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Journalism of Courage
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SOPHIA CHOUDRY: From VJ to singer to Dr Love
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Farah Khan
Shah Rukh Khan8217;s favourite choreographer turned director with the summer blockbuster Main Hoon Na, played music pro on Sony TV8217;s Indian Idol, and exported her Chaiyya Chaiyya Stateside with Mira Nair8217;s Vanity Fair. On the personal front too, there was a filmi merger with film editor Shirish Kunder.
8226; Khan8217;s 10-day mobile bill in January 2004 was Rs 1.2 lakh. That was when she was multitasking between commitments in Mauritius8212;choreographing Sajid Nadiadwala8217;s Mujhse Shaadi Karogi8212;and Mumbai, where post-production for Main Hoon Na was in full swing.
HRD Ministry
Arjun Singh returned to Shastri Bhawan promising to rewrite already rewritten textbooks; set up committees to rework suggestions of other committees; and detox NCERT toxins. The HRD ministry also became the first government department to implement an employment guarantee scheme8212;provided you were an academic with the right surname, correct university affiliations or old connections.
8226; As Singh went on a determined anti-MMS Murli Manohar and Sangh drive, his first victim was one JS Rajput, Joshi8217;s NCERT director, who organised the first history rewrite. Coincidentally, during his last term as HRD minister 1991-94, Singh antagonised many bureaucrats by insisting on operating through a joint secretary-level hatchet man. His name? JS Rajput.
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THE PONCHO: from fuddy to fash
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Saif Ali Khan
The fourth Khan on the block gave his first solo hit in Hum Tum. And his grey character with the rakish stubble in Ek Hasina Thi hit the spot. On the personal front, he separated from wife Amrita Singh and is now dating Italian heiress, Rosa.
8226; The latest on the two is that Rosa met Khan8217;s parents in Delhi. Apparently, dad Tiger Pataudi and mom Sharmila Tagore approve. What8217;s more, Khan met her family in Zurich. Who knows what we8217;ll hear next? Wedding bells, maybe8230;
Mughal-E-Azam
Four decades after it first got on the big screen, this b038;w classic got a colourful rebirth.
8226; In 1960, distributor Madan Kothari spent Rs 17 lakh to buy the Mumbai circuit distribution rights. He recovered the investment in 16 weeks. Fast forward to circa 2004. The present distributors paid out Rs 2.25 crore for distribution in the same territory8212;they recovered their money in just two weeks, and the profits are still piling up.
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SONU NIGAM: Makeover number four
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Vilasrao Deshmukh
Around January last year, after the end of his time as Maharashtra chief minister, the fitness-and-image conscious Vilasrao Deshmukh was waging a losing battle against ruthless adipose, lethargy and general fatigue. So, Deshmukh decided to get professional help. In came health guru Dr Anjali Mukherjee and along with it, an organic diet consisting of whole grains, legumes, brown rice, detox drills and light exercises brisk walking at any time of the day. And in a span of about four months, 8216;8216;The CM lost around 10 kilos because he stuck to our plan. He was very determined,8217;8217; says Mukherjee.
8226; Other routines included regular facials and even a hairstyle redo.
Karan Johar
First he plays guest with Simi Garewal, then he does a turn with Manish Malhotra, and finally Simone Singh gets a piece. Johar then turns interviewer with another from his own clan, Shobhaa De. And not to forget, Malhotra dresses all of Johar8217;s guests. Love pentagon, anyone?
8226; Johar calls himself a 8216;8216;talk show specialist8217;8217;. But he8217;s most impressed with Garewal 8216;8216;she handles herself with lots of grace and elegance8217;8217; and Vir Sanghvi 8216;8216;I like the way he connects thoughts with the conversation8217;8217;. As for Malhotra, 8216;8216;He8217;s always nice and full of compliments8217;8217;.
Gerard Rach
Another self goal for the Indian Hockey Federation IHF, which has changed 13 coaches in the past decade. Take a look at the just-booted-out Gerard Rach, and contrast it with John Wright8217;s appointment in cricket. A player of repute, qualified coach and a clean image were among the star attributes Wright carried in his kit bag. What followed was all-round development and results. Where the BCCI was patient, the IHF was not.
8226; Rach is known for things other than hockey. He served a prison term for cheating and fraud cases; coaching accomplishments were limited to a fourth division club in Germany.
The Sari
Bollywood rediscovered the chiffon sari on Sushmita Sen. Routine reds, blacks and whites were discarded in favour of pinks, greens and yellows. Next up: Aishwarya Rai gets a six-yard makeover in Shabd.
8226; Sen8217;s wardrobe contains 34 chiffons. Her favourites are two Banarsi chiffons, one in a black-and-gold combo, and an antique-worked rose colour. Main Hoon Na was an important sari-draping lesson: 8216;8216;I used to wear a sari like it was a lungi, now I drape them properly.8221;
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SMRITI IRANI: Err, will someone show her the trigger?
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The Indian Economy
Before the BJP called an early election, the GDP grew at over eight per cent in the previous quarter. Then came the Congress-Left victory. Suddenly, every CPI geriatric was a stock market doomsayer. By the end of the year, with P Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh saying lots of right things, life looked good again. The Sensex zoomed to an all-time high of 6,500-plus, even shrugging off the great Ambani squabble.
8226; When Chidambaram last took charge in 1996, the GDP was growing at seven per cent. And when he quit office, it was at four per cent.
The Taj by Moonlight
Fans finally know what the Big Mac of Indian tourism looks like after sunset. Well, almost. The fog usually plays spoiler. On three days every month till February, the authorities will allow visitors into the grounds after dark.
8226; About 350 people turned up for the first night on November 27, including Mulayam Singh8217;s son Akhilesh Yadav and wife Dimple.
Vivek Oberoi
He crooned wakao and everybody wanted Vanilla Coke. Then Kyun Ho Gaya Na happened and Oberoi went back to pakao.
8226; It8217;s director Sanjay Gupta8217;s favourite joke. Apparently, he wanted to sign Oberoi for a film but the actor wanted to know how much Gupta would pay him. After the debacle of Kyun Ho8230;, Gupta sent Oberoi a teasing SMS, which said something like: Tell me now how much you will pay me to make a film with you.
The Congress Party
Out went the liberalisation labels, back came the statist slogans. They spoke of the aam aadmi, and promised huge public spending. The Congress ended the 2004 election as the single largest party.
8226; The Congress apparently spent Rs 125 crore on its ad campaign. In contrast, the BJP is supposed to have spent Rs 100 crore on its India Shining pitch.
