover fusion, and some kind of spin for it to sell," Anoushka told IANS in a candid tete-atete. "I tour around the world, the classical shows would totally sell out. It's a shame that it is not translating in the country of its origin," she added. She says that the "narrow stream of media" here makes it seem that Indian classical music is under some "threat", but that's not entirely true. "We have a narrow stream of media and it's really prominent and therefore it seems like Indian music is under threat, because it is not very visible. There is only one genre that's really visible. But if you go to any classical festivals in any of the cities, it is amazing, it is beautiful. There are thousands of people listening all night," she said.
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side by showcasing his debut collection as a designer on the runway this year. He launched a quirky clothing line under his company Weirdass Comedy. There were also boxer shorts, which Vir had conceptualized himself. He even created Tshirts dedicated to Bollywood’s star comedian Govinda. Later this year, Gionee India Beach Fashion Week (GIBFW) 2015 soared the temperature of Goa with bikinis and bold resort wear for women. But it was the menswear that stole the show.
some outfits for the PM last year. “He’s a leader. People are getting inspired by what he is wearing. He has started a trend of his own,” Costa told IANS, referring to Modi’s jackets which he has made popular globally by flaunting them during international visits. Designer Raghvendra Rathore said that Modi “has opened up the walls of the mind of the youth”. “I don’t believe in this or that party. I believe that the most important thing is to unlock the imagination of the youth. He has done that
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00 Tamil films is year, there that may not ed an impact at y appealed to a h their unique formats. the top such in 2015: T FR ICA
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ture is expected. "I think our clothes are perfect for Indian summer. It's very easy to wear with a whole lot of linen feel to it," Oliver Kaye, CEO - Gap Business, told IANS. Arvind
offers Gap for men and women, GapKids, and babyGap. The plans are big as officials hope to open about 40 stores in the next five years and Rs. 1,000 crore worth of business opportunity from the ven-
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2015 in retrospect
ion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. "We see a great potential for further expansion in India, the number and time frame will be determined by real-estate opportunities and retail market development. "Our expansion strategy is to always open at the best business location. We have proposed to invest up to euro 100 million ($110 million) in the SBRT (Single Brand Retail Trade) application," Einola told IANS. It was not only through offline stores that many international brands made its India entry this year as many of them chose to be part of the Rs.720 crore worth Indian fashion industry through online mediums.
Lifestyle Brands Limited also brought American youth brand Aéropostale to India. Swedish multinational retail clothing company H&M also opened shop in the country, again at a south Delhi mall. And then, within a gap of a month, the brand opened its second store - its largest in the country - at another south Delhi shopping destination. India is one of the most exciting markets in the world right now, with so much potential within retail, said Janne Einola, country manager, H&M Hennes & Mauritz Retail Private Limited. "The response to H&M has been fabulous! We are happy that the Indian customers are pleased with our business concept of fash-
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Looking back at 2015:
Fashion
this year gave a push to the booming menswear segment, which saw experiments with cuts and colors. Joining the wagon was renowned designer Manish Malhotra, who has completed 25 years as a costume designer. He showcased his debut menswear line titled ‘The Gentlemen’s Club’ at a fashion week in Mumbai in August. The collection had suits and jackets in abundance with embroidery and intricate detailing, and much more. Actor-comedian Vir Das surprisingly displayed another creative
by creating an appetite for what I think is the Indian look...11 years from now, we will remember this day. It’s like a Renaissance of a sort. “It is about reaching out to weavers and using our resources. It’s the revival of classic clothing. Why do we always need a three-button suit or a tuxedo when we can do a good job with a bandhgala jacket,” said Rathore, known for the iconic Jodhpur style Bandhgala suits. Several fashion events plugged the gap between women and men’s fashion. Even the country’s fashion galas
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