In its third collection as a part of the inspirational series, Satya Paul in association with Chateau Indage will uncork the Pop Art collection at the ITC Grand Central. Starting in the 50's, Pop art is a reflection of popular culture in art. It is neither praise nor condemnation but explores the everyday imagery that is so much a part of contemporary consumer culture. This art form has used media, advertising, packaging, celebrities and comic book art styles as various sources of imagery. Some leading artists of the style include Richard Hamilton, Robert Indiana, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol is famous as 'Pope of Pop' and has painted the things he loved the most, such as Dollar Bills, Campbell Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe, brand names and even celebrities as a token of his love for them.
Roy Lichtenstein had said, "Pop Art is industrial painting." He believed that the entire world would soon become industrial. Robert Indiana related pop with love - "Pop is love, for it accepts everything. Pop is dropping the bomb".
For Puneet Nanda at Satya Paul, it is a significant one of many steps to bring art closer to real life. This collection is an explosion of all rules associated with saris - it reduces the age of a sari by a whole generation. He has expressed the various moods and images of everyday life in the form of contemporary fashion.
For example, love is the message, expressed in playful hearts carefully hand painted in a multitude of colours; or simply the word 'love' in iconic 60's stencil typographic style in full colour or crisp black and white. There are classic Warhol style iconic prints of Bollywood greats, and in keeping with the branding sensibility, depicting his illustrious father and creator of the brand Satya Paul.
In the Lichtenstein inspired creations, brightly coloured pop graphics and brush strokes. To deliver the full burst of newness into the age-old drape, prints with barcodes, money, lips, Bollywood icons, and even Google have been given a place in fashion history by way of these prints.
He says, "It is the Satya Paul style expressed in the bold iconic pop style through an interplay of colors, balanced by embroideries and materials." The collection comprises of beautiful saris, salwar-kameez sets and dresses, and is available at select Satya Paul boutiques across the country.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66715

Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt thrives on controversy. This time, he has chosen to cross swords with the media in his latest film, "Showbiz", produced by his brother Mukesh Bhatt. What prompted him to pick a bone with the media? Bhatt senior said that it was high time that the media was shown the "mirror" to have a fresh look at its ugly mug. "This will help it to climb down from the moral high ground on which it conveniently and pompously perches itself," Bhatt told.
Is "Showbiz" an indictment on the media in general? "Not at all. My intention is not an indictment on the media in general. All I am trying to do is to remove the veil of righteousness that a section of the media wears only in order to hide all its secret wrongdoings," Bhatt claimed.
For instance, Bhatt will seek to highlight how the media is unabashed when it willingly sells itself to the powers-that-be. "Let's face it, the media is not the holy cow that it poses itself to be. It is as corrupt as most of us are," said the director with characteristic candour.
Elaborating, the maker of some good films like "Arth", "Saransh”, “Naam”, “Sadak”,"Zakhm" and others, said that in the glamour world of films, the media works overtime to create idols out of ordinary actors. Then, when the time is ripe, it ungraciously and brutally sacrifices these very idols it created at the altar of undefined moralities. The ostensible reason being: it suits them both ways to maintain their position in the market. Bhatt added that the morality straitjacket a section of the media adorns is just a 'naqab' (veil). He observed that it was nothing but "double standards" when the media denies that it has sold itself to market forces.
"Showbiz", which releases next Friday, stars newcomers Tushar Jalota, (nephew of singer Anup Jalota) and Mrinalini Sharma, her second movie after "Apnapan" that released recently. In the movie, Tushar portrays a successful actor who is on his way to becoming a superstar. He is a media darling. Until the latter stumbles upon a fond secret that the star has been hiding.
The film, directed by well known choreographer Raju Khan, deals with the superstar's fight against the media, how they both struggle to survive and keep their credibility intact.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66772

Three Marathi actors recently denied entry into a restaurant in a suburban Mumbai 7-star hotel isn't an isolated case. Celina Jaitley had a nightmarish experience at the same establishment. Recalling the incident, Celina said, "I went into the sports lounge of this hotel with a gay foreigner friend of mine for just 10 minutes. I saw a tall imposing middle-aged German guy making obscene gestures at me. At first I ignored him out of embarrassment. Then he got bolder and came up to me to tell me in German in picturesque detail what he would like to do to me.
"He didn't know I speak German fluently. That was it. I asked the hotel's authorities to deal with the situation, since they hadn't allowed my bodyguard in. Forget about challenging the German lecher, they said they didn't know who he was! Luckily I had seen him sign his room number on his bill."
When the posh hotel's cowardly personnel did nothing to help Celina, she left but returned the next day with three vans of cops, got the man out of his room and confronted him. "He fell to his knees and cried and begged saying he has a wife and children back home. He should've thought of them when he treated me to such vulgar intentions. I made him write an apology and then for his family's sake decided not to press charges," Celina said.
"The worst thing was, nobody in the hotel wanted to co-operate with me in dealing with this situation. Even some of my well-wishers advised me to forget about it. "What I want to know is, whom do these hotels cater to? Are they for us Indians? Or are all the amenities and facilities only for foreigners? Why are foreigners given such blatantly preferential treatment in these posh hotels?"
The actress decided to speak up on the matter after she heard about the humiliation of the Marathi actors who weren't allowed in because of their Kolhapuri slippers. "This isn't the first time that such an incident has happened. Some time ago, a dress designer friend of mine requested the same hotel's security to inspect his car in the portico, as he didn't want the clothes in the car to get wet in the rain. There was an argument. They slammed the car bonnet on his hand and fractured it...
"Don't they care about people who are not foreigners? Are these high-flying places so busy making big bucks that they've forgotten basic sense of decency?"
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66758

Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt thrives on controversy. This time, he has chosen to cross swords with the media in his latest film, "Showbiz", produced by his brother Mukesh Bhatt. What prompted him to pick a bone with the media? Bhatt senior said that it was high time that the media was shown the "mirror" to have a fresh look at its ugly mug. "This will help it to climb down from the moral high ground on which it conveniently and pompously perches itself," Bhatt told.
Is "Showbiz" an indictment on the media in general? "Not at all. My intention is not an indictment on the media in general. All I am trying to do is to remove the veil of righteousness that a section of the media wears only in order to hide all its secret wrongdoings," Bhatt claimed.
For instance, Bhatt will seek to highlight how the media is unabashed when it willingly sells itself to the powers-that-be. "Let's face it, the media is not the holy cow that it poses itself to be. It is as corrupt as most of us are," said the director with characteristic candour.
Elaborating, the maker of some good films like "Arth", "Saransh”, “Naam”, “Sadak”,"Zakhm" and others, said that in the glamour world of films, the media works overtime to create idols out of ordinary actors. Then, when the time is ripe, it ungraciously and brutally sacrifices these very idols it created at the altar of undefined moralities. The ostensible reason being: it suits them both ways to maintain their position in the market. Bhatt added that the morality straitjacket a section of the media adorns is just a 'naqab' (veil). He observed that it was nothing but "double standards" when the media denies that it has sold itself to market forces.
"Showbiz", which releases next Friday, stars newcomers Tushar Jalota, (nephew of singer Anup Jalota) and Mrinalini Sharma, her second movie after "Apnapan" that released recently. In the movie, Tushar portrays a successful actor who is on his way to becoming a superstar. He is a media darling. Until the latter stumbles upon a fond secret that the star has been hiding.
The film, directed by well known choreographer Raju Khan, deals with the superstar's fight against the media, how they both struggle to survive and keep their credibility intact.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66772

Item Girl Malaika Arora Khan, who did a stupendous dance display with Shahrukh in 'Dil Se' and 'Kaal', and played a forgettable character in 'Kaante' has finally bagged a full length role in Suniel Shetty's home production 'EMI'. Interestingly, known for doing item numbers in movies, Malaika has no item song in the film. "Actually, I'm quite nervous. It's a new challenge. I do have songs. In fact, my track is the only one with music. But all the songs are completely story-centric," she told.
Expressing her satisfaction regarding the shooting schedule of the movie, Malaika said, "The film was perfect for me because it needed just 10-15 days. There're lots of actors and four-five parallel stories in the plot. And besides they're shooting a stone's throw away from my house. I made it clear that I'd shoot only those hours that suited my son. Really, I don't need to break my head over the schedule".
Malaika had shared screen with Suniel five years ago in Sanjay Gupta's 'Kaante', and on being approached by him for a significant role in his home production the actress has all praise for Suniel for his thoughtfulness. "Suniel has made it so easy for me. More than him, I'm very fond of his wife Mana. She's a real sweetheart. Also I'm cast opposite Arjun Rampal. People say we make a really good screen pair. I'd like to believe that," said Malaika.
Apart from EMI, Malaika is likely to be seen doing a full fledged role opposite her husband in the remake of 'Amar Akbar Anthony' which his brother-in- laws will be producing. "My husband's brothers are getting together to remake 'Amar Akbar Anthony'. They better offer me the role opposite Arbaaz," Malaika chuckles hopefully.
On her item song with Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor in newly released 'Welcome', which is winning audiences attention, Malaika says;"Producer Feroz Nadiadwala and choreographer Ahmed Khan had asked me to do songs for them long back. In my typical way I was positive but evasive. This time I couldn't say no," said Malaika.
"An added incentive was that the unusual combo of Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor were dancing with me. The duo are doing their thing while I try to be all glam-and-lovely. Honestly, I had a ball shooting the song in 'Welcome'."
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66780

Item girl Rakhi Sawant, the runner up in the TV reality show 'Nach Baliye 3' filed a criminal complaint against Star Plus channel accusing it of cheating, after she lost in the final round. Rakhi, who along with beau Abhishek Awasthi lost the 'grand finale' to TV actors Sanjida Sheikh and Amir Ali, alleged in her complaint filed in the Oshiwara police station that the channel deliberately prevented her from winning the contest.
On its part the TV channel said it was a publicity stunt by Rakhi who is "not even an established actress". "We really don't know why Rakhi is going hammer against us. She has not yet established any direct contact with us, she has only been speaking to the media. Hence we believe that it is a publicity stunt," General Manager, 'Star Plus' Ketan Adyanath said. "Till the time she was in the race she had no problems but as soon as she lost in the final round, she alleged manipulation against us," he said.
The winner of the show was selected on the basis of SMS voting by the viewers. In a press conference, Rakhi alleged that voting was manipulated and SMSes in her favour were blocked. The channel was trying to promote its own shows by ensuring victory for those who act in them, she added.
Rakhi challenged other contestants saying, "I and Abhishek will be performing on 31st night, which will be a challenge for us and everybody else. People will come to know the real abilities of Rakhi and Abhishek."
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66795

Just back from Kashmir after shooting Santosh Sivan's second Hindi film, Rahul Bose is surprised by stories accusing him of taking over the directorial reins of "Shourya" from Samar Khan. "Why would I direct Samar's film? If I want to direct a film, I'd happily find my own film to direct," Rahul told.
"'Shourya' is entirely Samar's film. Every single frame of the film is Samar's. These stories of me taking over are entirely fictitious. I've never done it and I never will," added the actor who plays a lawyer fighting for a man wrongly convicted on religious grounds in the movie.
Rahul says he doesn't like to mix the business of acting with the pleasure of direction, and vice versa. "As an actor my greatest joy is to understand a director's vision. Whether it's Buddadeb Dasgupta, Aparna Sen or Santosh Sivan - the journey of discovering their vision through my acting is what interests me and to make their vision mine. "I think it's the greatest insult to Samar to suggest that he'd stand by and let someone take over the direction in a story that has come from the centre of his heart. It's a very personal story. I don't believe I'm capable of a crude imposition of my will. That's the most cowardly thing an actor can do."
Shourya, would be Samar's second feature film after that wispy waffle of a film "Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye". This time Samar has gone from meetha to teekha.
If on one end Rahul is doing a serious socially relevant subject like "Shourya", on the other he has something as nakedly commercial as Shivum's "Ghost Ghost Na Raha" and Sanjay Chhel's "Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam". "I'm trying to balance out the entertainers with the more serious films. I don't want to be branded a serious actor all my life," said Rahul.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/entertainment/index.jsp?news_code=66849