Film fareMovie launches seem to be the right way to stylish promotion these days. The Raj Santoshi-directed China Gate, was released on Friday in the city with great fanfare by the Toshiba Group. The Toshiba connection is courtesy Akira Kurosawa, the famous Japanese film director, whose Seven Samurai forms the basis for the film.At a slick presentation ceremony last week, a glossy brochure of the film was given to everyone present. An extensive video clip was also shown, to let us in on how the hotshot director conceived and shot the film at an exotic, sandy location. All the stars were apparently impressed by the director's `original' method of direction and `novel' storyline. In all, an interesting promotional concept, sure to catch on in the city!Not haute but coolSaturday bash at the INS Shivaji at Lonavala. As the evening of the much-awaited Navy Ball progressed, expectations of the gathered lot kept pace with the dropping mercury levels. All those hoping to boogey alongside Rahul Roy, Sheetal Mallar and Aditi Govitirikar had to return home disappointed. The celebs who did turn up, however, were Rani Jeyaraj, Carol Gracias, Craig Scott and Pooja Mishra. The evening got rolling with Commodore H.S. Malhi walking on to the floor for the first dance to the tunes of Careless Whispers, and the rest of the 500-odd crowd (much less than expected) boogeyed along. Then the contest got underway, with 17 contestants, seven of whom were Puneites. And three of these - Monalika Bhonsale, Poonam Joshi and Sheena - walked away with the crowns. Attagirls!Show downThere are rock shows and there are rock shows. Some good, some bad and some downright ugly. And the Pepsi Powerblast on November 28 was a stinker. No thanks to the event managers, city-based Milestone. The music slated for 5.00 p.m. started off after 9.00 p.m. The sound checks slated for 10.30 a.m. had to be rushed through with the first few songs being a hit-and-miss affair. As a result, all the Pune bands got the worst end of the deal. Pune rock pioneers, The Strangers, put up a good show despite the odds, and the guru of many guitarists, Neelkanth Kulkarni, returned onstage after six years.But the worst was yet to happen. Originally, four bands were to perform. with the cut-off point being 10.30 p.m. Instead, Teerth, a new line-up, was simply cut out. For a long time, the organisers didn't even show up. Finally, when crowd favourite Ezee Meat came onstage, they were bulldozed off. As Sanjay Joseph launched into one of his solos, an organiser unceremoniously pulled the plug on him. Finally, the only non-Pune band, Brahma, hit the stage amidst a plethora of expletives. Their performance was tight, dominated by Metallica numbers and a few self-composed ones. But the truly deserving ones were the public, that patiently hung around for a show that could have been but was not.All in the starsThe Freaky Friday last week at Totem Pole chugged along just fine! To make the decor for their `railway theme' look as authentic as possible, event managers Genesis took care to add little touches - the ubiquitous newspaper stand, the vendors, the passengers. And that evening having reached Destination Success in time, the next halt for the event managers is Ten Downing Street, for the birthday bash on December 2 for all Sagittarians. While December may be the end of the year for the rest of us, it's the commencement of another calendar year for those born under this zodiac sign. Inviting all ``good-natured, optimistic party-goers'' to celebrate with these Sagittarians as they cut their birthday cake, this ought to be the bash the outgoing Sagis deserve.Idlis on internetWhat a way to raise funds for a housing scheme! On November 28, the Rotary Club of Pune Hillside organised a live demonstration from the guru of food, Sanjeev Kapoor, at the Tilak Smarak Mandir for a low-cost housing scheme in a rural area. Needless to say, the auditorium was full of women wanting to learn more about what they already know. Presented by Kshitij Vegetables, the show was a revelation even for experienced cooks, as Kapoor demonstrated his talents for a good three hours. When asked why his recipes - whether a simple dal-chawal or an exotic Thai mixed vegetables - resulted in greater success than those cooked out of a cook book, he replied, ``That's because cook books are written by people who are writers, not cooks.'' But that does not mean that this cook will not write. In fact, he already has a web site (sanjeevkapoor.com) and will be coming out with four new cookbooks in the next year. By then, Kapoor's invasion of Indian kitchens will be complete.Negative capabilityThe lady's better known for her acting talents. Bharti Achrekar, who made her debut on stage at 16, has never looked back since those days. Says Achrekar, who was in Pune to compere Sanjeev Kapoor's cookery demonstration at the Tilak Smarak Mandir, ``Though I find comedy roles very easy, because making people laugh comes naturally to me, my real love is negative roles. Sometime back, I had gone to Jabalpur and met up with my childhood friend there. But her son refused to come and see me. Reason? The negative role I played in Apne Paraye. He was so upset with the character that he decided I must really be a bad person. That's when I felt truly happy with my work''. But the lady is not about to sit pretty on her past achievements. She is planning to return to her old love, singing. Says Bharti, ``I act for money and sing for pleasure.'' Coming from the daughter of singer Manik Verma, it's only natural.
