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MACKLEMORE IN INDIA?
Comicfrom treat for the Capital All the action BAFTAs
‘I’m happy Abu has moved on’
HT PHOTO
I wish him (Abu Salem) a happy married life. I have moved on in life, and I’m glad that he has too
— Monica Bedi, actor
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medha.dahiya@hindustantimes.com
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hen underworld don Abu Salem, 46, recently made headlines for reportedly marrying a Mumbai girl on a train while still in police custody, actor Monica Bedi’s phone kept ringing for her reaction. And that’s how it is every time Abu Salem makes news. But Monica insists that though she was his love interest and companion for a little over a year, they have both moved on. “When I got the news, I was very happy for him. I wish him all the best and a happy married life. I have moved on workwise and emotionally, and I’m glad that he has too,” she says. And she feels it’s time people moved on as well. “I feel that it’s absolutely unfair to link me with him. I’ve made it very clear that we are not in touch ever since we were brought back to India in 2002, and that is a long time back. And now he has made it very clear that he has moved on, I think these things will die down.” Salem’s first wife had accused him of being violent, but Monica says he was like any other boyfriend. “There are always some good and not-so-good moments in a relationship. But he was a very caring and loving man.” And was he possessive too? “Not crazily possessive, jaise har insaan pyar mei thoda hota hai,” she says, and adds, “You know, I respect whatever relationship I had with him. He did no harm to me. I’m sure even today he is a well-wisher and so am I.”
Salman Khan and Huma Qureshi at a CCL match
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three wickets. Audiences were in for a nail-biting treat in the much-anticipated match between Karnataka Bulldozers and Chennai Rhinos. The packed stadium saw another last
WILL GLAM GIRLS BREATHE EASY?
n
Rihanna and I share amazing chemistry. She even taught me dance moves
shruti.dargan@hindustantimes.com
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olombian singer Shakira may be seen writhing in bed alongside Bajan beauty Rihanna in the steamy video of her latest single, Can’t Remember to Forget You, but she calls RiRi “the cutest woman on the planet”. In an interview with HT City, the Hips Don’t Lie hitmaker says, “Working with Rihanna was utopia. We share amazing chemistry. She even taught me dance moves; she was a very good teacher!” Not just professionally, the 37-year-old Grammy-winner
— who is married to Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué, 26 — is in a “happy place” personally and emotionally,
—Shakira, singer
too. “Gerard is the best thing to have happened to me. He is with me not because of any interest other than the love
Priyanka Chopra added more glam to the show as she unveiled a car
With the Auto Expo moving out of the heart of the city, young models have fingers crossed over relief vs more ogling in store PHOTOS: WASEEM GASHROO
The girls get paid anything between `5000 to `20,000 per day
THE INSIDERS OPEN UP...
There is no knowledge of cars that is required but we are trained for three days on how to put our best foot forward —Mahima Bakshi
We are instructed to keep shut and smile all day long. And, the established models get to stand with bigger cars - Karishma Rai, 22
Considering that the auto show is in Greater Noida, we are expecting a more business-like and well-behaved crowd
—Meenakshi Sodhi, 24
*SOME NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED ON REQUEST
ball finish with the match ending on a draw. Also, Bhojpuri Dabanggs continued their winning streak by defeating Bengal Tigers by 35 runs. Celebrities took to the field, proving to their fans that they are good entertainers off the screen as well. With loads of drama, action, music, the matches were no less thrilling than an action-packed movie. As the popular actors battled it out on the field, many female stars were seen cheering them on from the dugouts. There was a heavy dose of glamour among the spectators as well, with the likes of Salman Khan, Huma Qureshi, Sunny Leone, Genelia Deshmukh and Chitrangada Singh attending the games. —HTC >>MORE PICTURES ON PAGE 3
‘Rihanna is the cutest woman on the planet’ Shruti Dargan
Confirming rumours of their romantic liaison, actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli were recently spotted taking a stroll, hand-in-hand, in New Zealand. Virat is currently in Auckland for the New Zealand vs India series. An onlooker tweeted, “Saw Anushka with Virat in supercity, so love is actually in the air!”
PHOTO: ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS
Medha Shri Dahiya
Cricket, glamour go hand in hand
first match in Dubai saw Telugu Warriors clash with Mumbai Heroes, which the former won by six wickets. The second match between Kerala Strikers (KS) and Veer Marathi went on to the last ball that KS won by
ANUSHKA, VIRAT CLICKED WALKING HAND-IN-HAND
NEW DELHI, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2014, 20 PAG ES www.hin dustantimes.com
PHOTO: HTCS
he star-studded Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) had a smashing debut in the first weekend in Mumbai and Bengaluru. In the second weekend, it travelled to Dubai and Bengaluru. The
American rapper Ben Haggerty, famously known as Macklemore, was spotted at the Delhi airport on Thursday morning, on a hush-hush personal visit. The 30-year-old Same Love hitmaker, along with his fiancée Tricia Davis, is headed to Rishikesh next, where he intends to indulge in white water rafting, like most tourists. He was the recipient of four Grammys this year. HTC
that unites us. And now, we have Milan (the couple’s oneyear-old son) too,” she says. When asked what Milan has grown up to be like, she quips, “He’s great...so mellow, but very alert, too. Also, he loves being in the studio. Now, I’ve realised I have a li’l rockstar at home, since he loves Green Day,” says Shakira, who came up with the name Milan as “it means dear and gracious in Slavic and unification in Sanskrit.” Is the couple planning to be parents again? “Gerard and I definitely want more children! It’s just a matter of time,” says Shakira. >>MORE ON PAGE 8
NOTE TO READERS: We would like to inform our readers that some of the coverage of events that appear on the Party pages is paid for by the concerned brands. We would like to emphasise that no sponsored content does or shall appear in any part of HT without it being declared as such to our valued readers.
Mahim Gupta n
mahim.gupta@hindustantimes.com
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t’s a bit of a gamble for the girls at the Auto Expo this year. While the young ‘car and bike girls’ are somewhat relieved that the venue of the show has moved from the centre of the city to the far-off Greater Noida and this will result in fewer visitors just for the sake of ‘eye candy’, they are also apprehensive that the cross-border crowd may just pose more untowardly stares. Meenakshi Sodhi, 24, a news presenter and a part-time model, says, “The crowd response can be harrowing. People ask for your number, and pester you until you shove them away. But considering that the auto show is in Greater Noida, unlike Pragati Maidan till the last time around, we are expecting a more businesslike and well-behaved crowd this time around.” Neeta Vij, 22, dressed in a crisp white shirt and
blue mini skirt and standing next to a newly launched superbike, says, “The first two days were for business only, but today onwards, when the public, especially of this side of town, is allowed, it can be a nuisance.” Although there’s some apprehension, the young women, some of who are college students, and others full-time models, are ready to face the music for a cool quick buck. “The established models get to stand with the bigger cars. We are instructed to keep shut and smile all day long. Remuneration can vary between `5,000 to `20,000 per day,” says student and part-timer Karishma Rai. Full-time model Mahima Bakshi adds, “For selections, we go through a personality screening. There is no formal knowledge of cars that is required but we are trained for three days on how to put our best foot forward. As for payments, foreigners get paid better than Indians.”
>>A-Z OF AUTO EXPO ACTION ON PAGE 6