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The Hindu : Anil Kumble was waxing eloquent about the young Indian seamers – Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh and Ishant Sharma – after the Adelaide Test concluded in a draw. And suddenly commentator Harsha Bhogle queried: “What about the leg-spinner in your team?” There was laughter all around and Kumble with a deadpan expression that finally creased into a smile, said: “Not bad I thought. Considering he is an old man!” More laughter ensued and it was typical of the 37-year-old Indian skipper to keep the lid on his own performance as a leg-spinner, while extolling the promise and potential he found in his pace trio.Huge haulKumble has always let his wickets do the talking and it is a huge kitty – 604 Test wickets, 337 ODI wickets. Add to that a Test century at the Oval and you get a player who always gives his best. “As a bowler you should always have that desire to bowl all the time. That’s the way I play my game,” Kumble had told ‘Sportstar’ a long time ago. And it is that never-say-die spirit that has kept him going ever since his Test debut against England at Manchester in August’ 1990.It has been a tough ride as the initial days that yielded a flurry of wickets on dust-bowl pitches in India, drew muted praise. Sceptics also did the usual running-down bit by comparing Kumble with the famous spin-quartet of yesteryears – Bishen Singh Bedi, B.S. Chandrasekhar, E.A.S. Prasanna and S. Venkatraghavan. All kinds of excuses were toted up ranging from ‘he is one-dimensional’ to ‘he cannot spin it like Shane Warne’, so that India continued to overlook a cricketing great’s early steps. Some former greats also took time to admire his craft and Kumble was not immune to stray remarks like ‘oh he wouldn’t have found a place in the Indian team when we were playing’.He took it in his…More

The Hindu : If you are a lover of handloom fabric, block prints and Benarasi patterns, you are bound to love this exhibition titled “Kashi-Kashmeer”.Noida-based designer Mukesh brings his collection of Chanderis, Venkatagiris, Uppadas, cottons from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, tussars from Bengal, Orissa and Maharashtra, Bangalore silks, crepes, georgettes, and more in this collection.It includes not just saris, but also, salwar-kameez set fabrics, kurtis, and exclusive dupattas. In this new collection being shown at Bangalore’s Serenity, he has been inspired by the weavers of Benaras and the jamevars and dorukhas of Kashmir.“I love weaves and do this for the love of textiles,” says Mukesh. Hindu and Moghul motifs like the lotus, the irises and roses mingle on his textiles, sometimes bordered with a hint of zari.He has also created block prints in real sterling silver and 22 carat gold, reviving an old technique of Dakhni printing.He uses both natural dyes as well as chemical ones, depending on the requirement, drawing the designs and the patterns for the block prints himself.Some of the collections use original Benaras saris as well and wools and silks from Kashmir, with work done on them. “I don’t stick to traditional colours,” he adds.The 53-year-old Mukesh began his career designing and printing saris in 1984. A graduate of the Delhi College of Art, he was more obsessed with painting till he started writing a book on the pagadi (turban) and jewellery traditions and realised the same uniqueness and characteristics applied to fabrics as well.“This profession came by fluke to me,” says Mukesh, who has also illustrated and designed books and magazines for the Children’s Book Trust. His first major collection inspired by the jamevar, was for the Central Cottage Industries Emporium in Delhi.He also collaborated on a puddupavu and kovil Collection for Co-optex in Chennai.The saris in the collection he brings to the city are priced Rs. 1,000 upward, the salwar sets…More

The Hindu : Voted the best drama in 2007 by US People magazine, “Damages” is a compelling legal drama that will have you truly hooked right from the start. Don’t expect your usual legal drama here. In “Damages”, a young and eager lawyer (Rose Bryne) gets entangled with a crafty power attorney and boss from hell (Glenn Close) in a high-profile litigation case. Conspiracies, lies, revenge and mind-games run amok, and unfold in a fast-paced, suspense-filled storyline.Glenn Close plays Patty Hewes, a devious power attorney who holds court at the top of a brutal and back-stabbing business. Patty’s biggest case thus far is a huge class action suit against a billionaire employer (Ted Danson) by employees defrauded of their pension, and she is hell-bent on winning at any cost. Following her guest appearances in two drama series, “The Shield” and “Rescue Me”, “Damages” is Glenn Close’s first television drama series as a lead cast member. And critics are raving about her sharp performance. So it comes as no surprise that Glenn Close is in the running for Best Actress at this year’s Golden Globes.“Damages” has hooked critics and viewers alike that the series recently garnered three other Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama Series, Best Supporting Actor (Ted Danson) and Best Supporting Actress (Rose Byrne).Watch this great critics’ pick on AXN from January 31 every Thursday at 11 p.m….More

The Hindu : Thank you for smokingDo actors make smoking look cool, sophisticated and very glamorous? The debate has been doing the rounds and the country’s health minister has brought it up again.Actors are all up in arms about it – protesting about creative freedom and censorship. While according to the health minister, 52 per cent of children start smoking thanks to movie stars.Shah Rukh Khan, a smoker himself, is the latest to have been pulled up by the Health ministry. But he argues that puffing onscreen is “make-believe”. And going by his statement, it means everything on screen is from another world and has no impact in real life – from eve-harassment to violence.According to estimates – about 250 million Indians use tobacco, killing more than 900,000 people every year.So should actors set an example for the mass following – especially in a country like ours where cinema sets trends and has such a huge fan network? Or should they be given the freedom to smoke to “suit the role” – endorsing cigarette brands and even agreeing that a character “wouldn’t be complete without a ciggie between his/her’s fingers” or do we leave it to the impressionable viewers to be better judges?Scenes with actors smoke do not have any influence over people. Kids might get affected – but parents should guide them. Actors need to smoke to support their role for the movie. In some cases, however, creative freedom should be sacrificed.RaviSoftware engineerActors should not be allowed to smoke on screen. They have a greater impact on the minds of youngsters. The young generation look up to them as role models – especially their favourite actor. People will want to imitate and copy their favourite actors.NiveditaPR professionalActors who smoke on screen do not have a real impact on the lives of people. I have seen a number of movies, and though I smoke, it isn’t because of…More

The Hindu : While the world and his wife moan about the philistines in Bangalore, Alika Khosla, Associate Director of Breakthrough, which is bringing the Tri Continental Film Festival to the city, has a different view. “Bangalore has had a better turnout than Mumbai for the festival. There is a large audience for these films.”The festival, which Alika describes as a primary platform for human rights cinema from the global south, began in Latin America. “The first festival was in Buenos Aires in 2002,” Alika said. “The next year it moved to Africa. We at Breakthrough have hosted the festival in India since 2004. We short-listed 23 films out of a total of 130 films. These were then sent to an international jury.”The theme of the festival Alika said was “stories from the past”. The festival tries to put historical perspective to human rights issues. “The festival aims at building awareness and pushing beyond boundaries. We would like people to challenge prejudices.”The festival, apart from going to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata, is also shown in educational institutions. “It is a way getting people to talk about issues, have a dialogue.” “It is Always Late for Freedom” by Mehraad Oskouei, Alika says, tells the story of juvenile prisoners in Iran. “The film deals with drug addiction, which is a universal problem. Then there is the fascinating ‘Movement (R)evolution’, which talks of the importance of dance in Africa.”Talking about the interestingly named “Hands of Che Guevara” Alika says: “The film unfolds like a Hollywood film. ‘The Devil Came on Horseback’ looks at the genocide in Darfur. This is an important film as so little is known about the horrific conditions in Darfur.”Alika says: “Though some of the films are disturbing, these documentaries are based on reality. While it is tough to face the truth, we cannot turn away from the facts. In the old days, documentaries were very didactic….More

The Hindu : For those who think the cinematic road runs between Hollywood and Bollywood, this is the time tosit up and take notice. World cinema is coming in a big way to make its presence felt in the country. To start with, the French government is hosting afilm festival. Called Rendezvous with French Cinema, the festival, which started on January 27 in Mumbai, comes to town on February 1. The festival is being used as a tool to prepare ground for the theatrical release of the films on show. France is the first and only country to have a full-fledged Film Officeto promote French cinema in India and Indian cinema in France.Says Mohamed Bendjebbour, who heads the office,“Distribution houses like Shemaroo, Star Entertainment, UTV and PVR have shown interest in French films. The films shown in the festival will soon have commercial releases.”But beyond the ‘emotions have a universal appeal’ argument, does this genre make business sense? “It does, because of the rise in the number of multiplexes. Secondly, our estimates show that 300,000 people in India are learning French. Out of these, 30,000 are learning the language in Alliance Francaise centres alone. ,” says Mohamed. He feels the market is ripe, as channels like UTV’s World Movies are in the offing. “Middle class incomes are increasing and it is exploring new avenues of entertainment.” As for the content, Mohamed says as far as he knows, Indians like comedy, action and romance, and French films provide all three. In fact, the film’s producer Sunil Doshi has already acquired rights of film like “Azur et Asmar” and “Roman de Gare”, which are on show at the festival. “I feel there is a sizeable space between the five percent Hollywood films and 95 percent Bollywood films that get released in this country. And this could be filled if we bring European, Latin American and Asian cinema.”Together with NDTV Imagine…More

The Hindu : Old-time Bangaloreans will agree that nothing is more dramatic for a city like Bangalore than its changing physical dimensions. The influx of a floating population, growth in the IT sector, introduction of the call centre industry made the city suddenly wake up to a boom and its accompanying nightmarish transitions.These days each area is so self sufficient and well contained that a resident living in Jayanagar need not venture out to the city centre for shopping. Large volumes of traffic has meant that people are reluctant to travel distances for their shopping or entertainment needs. The presence of malls and branded stores in most parts of the city, creating little pockets of consumerism, makes shopping and life for the consumer easier.Retailers are recognising this trend and you have branded stores in multiple locations, be it clothing, groceries and eateries. The local kirana stores are gearing up to the competition and we find them offering innovative packaging, high quality standards and efficient service.Magic mantraThe mantra is that if the customer doesn’t come to your doorstep, you go to his. Every business is adopting the multiple-presence strategy be it branded jewellery stores supermarkets, multiplexes, eateries like pizza outlets or even branded beauty salons and fitness centres.The franchise model has made businesses go into an intimate level of client-customer interaction.The very fact that a trusted brand is in the neighbourhood makes shopping and eating out much more convenient and hassle-free.Says Bhushan Oberoi of Casa Piccola restaurants: “Within Bangalore, all our eight outlets are on a company-owned model whereas in cities like Chennai we are on franchise mode. It is a natural way of expanding one’s business.“If you observe, particularly in cities and metros, people are getting more and more reluctant by the day to travel long distances.“So obviously a trusted store or entertainment outlet in the neighbourhood eases the strain of travel. Also for businesses, it helps in…More

The Hindu : Akshaye Khanna is definitely the change he wants to see in the world, as he will soon be seen in the streets of Mumbai driving Rewa, a customised electric car.The actor’s concern for the planet and the cause of global warming has made him choose the option of driving in an electric car for his shoots in Mumbai.He is said to be quite impressed by the concept of the electric car, which besides meeting individual needs in city mobility, would also help combat some of the social and environmental problems hovering on the horizon. Says Chetan Maini the founder of Rewa, “Globally we see celebrities coming forward and supporting causes they believe in, be it the environment or human rights. It is great to know that an Indian celebrity like Akshaye Khanna is taking steps to help the environment, his decision to choose the Rewa for its environment friendly advantage and great city mobility is a reflection of his commitment to this cause.”Being a Co2 emission free vehicle, the Rewa is customised for Akshaye’s use and comes with all the accessories that he would need. With its range of 80 km and a maximum speed of 80 km/h, it will ensure the actor gets around the city efficiently….More

The Hindu : Fiat is gearing up to produce the Linea saloon at its Ranjangaon facility. The tools and assembly lines are being readied for the start of production, which will also include the Grande Punto hatchback in the coming months.Recently, Fiat’s Head of Group Style, Christopher Reitz, shed some light on the design and styling of the Linea and the Grande Punto.The Linea was designed to look contemporary, but also to appeal to buyers for a long time. Since the car will be sold in diverse markets, the styling also had to be acceptable to a broad range of tastes. An important factor was the choice of materials used, especially on the inside. The car had to feel rich, but the price of materials used had to be kept within limits.The new corporate logo, with a maroon background and stylised lettering, is intended to illustrate the turnaround in Fiat’s fortunes, which has seen its stock rise three hundred percent in the last three years.The Fiat brand’s reinvention extends beyond the new logo however, and a bold two-part grille with a slim rectangular mesh is seen on the Linea and Punto, as well as the new Bravo hatch, which, incidentally, will be sold in India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU).Fiat is targeting cumulative sales of 60,000 units with the Linea, Grande Punto and Palio Stile.The Linea will use a version of the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel, albeit in a more powerful 90bhp guise, as opposed to 75bhp in the Grande Punto and Palio Stile….More

The Hindu : Pizza Hut have launched “Ring O’ Garlic”, a range of pizzas with a smattering of garlic and parsley on the base and the piece-de-resistance is the crust which is a ring of butter and garlic along with another generous sprinkle of parsley. The Ring O’ Garlic fiesta was launched by irreverent, funny man Cyrus Broacha and Marketing Director, Anup Jain.Pizza Hut will also be introducing 11 creative and tasty topping combinations for this special range of pizzas. The range is available in medium and large size pizzas, priced at Rs. 125 for vegetarian and Rs. 180 for non-vegetarian for medium pizzas. The toppings include five vegetarian and six non-vegetarian toppings such as Grill O’ Delight, O’ Spicy Veggie, Peppy O’ Chicken and many other lip-smacking choices.Cyrus Broacha said, “I have always been a great fan of Pizza Hut and I’m sure that it’s more than obvious from my healthy girth that their pizzas are a mainstay of my diet. The garlic and herb topping on the crust is simply divine and I can vouch that people are going to be torn between which side of the pizza to begin eating from – the crust or the base. Simply put, garlic never tasted so good before.”The new Ring O Garlic range of pizzas will be available across all Pizza Hut outlets and can also be ordered at home for the next three months….More