LEAVE ME OUT: BHANSALI
Anne bares the truth
Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali (right) refused to comment on author Dayanand Raajan’s accusations that Guzaaarish is a copy of his novel. “You talk with UTV (the production house), I am not getting into it. Yes, a legal notice has also been issued, but why should I react?” he said. IANS
P 10
ONE BIG PARTY
PHOTO: FOTOCORP
N EW D E L H I , T H U RS DAY N OV E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 0 , 1 0 PA G ES w w w. h i n d u s t a n t i m e s . c o m
Condoms for Ranbir
A
s Delhi gears up for its third annual gay pride parade, the city’s LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community is trying to make it bigger, better, and more carnival-like than its last two editions. Slated to take place on November 28, 2pm onwards, the parade will start from the Barakhamba Road traffic signal. This year, nobody will protest against the Indian Penal Code’s Section 377, which criminalised gay sex, as it was amended by the Delhi High Court in July last year. “There will be celebrations in the real sense,” says activist Ashok Row Kawi. “There will be less of protest, but we must remember the struggle,” says designer Suneet Varma. “We plan to have floats and music,” says Mohnish Malhotra, a member of the Delhi Queer Pride Committee, a key organiser of the parade. Another novelty will be that the rainbow stripes — the symbol of gay pride — will not only
A
ctor Deepika Padukone has taken to washing dirty linen on national television. Sources tell us that during an interview with film-maker Karan Johar on his chat show, Koffee With Karan, Deepika made fun of ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor’s casanova image. Asked what she would like to gift him, she said, “A pack of condoms.” Deepika didn’t even spare actor Katrina Kaif, who was linked to Kapoor after their split. When KJo asked her what she would like to say to Kat, Deepika said, “I would like to see her passport.” The actor’s comments hint at the mystery around Kat’s nationality and her antecedents. Though Kaif has always maintained she is a Kashmiri Indian brought up in London, some say this is untrue. Actor Jackie Shroff’s wife Ayesha had told the media in 2009 that she had asked Kat to change her last name to Kaif. Sources from the channel confirmed Deepika’s comments on the show, which will be aired on November 21. HTC
Deepika Padukone (above) took a dig at Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif (inset) on TV
be restricted to badges and flags. “We’ll have woollen rainbow mufflers, which people can use till the winter lasts,” says Malhotra. New slogans are also being thought of. This Friday, a fund-raising party for the parade will be hosted at Orange Hara, a lounge in Saket. Open to all, the party will have drinks, dance and a donation box. While in the last two years, the organisers’ publicity drive, comprising pamphlets and posters, was largely limited to chic south Delhi markets, this time, the reach will be more extensive. The activists will distribute pamphlets in places such as Lakshmi Nagar (east Delhi) and Punjabi Bagh (west Delhi), and also in nearby towns such as Faridabad and Meerut. Online activities will be carried out on social networking websites such as Facebook, as well as popular gay dating sites like Planet Romeo. The parade will walk down Tolstoy Marg and end with a candle light ceremony at Jantar Mantar.
SUNNY SIDE UP This year, the gay pride parade falls on a Sunday. This time, it will take place in the afternoon, unlike earlier, when the parades were held during summer evenings. The pleasant weather is expected to attract a larger crowd. Only 800 people were part of the first parade in 2008. In 2009, the number increased to 2,000. This year, the number of people attending is expected to double.
Madge’s secret Roma Arora ■
roma.arora@hindustantimes
T
he secret behind Madonna’s ageless beauty just flew into town. The pop queen’s personal facial expert, Michelle Peck, who is currently in Delhi, says that Madonna is hooked to an oxygen facial, which she takes before every stage performance, and sometimes, several times a week. “Madonna asks for an intraceutical oxygen infusion facial treatment, as it is noninvasive, and still minimises the ageing lines,” says Michelle, who travels with her most of the time. The hour-long treatment costs $500 (approx R25,000), while the expensive facials in Delhi
cost in the range of R30006000. Michelle, who hails from Los Angeles and has been Madonna’s personal facialist for the past six years, describes Madonna as a ”gentle client” who maintains her skin quality by “avoiding exposure to the sun”. “Normally, one should avoid too many facials in close succession, but given Madonna’s lifestyle and career demands, it is important for her to undergo the treatment on a routine basis,” she says. Michelle’s other celebrity clients include Jennifer Lopez, John Galliano and Molly Sims. “Jen likes to take the Light treatment. This popular face rejuvenation service, too, starts at $500,” she says.
Madonna takes a facial treatment that minimises ageing lines Michelle Peck, Madonna’s facial expert
A dance to remember Debjeet Kundu ■
debjeet.kundu@hindustantimes.com
ith just one little W impromptu act, the Obamas seem to have danced
A grab of a video showing the Obamas dancing with school children in Mumbai
their way to Indian hearts. Even as it’s been a few days since the US first couple left India, videos that show Michelle and Barack dancing, along with school children, to a Maharastrian folk song, have become a rage on the Internet. At the time of going to press, these 15-20 clips of the four-minute dance had already garnered a total of 4 lakh hits.
Viewers are all praise. “This is great. Really endearing. It’s lovely to see people embracing other people’s culture. We could all learn a lot from the O’bamas (sic),” comments sillyspidermonkey66. “I’m happy they find some fun in India dancing our future together (sic),” posts sedrickvanisi. However, the act has become a butt of jokes in America. “Barack on The Mashed Potato, and Michelle mixing The Twist and Ride the Horsey,” reads a comment on American media portal, Gawker.
BOLLYWOOD BOUND?
Pakistani writer-activist Fatima Bhutto has reportedly been approached by Indian documentary film-maker, Ahsan Hyder for a role in his film titled Breaking Free. But, Bhutto does not think too much of the Indian film industry. “To the great chagrin and embarrassment of my family and friends, I am not a Bollywood enthusiast,” she wrote in a London publication recently. PTI
ANUSHA SUPPORTS PEEPLI
PHOTOS: ZABEEH AFAQUE
Peepli Live director Anusha Rizvi, who has stayed mum on her problems with producer Aamir Khan, says she still believes in the film and hopes it wins at the Oscars. “I’ll be happy if the movie gets applauded. It is something that I, Mehmood (husband) and a lot of people have worked very hard on. We gave five years of our lives to this movie.”
PEOPLE CHOOSE TWILIGHT
Twilight stole the limelight at the US People’s Choice award nominations, which were announced Tuesday. The film has received eight nominations and will compete with Alice In Wonderland, Inception, Toy Story and Iron Man for the Best Film. The nominees were selected by 35 million votes. The awards will be given out in January. REUTERS LIFE
The gay pride parade is set to get a flashy revamp this year
Mayank Austen Soofi
PHOTO: RONJOY GOGOI
stoppress
ENTERTAINMENT
GENELIA D’SOUZA ON HER SCHOOL DAYS Page 4
MY CITY
THE GREAT AVIVA BOOK WALL OF DELHI Page 8
LIFESTYLE A scene from last year’s gay pride parade in Delhi
GET SET FOR THE CHEF AWARDS Page 7