ORIGINAL Idea Honey Bunny Song (Parody) - You are my Pumpkin Pumpkin

Top 10 TV Serials and Top 5 Reality Shows

Star Plus races ahead of Zee and Colors

NEW SHOWS 

    TWO NEW SERIALS LAUNCHED AMIDST MUCH HYPE: Colors’ Bani-Ishq Ka Kalma and Zee’s Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan. 
Both generated the same 1.6 TRP. Quite a coincidence.

Bani...

Badalte Rishton...

DIFFERENCE IN GRPs BETWEEN NO. 1 CHANNEL AND NO. 2 WIDENS: Star Plus, with a Gross Rating Point (GRP) of 291 raced ahead of Zee TV that garnered 207 and Colors 192. The previous week, the difference in GRPs between Star and Zee was 71 points; however, this time the difference has increased to 84. High TRPs of some of its daily soaps and Nach Baliye’s grand finale worked for Star.

    CATFIGHTS DON’T ALWAYS HELP: Reality show Welcome on Life Ok, where celebs dine toegther and indulge in ugly fights, registered just 0.7 TRP again this week.

    A SECOND SEASON HAS RARELY WORKED IN THE CASE OF DAILY SOAPS: Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha Season 2 on Colors is yet to make a mark. Currently, it stands at 1.9 TRP.

    TULSI UNITES WITH ORIGINAL MIHIR VIRANI: Smriti Irani and Amarr Upadhyay were back on the small screen after many years in Life Ok’s Ek Thi Naayka. The episode garnered 0.9 TRP.

Shakira , Usher are new judges on The Voice

Shakira , Usher are new judges on The Voice

(From left) Shakira, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Usher, and the show’s host Carson Daly

    There’s plenty to look forward to in the fourth season of The Voice, a popular reality singing show that airs in India the same week as the US.
    The action begins with a double-night premiere, with a judging panel to best the rest of the other shows in the reality singing genre. Adam Levine and Blake Shelton will now have Shakira and Usher for company. Moreover, the guest mentors are also some of the biggest names in the business — Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum (Team Adam), Sheryl Crow (Team Blake), Joel Madden (Team Shakira) and Pharrell Williams (Team Usher). 
    With the new judges comes in more fun, more drama and a lot more glamour, with none of them wanting to lose. Will Shakira or Usher be able to unseat two-time champion coach Shelton this season or will it be Levine’s year? 
    The double-night premiere of The Voice Season 4 airs tonight and tomorrow at 6 pm on AXN.

Things like these can ruin lives and careers forever

Things like these can ruin lives and careers forever

A scandalous MMS clip allegedly with Mona Singh in it has gone viral. The actress says her face has been morphed onto somebody else’s body

    TV actress Mona Singh has filed a case with the Cyber Crime Cell regarding an MMS clip that has gone viral, which allegedly shows the actress in the nude. “It is completely appalling and disgraceful that someone on the web can go to the extent of morphing my face onto someone else’s body to create a sensational video. We have filed a severe complaint at the Cyber Crime Cell and are hoping to find the culprit,” said Mona. “People need to realise that before being actors, we’re respectable women and have family and friends who we are answerable to and who get affected by negativity that is thrown in our direction. Thankfully, my family and friends are standing by me like they always have, supporting me to see this through. If today, this can happen to me, it can happen to any innocent girl and things like this can ruin lives and careers forever. This is a very serious issue and it needs to stop!”

The alleged MMS clip of Mona Singh doing the rounds

Shut up! It’s ‘F’ for Fukrey

Shut up! It’s ‘F’ for Fukrey

    Fukrey is not an easy title to pronounce or perhaps even to explain to the hoi polloi, except in North India. In their attempt to make the task of understanding their title easier for everyone involved, the evolved producers — Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar — have actually come up with an animated jingle composed by Ram Sampath and written by Swanand Kirkire. 
    Coming back to Fukrey, Ritesh and Farhan, who have led the way many a time in their decade-long career — be it making path-breaking cinema like Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) — have this time come up with the marketing innovation of giving the viewer a highenergy video that describes the recipe of being Fukrey (that is colloquial for good-for-nothing or someone who’s perpetually broke). 
    Says Ritesh, “This is the language of the film. It’s the first time a filmmaker is doing a jingle to promote the title. We were thinking of the best way to explain the meaning of Fukrey. And that’s when we came up with the idea of this jingle. In the digital world, animation works very well. We thought it would be a nice way to introduce our Fukras. Ram is a renowned talent in jingles.” 
    Farhan says, “Fukrey is a word that the people of Delhi and certain sections of North India are very 
familiar with. Of course, it is alien to a lot of us who are from elsewhere. Hence, the need to explain its meaning is important. Getting an animated jingle seemed like a fun way to do it because it definitely captures the youthful energy of the film.” 
Fukrey, produced by Excel Entertainment, releases June 14.

Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar.

Interview of Konkona Sen Sharma

FOR ALL MY CONFIDENCE I AM A BIG PHATTU

    Konkona Sen Sharma would like to remain old-fashioned in believing that a woman’s age is mysterious and should be kept that way. She is confident and comfortable being the person she is. Looking stunning in her mother’s sari, sounding every bit like Jaya Bachchan in the way she speaks, she talks about her unconventional childhood, her memories of daayans and why Anurag Basu is her favourite director. Excerpts: 

Konkona Sen Sharma

Did you always know that you would become an actress? I never wanted to become an actress. I have the coolest and the most awesome parents, who are well-educated. My mom is well-read in English and Bengali and my dad is a humourist, science writer and a futurist. In fact, for many years, he wrote the ‘Mind Sport’ column for the edit page in the Times of India. He is funny, intelligent, plays the guitar has a great perspective and looks at life from the world of humour. My mom is this fabulous, strong woman who lives life on her own terms. I had a liberal upbringing with unconventional parents and both my parents are my inspiration. My parents (Aparna Sen and Mukul Sharma), were divorced when I was six. I was lucky as both of them married wonderful people. So while I lived with my mother, I had parents who were amicable and I actually landed with up two sets of wonderful parents. My mother always said, ‘it’s better for a child to have happy parents apart rather than unhappy parents together’. I have always believed that if you grow up seeing happy people, have good energy and have resources within yourself to make yourself happy, you will be happy. 
    Your happiness is your own responsibility. These are values I picked up from my parents. They are my best friends and I would tell them things that I would tell nobody as they would never judge me and would always support me. I started acting as a child artiste and everyone would tell my mom she will be an actor. I studied till Class VIII in Modern High School and was not doing so well and was quite reserved till I was 13. My mom, having a keen sensibility, realised that I will not blossom in a conventional school and put me in Calcutta International School. That was a more modern school. I blossomed and came in to my own as a personality there. I was always a voracious reader, but I became more open and started doing plays. I then went to St. Stephen’s College and completed my English Honours. In my second year, I was offered a Bengali film. While I was not sure initially, it did well. And then I did a film by Rituparno Ghosh, who was a friend of my mother, after which I came back to doing my MA. But I was bored and dropped out soon. I then did Mr and Mrs Iyer with my mother and won a National Award for it. That made it easy for me to continue to act. After that, Amu and then Page 3 happened. I have never been ambitious and have always gone with the flow. 

What is your mother like? She has a lot of energy, is passionate, gives everything to anything she does and is not concerned about what other people think. She is an unconventional mother. Though she feels guilty for everything herself and would take me everywhere with her, she always asks me to not obsess about being a mother as she knows that you will be a mother forever and tells me that’s it’s ok to work. 

You are not good looking in the conventional Bengali way as your mother is. Did that ever affect you? My mother is gorgeous and I consider myself to be her biggest fan. I don’t compare myself to her in terms of looks or career and we don’t have to follow the same trajectory. She is a part of me. Also, I am a fairly confident person and I find myself quite good-looking. 

Your parents divorced when you were only six. Did that affect you as a child? I was a quiet child, but did not know what it was to be sad. But today, I realise how important those times were of being on your own and reading books. My mother would take me to the Moscow Film Festival, where I would watch all kinds of international cinema including a lot of adult films and would tag along with her on her film set. Life is about ups and downs and luckily for me I have never had any extended lows, but when I am feeling low, it helps to watch a film, eat something and call a friend. Plus, I am super high on sleeping. I do believe that life is a series of distractions from death. The only certainty is that you have to die, so do things that make you happy. At the end of your life, you will not remember your best work, but will remember just moments with people. 

Your son is now two years old. Has your life changed after him? He did not sleep for one year. I don’t think I have changed but yes, sleep deprivation has altered my personality. I do have a little more patience that I think is a good thing. 

Is there a director with whom you enjoyed working with more than others? I really enjoyed working with Anurag Basu in Life In A Metro. He would suddenly say let’s not shoot today, let’s cook mutton and I like such people. Also it was amongst the first few films I shot in Mumbai and on the first day of shoot a close aunt passed away and he just said ‘go now’. It had not happened to me before and I was really touched. I have grown up as a director’s daughter and feel for directors and producers. I just like him as a person. Quite like me, he is relaxed and does not take himself so seriously. I like that. I missed doing Namesake as I was shooting my mom’s 15 Park Avenue, but I really want to work with Mira Nair again. 

Any best friends in the industry? I don’t really have close friends in the industry but I am still in touch with Sandy(Sandhya Mridul) and Tara (Tara Sharma) from Page 3. Also due to Ranvir, I am close to Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor. 

Ek Thi Daayan is based on short stories written by your father. Does that make this film more special for you? My film world has always been my mom. And now, it is also my father. My father is friends with Vishal Bhardwaj and my director Kanan Iyer. I am thrilled that the film is based on his short stories as it allows me to share one more part of my life with my dad. 

Do you associate with daayans? As a child, I was always told stories of ‘daini buris’ who would come if I did not eat my food. For all my huge confidence, I am a big phattu. I am scared of the dark, scared of water and can’t cycle. Horror has made a huge comeback — be it through vampires, zombies or in our Indian context with our traditional daayans. 

There have been rumours of trouble in your married life. Is there any truth to that? I have never spoken about my personal life and don’t see why I should start now. Ranvir and I just want to confuse people and I don’t think people should care about the state of our marriage.

Ekta Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma

GETTING READY FOR THE MISS INDIA 2013 FINALE

GETTING READY FOR THE MISS INDIA 2013 FINALE

The sub-contest crowning of the Pond’s Femina Miss India 2013 pageant was hosted at the Westin Mumbai Garden City in a glittering ceremony

    With the Miss India 2013 pageant just a few days away, the 23 finalists are working hard at ensuring that they win every point they can in the race to the title. Therefore, the sub-contests before the grand finale on March 24 form an important part of their performance and it was apparent how hard each girl worked to win a title.
    The sub-contest crowning was held at the official hospitality sponsor Westin Mumbai Garden City, where 21 titles were given away. There were titles like the Femina Miss Talented title, which saw joint winners Sobhita Dhulipala and Archita Sahu perform Bharatnatyam and Odissi dance forms, respectively. Another title, the Iron Maiden, awarded Swati Kain for pumping the maximum iron (20 kg). The winner for only one sub-contest — the Miss India Itimes Digital Diva — will be announced at the grand finale in Mumbai this Sunday. Signature Premier and Kingfisher were the official beverage partners for the evening. For the occasion, the host hotel put together a lavish spread of western cuisine for the finalists and their families.
    Watch the Pond’s Femina Miss India 2013 pageant live and exclusive on Colors on Sunday, March 24, at 10pm.

Pond’s Femina Miss Glowing Skin: Archana Shivanandan, Senior Brand Manager, Pond’s, crowned the winner Sagrika Chhetri

Yamaha Ray Femina Miss Adventurous: Roy Kurien, Group Head Sales and Marketing, India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd, crowned the winner Lopamudra Raut

PCJ Femina Miss Timeless Beauty: Balram Garg, MD & CEO, PC Jewellers, crowned the winner Navneet Kaur Dhillion

Max Femina Miss Fashion Icon: Saurabh Garg, Regional Operations Head (West), Max Fashion, crowned the winner Srishti Rana

Reliance Digital Femina Miss Tech Diva: Brian Bade, CEO, Reliance Digital, crowned the winner Anushka Shah

Mochi Femina Miss Awesome Legs: Alisha Malik, Brand Manager, Mochi, crowned the winner Lopamudra Raut

Sinhgad Institutes Femina Miss Intellectual: Sunanda Navale, Founder Secretary, Sinhgad, crowned the winner Radhika Sharma

Enhance Femina Miss body Beautiful: Bibhash Chatterjee, Director, Enhance Aesthetic and Cosmetic Studio, crowned the winner Lopamudra Raut

Lakme Femina Miss Eyeconic Eyes: Sudhanshu Kelkar, Brand Manager, Lakme, crowned the winner Swati Kain

TRESemme Femina Miss Stylish Hair: Arvind Iyer, Senior Brand Manager, TREsemme, crowned the winner Archita Sahu

Close up Femina Miss Beautiful Smile: Senthil Kumar, Brand Building, HUL, crowned the winner Anukriti Gusain

Vaseline Femina Miss Beautiful Lips: Sairam Krishnamurthy, Sr Brand Manager, Vaseline Lip, crowned the winner Akshitaa Agnihotri

Pureit Femina Miss Beauty For A Cause: Malvika Sharma, Brand Manager, Pureit, crowned the winner Radhika Sharma

Sanofi Pasteur Femina Miss Beauty For Health: Pratima Tripathi, Associate Director, Marketing and Aparna Thomas, Sr Director, Communications & Public Affairs, Sanofi India, crowned the winner Anannya Sarmah

Westin Femina Miss Congeniality: Ajay Chopra, Executive Chef, Westin Mumbai Garden City, crowned the winner Sanjana D’souza

Femina Miss Rampwalk: Anannya Sarmah won the title

Femina Miss Iron Maiden: Swati Kain won the title

Femina Miss Active: Manasi Moghe won the title

Femina Miss Talented: Archita Sahu and Sobhita Dhulipala were announced joint winners of the title

Femina Miss Waterbaby: Anannya Sarmah won the title

Femina Miss Photogenic: Anukriti Gusain won the title

MASTERCHEF’S TOP 10

MASTERCHEF’S TOP 10

The race to win the title is on in full steam. Here are the top 10 contenders who will fight for the crown

    Since it began, MasterChef India Season 3 has been giving the viewers a daily dose of ‘delicious’ entertainment. The show has got its top 10 contestants all set to battle it out. For the judges, too, the decision-making gets tougher from here, as every contestant brings something unique to the table. Here’s a chance for you to know your contestants. Dial 1800 267 0700 to download the MasterChef mobile App.
Amul presents MasterChef Kitchen Ke Superstar powered by Fortune airs Monday to Friday at 8 pm on Star Plus. 

Devyani Bhatti

Aditi Madan

Nisha Verma

Khoku Patra

Ripu Daman Handa

Happy Singh

Doyel Sarangi

Ishrat Ali

Sachin Naik

Navneet Rastogi

KUNAL KAPOOR The best of Indian food is not in the restaurant, it’s in the Indian kitchen. While all the contestants are equally good, I can’t ignore Khoku Patra for her sheer determination. She not only cooks well, but also had the courage to stand among the people who she cooks for.

SANJEEV KAPOOR The show celebrates the home cooks of India and is about the food Indians love. The top 10 who’ve emerged after auditions in 20 cities come from diverse backgrounds and bring that in their cooking. Each one has something different to offer. I’ll be closely watching Doyel, Happy Singh and Khoku.

VIKAS KHANNA We have an identity of our own and our cuisine itself is so complex with its regional flavours. , so I will be rooting for everyone — the people who lost in the first round of auditions, those who were scared to apply, and even the women who cook three to four meals every day for their families.

DEVYANI BHATTI, HOUSEWIFE This 23-year-old from Jaipur loves cooking non-vegetarian fare, a specialty of her region. Though she comes from a conservative family, her husband and in-laws are very supportive of her dreams. Since its first season, Devyani has wanted to participate in the show.
If she wins... She says she wants to win the title to prove to the world that a girl from a traditional family be an achiever, too.

ADITI MADAN, HOUSEWIFE A Buddhist from the royal family of Sikkim, Aditi is married into a Punjabi family from Haryana and now lives in Jaipur. The 35-year-old quit her Human Resource career and also changed her name to gain acceptance from her husband’s family. On the show, chef Vikas Khanna has often praised her for her ‘threedimensional and out-of-the-box’ thinking.
If she wins... Aditi tells us that she hopes to regain her identity through this platform.

NISHA VERMA, COOKING CLASS TEACHER Meerut’s Nisha has been running cookery classes — for the past 24 years — for underprivileged girls. For this 47-year-old, cooking isn’t merely a skill, but a form of communication where one can express their emotions and ideas through a dish.
If she wins... she hopes to get recognition and fame for her culinary talent.

KHOKU PATRA, COOK At a very young age, this 22-year-old from Delhi started cooking meals for various people in their homes to make ends meet. It was they who encouraged her to audition for Masterchef. Standing among the likes of people she works for on the show, Khoku’s husband has been a pillar of strength for her whenever she’s been low on confidence.
If she wins... She hopes to win this show so that she can build a ‘pucca’ home for her family and educate her son.

HAPPY SINGH, DHABA OWNER Besides being a tattoo artist and the lead singer of a band, Ajmer’s Happy Singh also runs a small eatery, which serves 40 different types of Chole Bhature. According to the 25-year-old, presentation and innovation skills are as important as culinary skills for the making of a true chef.
If he wins... Happy’s dream is to become famous as “Chef Happy”.

RIPU DAMAN HANDA, GYM TRAINER Delhi-based Ripu says he wanted to study hotel management, but his parents wanted him to become a doctor, just like his father and grandfather. Courtesy his profession, the 23-year-old has a good knowledge about nutritional facts. This, combined with his passion to cook, results in delicious yet healthy dishes.
If he wins... His dream is to make his family proud by making a career as a chef.

DOYEL SARANGI, HOUSEWIFE Doyel’s positive attitude has won her many brownie points. She believes a master chef should also possess a good sense of humour, “If any dish goes wrong, you can always spice it up with a good joke.” The 27-year-old from Kolkata received a lot of praise for her innovative ‘Bamboo cooking’ on the show. In fact, chef Kunal Kapoor says he wants to add it to his hotel menu.
If she wins... Doyel says coming this far itself has been a blessing; she couldn’t have asked for more.

SACHIN NAIK, ENGINEER Sachin, 23, says that his love for cooking brought him a lot of ridicule throughout his life. Coming from a middle-class family, Sachin says he had to give in to family pressure and take up engineering as it was their idea of a secure future.
If he wins... Mumbai’s Sachin wants to prove to his family that being a chef can also be a stable career for a man, and he wants them to be proud of him.

ISHRAT ALI, HOUSEWIFE,
    Kolkata’s Ishrat says her biggest regret is that she was unable to complete her education, as she got married very young. This 33-year-old believes that focus and discipline are important qualities of a master chef.
If she wins... Her aim is to prove that even a housewife can take up financial responsibility of the family. She says if she wins the title she wants to educate her sisters and get them married on her own steam.

NAVNEET RASTOGI, CATERER Navneet had made it to the Top-20 in the last season of Masterchef India before he got eliminated. This season, the 29-year-old from Varanasi challenged himself as he auditioned with the same dish that got him eliminated last time.
If he wins... He says he’s returned with the sole intention to win the MasterChef title and to prove himself to everyone who labeled him a failure.

Traditional meets contemporary

Traditional meets contemporary

    If you want to browse through an array of designs and stylish ensembles, Weaves is the place to visit. The Weaves exhibition, currently on in the city, is where brands and western wear jostle for space. And the traditional wear at the expo is sure to find their way into many a wardrobe.
    From traditional saris to dupattas and embroidered cushion covers to other knick-knacks, there is something that will appeal to the sensibilities of all age groups. Artisans from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Orissa, which are famous for their Chanderi, Patola, Kanjeevaram, Uppada, Gadwal, Crepe, Tussar, Kota, Sanganeri, Sambalpuri and many other varieties of saris and textiles, have brought out some beautifully designed works.
    The home décor section boasts of products like patchwork bedspreads, Sanganeri bedsheets and contemporary home furnishings. Though one may consider these designs traditional, they are hugely in demand. The products are affordable and also make for good gifts.
    Other products, which are quick to fly off the racks, are designer suits and dress materials, much favoured by youngsters. So, if you’re looking out to add something ethnic and contemporary to your wardrobe, drop in at Weaves this weekend and get your share of gorgeous weaves.
    Weaves is on at Hotel Tip Top Plaza, Near Check Naka, LBS Marg Thane (W), till March 24 from 10 am to 8 pm.

Pond’s Femina Miss India Contest 2013

Dr Suhas Lele (centre), the official smile care expert of Pond’s Femina Miss India Contest 2013, is flanked by the 23 Miss India finalists. Dr Lele, a renowned cosmetic dentist who runs Smiles Forever clinics at Andheri and Mahim, will work on the cosmetic dentistry aspect on each of these aspirants at his clinic at Royal Plaza, 3rd Floor, New Link Road, Before Infinity Mall, Andheri. “After just three sessions, each of these girls will be able add oodles of glamour and likeability to their smiles,” promises Dr Lele, who has worked with several Bollywood and TV actors. “We aim to add joy, beauty and happiness to the young as well as the old and restless,” he adds.