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Anoushka Shankar
SUNDAY
John Abraham
Write to john.abraham@hindustantimes.com and the best letters will be published in HT City
RAJ K RAJ
New Delhi, Sunday February 1, 2009, 8 Pages
I’M YOUR
MAN I
n Indian cinema, we’ve never strayed too far from the Rudolph Valentino standard of good looks and romantic posturing. Which is what makes guys like me popular. I’ve always been associated with a certain physical standard, but ever since Dostana, I’ve been getting “that look” a lot. It’s flattering, of course. Especially when women come up to me for advice. Like this other day, an instructor at a gym advised a lady and she seemed unsure. She quietly came to me and asked me if her instructor was right and what she should eat. Of course, I had no idea about her medical history, so I told her that she needs to take her nutritionist’s, her doctor’s and her trainer’s advice. I suppose she just needed somebody to talk to for a second opinion. But my physicality is not my only USP. I believe that a lot goes into making you a complete human being: your upbringing and intelli-
Pubs ask Ramadoss
STOP PRESS
Why us? Why now?
Britney’s prayer room op princess Britney Spears will reportedly have a private prayer area backstage at every gig when she hits Britain for her 33-date world tour. After bringing back the 27-year-old from the depths of depression last year, the singer’s pals are making sure that she gives her best performance in the comeback tour, reports the Mirror. Heading the watch over Britney will be pal Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, the supporting band on the tour.
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Namya Sinha and Himadree
I
From Bond to Tintin ames Bond actor Daniel Craig (left) will play the pirate Red Rackham and English actor Jamie Bell the young reporter Tintin in a largely British cast in The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, to be directed by Steven Spielberg, reports mirror.co.uk.
J
Shahid gets a Rs 15-lakh toy hahid Kapur has gifted himself a sports bike costing close to Rs 15 lakh, bought with his “parents’ approval”, says a source. “He is very possessive about the bike and insists on cleaning it himself,” the source adds. “He rides on it a lot, especially at night.” —Agencies
S
t seems that politicians of the country have suddenly woken up and smelt the beer. Using the Mangalore attack on women as a trigger, Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss, ever the activist, has joined the chorus that pubs go against ‘Indian ethos’. But why now, pub and club owners ask. Reacting to Ramadoss’s statement that pub culture prevents India’s progress by turning the youth into alcoholics, Saurabh Khanijo, owner of IVY and Kylin, asks, “If that’s so, what about countries that are more advanced than ours? Their pub culture is much bigger.” And what about thekas and wine and beer shops? “I see men having pavement booze parties after buying bottles from wine shops,” says Samira, who lives in Dwarka. Can’t the guardians of culture thrash them, she asks. Shiv Karan Singh, owner of Smoke House Grill, is baffled by the hoo-ha. “Why not just ban alcohol then?” he says. “If not pubs, people can go to house parties, five-star hotels or thekas. Pubs are licensed and pay large excise duties. And they generate so much employment.” “Ramadoss can’t impose
Adnan Sami in saas-bahu trouble Hiren Kotwani
S
he left him because she couldn’t bear to see him killing himself. He lost over 100 kg, and turned up at her doorstep a changed man. The reunion was tearful and joyous. And so Adnan Sami and Sabah would have lived happily ever after — but now they have fallen out, allegedly over her hostility towards his parents. Sabah went to Oshiwara police on Friday, alleging that Sami had abused her and thrown her out. The singer was taken in for questioning, and he denied hitting her and said he still loves her. A source close to the family says that the trouble arose when Sami’s ailing, old father, who had been in ICU for some days, was being brought home.
The background: Sami owns two 1,200 sq ft homes in Mumbai’s posh Lokhandwala area, both with two guest rooms and a master bedroom. And Sabah, whose family is very wealthy, claims she paid for one. On the day his father was to come home, Sami asked Sabah to tell her friend, who was in one guest room, to go to the other flat, as his parents needed that room. Sabah refused, and was not happy about giving up the master bedroom either. The source says that even in the hospital, Sabah had behaved “strangely”, causing distress to Sami’s mother. All this resulted in a furious row, which jeopardises Sami’s budding career as an actor, since Sabah was to be his producer. hiren.kotwani@hindustantimes.com
THEY TALK BIG ABOUT GLOBALISATION, THEN THEY TELL YOU TO STOP SOCIALISING. IT IS PATHETIC —SOHRAB SITARAM OWNER, TABULA RASA his personal thoughts on the pub business,” asserts Kunal Lalani, co-owner of Kuki XO. “His stand on smoking is okay, but this is not.” “If a person can vote at 18, why can’t they make choices? Rather than curb pubs, they should educate people about all this in school,” says Samir Chawla of Blues, as “the more restrictions you bring in, the more people see it as a challenge and do it illegally”. Sohrab Sitaram, owner of Tabula Rasa, feels this antipub stance makes no sense. “The excise department wants to let some pubs stay open 24X7, because they get the most revenue, and then we hear these statements!” namya.sinha@hindustantimes.com himadree.c@hindustantimes.com
EVERY SUNDAY. SERVED WITH BREAKFAST. A NEW HT CITY COLUMN BY JOHN ABRAHAM
gence show through, no matter how good-looking you are. I grew up skinny and gangly like a lot of adolescent boys, and it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I began to grow into a person that anybody would care to look at. In fact, my first modelling job came when a male model neglected to arrive at the shoot. It was my boss who suggested that I take his place. I was surprised and not a little amused. But I knew the needs of the project and stepped in eagerly. My decision to step into the Glad Rags Manhunt contest was a “Who, me?” moment. I still remember hastily writing my application on a fairly bedraggled piece of paper, in the parking lot, long after the last day for application was past. But the person I am today wasn’t made in front of the thousand cameras that I have faced in my life. And I have to thank my parents for that. I did not grow up knowing that my parents were superstars and I was
expected to be one as well. I thank my stars every day for that as well. I have several friends in the industry who had to live with that expectation and I have no idea how they coped. I am glad that the organisers of the Mumbai Marathon chose me to be one of their flag-bearers, as they have for the past few years. Although my leg hurt incredibly, I loved being there. I am glad, that despite the recent unpleasantness in Mumbai, the spirit and the celebration of life that is Mumbai was evident in the Mumbai Marathon still. I will be back next year, and hopefully, will be there to run again.