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Rannvijay
WEDNESDAY
Madhur Bhandarkar
FRIDAY
Priyanka Chopra
Bebo dances for saddi Dilli P2 SATURDAY New Delhi, Monday February 2, 2009, 8 Pages
Anoushka Shankar
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SUNDAY
John Abraham
MONDAY
Anupam Kher
COLUMNISTS Today, veteran actor Anupam Kher joins
the celebrity columnists in HT City, helping you find solutions to life’s difficult questions, using a lifetime of learning. Watch this space as six of the biggest names in Indian entertainment give you an intimate peek into their lives.
Write to anupam.kher@hindustantimes.com and the best letters will be published in HT City
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PHOTOS: RAJ K RAJ
HT CITY'S NEW COLUMNIST ANUPAM KHER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS EVERY MONDAY WITH HIS UNIQUE BRAND OF WISDOM
A night to remember: Title winner Deepthi is flanked by first runner-up Surbhi (left) and second runner-up Rucha
HELLO, GORGEOUS Delhi rocks as a new winner wears the crown of Miss India Worldwide India
I WILL FIRST THANK MY HARD WORK AND DEDICATION AND THEN GOD, BECAUSE HE CARRIED ME THROUGH
Neha Sharma
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ega-watt glamour lit up the Capital on Saturday night as Delhi hosted the crowning of PC Jewellers Miss India worldwide India, an HT City initiative, in a gala made even glitzier by the live performances of Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and Yana Gupta. The crown was won by the lovely 23-year-old Deepthi Mary Varughese from Kerala, who also got a cash price of Rs 1,50,000. The first runner-up was Surbhi Mishra, 21, from Dehradun, and the second runner-up was Rucha Gawas, 21, from Pune, and they got Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. All three won gift vouchers. The evening began with some light banter between the masters of the ceremony — Neha Dhupia, gorgeous in blue, and the dapper Rahul Khanna — and a while later the 20 lovelies entered the stage,
—DEEPTHI, ON WHOM SHE WOULD THANK IF SHE WON Bollywood’s hippest numbers, their performances punctuated by talent shows by the contestants, the Q&A round, the selection of the Top Ten and the Top Five.
From one queen to another: Deepthi with actress Kareena Kapoor accompanied by the euphoric song Tu Hi Hai Miss India, performed live by… who else, but Euphoria. One by one, the girls presented themselves, their dreams, their goals to the judges — filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar; supermodelactor Milind Soman; fashion designer Rina Dhaka; former Miss India Nafisa Ali; FDCI president Sunil Sethi; choreographer Sandip
STOP PRESS
SRK eyes White House aran Johar and Shah Rukh Khan hope to shoot a part of My Name is Khan in the White House, but despite a “positive response” from the administration, security’s demand to see KJo’s script first has put them in a dilemma as Karan doesn’t want to reveal the plot, says a source from the unit. In the meanwhile, King Khan is coming to Delhi the day after tomorrow for a promotional event of a watch brand that he endorses. —HTC
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What’s eating him? irector Priyadarshan (left) has joined the bandwagon slamming Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, calling it a “cheap, trashy, mediocre version” of earlier Bollywood hits about estranged brothers and childhood sweethearts “that Salim-Javed used to write so brilliantly”. —IANS
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Soparrkar; actor-entrepreneur Deepak Tijori; CEO of Mudra Communications, Pratap Bose; and Neeraj Kansal, director, ministry of home affairs. Once the girls left the stage, the audience got the first Bollywood act of the evening — the stunning Yana Gupta swaying to Babuji zara dhire chalo. Yana, Katrina and Kareena danced to a medley of
Deciding question Standing between the final five contestants and the crown was the question: ‘Is love a selfish or a selfless emotion?’ Deepthi replied that love, being unconditional, cannot be selfish. Surbhi said, “The heart is a chalice that beholds love and can never be selfish.” Rucha’s answer was, “Love cannot be selfless unless it is selfish.” Now you know the winning answer. neha.sharma@hindustantimes.com
Taking Britney to Bollywood Minakshi Saini
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ujuta Vaidya has helped Britney Spears dance to the tune of Bollywood — the US-based choreographer has created a filmi dance number for Spears’s upcoming Circus tour. “I’ve choreographed one song for the tour, which has many choreographers in order to make each piece unique,” says Vaidya, who was trained by Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan and has worked on films like Jaan-e-Mann and Tara Rum Pum. The song Britney is dancing to is not a Hindi number. “It is a Bollywood remix of her own song Me Against the Music.” Vaidya auditioned for Britney in LA with her group of Indian dancers and then had barely 48 hours to “get the music, create the choreography, teach the dancers, stage the piece, and teach Britney.” On learning that the pop diva wanted a Bollywood piece, Vaidya was “truly in
My dancing mate: Rujuta Vaidya (above) taught Britney Spears the moves shock!” But then she kept thinking “how amazing Britney is going to look doing Bollywood dancing”. She is all praise for her superstar pupil, who is “a really quick learner.” For the tour, Vaidya has suggested that Britney give an Indian touch to her look — with a veil! Vaidya’s next stop is the Oscar awards, where she is choreographing “portions for the presentation of Slumdog Millionaire”. minakshi.saini@ hindustantimes.com
My boyfriend insists that we consummate our relationship. He says this is a test of my love and trust in him — he wants to stay in the relationship only if I give in to him. I love him, but this doesn’t feel right. —Name withheld, Lucknow If a step does not agree with your value system and ultimately your heart, then you should not take it, not even at your boyfriend’s insistence. A man may want to consummate a relationship, driven by the primal urge, but it is a woman’s prerogative to decide her response. Your dilemma also indicates a schism in the way your friend and you look at life. Do you want to journey the long path of life with this friend? That is the bigger question you have to answer. The recession scare is seriously troubling me. I do have a fairly well-paid job at present, but this constant talk of layoffs is making me anxious. I had an anxiety attack at work when I came in late as my son was ill. How do I get rid of this fear? —Balwinder, Delhi Many human fears are irrational and have to be fought by the individual using the powers of logic and faith. Do not let macroevents like the recession affect your psyche, Balwinder. Remember, your job depends on your own performance. Aren’t people sacked in times of economic boom? Maybe this is an
opportunity for you to prove your real worth to your company by working harder. There’s nothing to stop you from even earning a promotion by performing. So, get rid of your imaginary fears and concentrate on the real challenges at your workplace. See the difference then.
My boyfriend of six months and I recently broke up because I caught him dating another girl. Now he is asking for another chance. He swears that he will never repeat that mistake. Should I trust him? —Aruna, Agra If your instinct tells you to give your boyfriend a second chance, do so. Frankly, everyone deserves at least a second chance. Curiosity and circumstances can trigger off romantic peccadilloes. But finally, if there is strength in a relationship, it will endure. If your boyfriend has come back to you, which he need not have done, it means there is hope for your relationship. Work on it. But don’t nag him about it. If possible, the two of you can decide on a trust-building period after which you can take the option of becoming serious again. anupam.kher @hindustantimes.com
RAJ K RAJ
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nupam Kher is a man who has lived. An awardwinning, multi-faceted actor — he has played dramatic, villainous and comic roles with equal elan — Kher now imparts his formidable skills to aspirants through Actor Prepares, his school with branches in India and the UK. As a columnist for HT City, he puts his wisdom at your disposal.