FunAsia Desipages Jan 2019

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RESORT

Yet another year has gone by and there is a happy feel to the new beginnings. A very happy new year to our readers.

The past year has witnessed many events from the death of the legendary scientist Stephen Hawking, to the much talked about royal wedding of Prince Harry and literal American dream Meghan Markle. From the number of crazy cyclones the world faced killing people and destroying properties to experiencing the natural beautiful Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse of January 31. Even the unimaginable North Korea & South Korea border meeting took place in 2018. Companies like Sears and Toys R Us closed and earth is ready to make trips to the moon-Silicon Valley startup Moon Express. Many such events took place.

There are always things that end and others that we look forward to. That is what is the wheel of life. We keep moving like the time where we end some things and begin a lot more.

The beginning of a new year always brings with it a lot of hope, aspirations and desires.

It is just a change of a date, but the feeling is different. It is all about the mind. How we train it to see the day differently. The celebrations to letting go of the past year and embrace the coming year is how we train our mind to think positive and move on with ambitions, making resolutions.

Every year we witness good as well as bad, but the new year pushes us to make goals for a better life. If we train our mind to think it to be a new beginning every day, we can make improvements and growth in our lives every single day.

Let this new year, new aspirations and new hopes be a part of your life every single day of 2019 and once you train your mind on that, everything starts to feel different, even when so much keeps happening around the world.

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SPORTS AS BUSINESS Indulging in sports has always been a form of entertainment or an activity considered for health benefits. There are some things which cannot be outsourced. They must be experienced by self. For example, entertainment, health, education etc.

Entertainment have different aspects to it.

Some may watch a movie or a drama and get entertained. Others may indulge in sports, go out on a vacation or dine in and enjoy different cuisines.

Businessman are always looking out for opportunities to attract this discretionary residual income of households, which is left after the Basic necessities are met.

Sports has become a big feature of that business. Technology has also been instrumental in popularizing sports around the globe and therefore increasing the scale of this business. On one hand, the spectators find adrenaline gush and they experience fun watching sports, and on the other hand the sports talent gets better recognition.

Since sports has become a business, there are lot of career opportunities that have sprung up too. This becomes a win-win for all the stake holders, whether it be the businessman, the customers or the talent.

Recognizing this growing trend; on Tuesday, Dec. 18th, we have unveiled our plans along with the Mayor of Allen the Sports Village with a multi-sports stadium offices, restaurants, shops and residences. Allen Sports Village will be a one-of-a-kind development.

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DOES MARRIAGE DESTROY LOVE? MAHESH THAKKAR Group Chairman Perfect Group of Business

Many people had registered for the dance party of 31st December organized by FunAsia in Dallas. In every country regardless of their national culture or national economy, on 31st December you find couples of men and women thronging around dance clubs.

Paradoxical Social life, dance on love songs outside and hatred inside If a visitor from some distant planet happened to come down on earth on this night, he would be simply amazed to see flood of love overflowing in the streets of various cities on earth.

But if would stay little longer, he will be confused to listen to the jokes about husband and wife, because they sound like they are abusing each other in name of laughter. Their jokes are just disguised expression of extreme hate, expressing even inner desire to get rid of the other.

And if he would happen to visit city court on any day, he will be confused to see thousands of cases for divorce filed in several courts of hundreds of cities on earth. And if he reads newspapers, he will be depressed to see several cases of suicide or murders or attempt of murder of each other.

They say marriages are made in heaven or by God, then why they are broken here on earth, much before anyone travels to heaven? Is God responsible for this?

Whenever someone asks me question about secret of my long-married life, I answer by only one word: LOVE. But they ask me, what is the reason for divorce for love marriage?

Now a days arranged marriages are getting out of date and most of the marriages are love marriages.

My answer again is same: Reason for divorce is lack of love.

Mistake at first step, marrying for reasons other than Love Sometimes there is lack of love in the first step itself, marriage is made for reasons other than love. And sometimes there is love at the start, but marriage kills this love.

Can there be marriage without existence of love between the two people?

Yes, Husband might have just looked to the body and liked the face, texture, color of skin, hair or eyes but not seen or loved the person inside this body. Wife might have liked the financial income, wealth, social status, green card, card, bungalow, degrees but not loved the person. In old days it also happened that marriage were made based on reading of birth chart by so called masters of life, known as astrologer and sometimes marriages were fixed by parents. Obviously all this have no connection with love.

Osho has commented on popular dictum that love is blind. He says this dictum is wrong. In fact, only love has eyes, other than love rest everything bringing out relationship of two persons, is blind whether it is desire for money, prestige, security or anything else.

We can understand that marriages made without love in the first place are bound to fail. Even if they continue, they become punishment to each other.

But greats surprise arises when we see marriage made between two loving people fail.

I heard of one real life case told to me by a divorce attorney that there were man and woman in deep love of each other. They continued even living together to understand each other for one a half year.

Thereafter they got married. And just within 7 days of marriage.

Why does this happen?

Do marriages kill love?

To answer this question, let us first understand what is love.

What is love?

Love is an alchemy. It gives wings to other. Lover and beloved feel like flying in the sky. They have deep content in their heart with divine glow on their face.

Lover and beloved have different eyes. They notice every curve on face of other. They find everything of other beautiful. Man loves even anger

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of his beloved and never feels upset. He sees her care in her criticism about him and his concern for him in her anger.

They get so close that they could listen the words even if not uttered by lips.

Love works like warm sunrays in winter and cool breeze in summer. Love heals wounds Each takes extreme care not to hurt other, but to benefit other. Each respects freedom of the other, inspires other, helps other to fulfill his or her dream One gives courage to others, when the other feels lost, wipes out tears of other when other faces misery, gives support to other when other gets broken.

But marriage gives rise to a contract, which is witnessed by members of family, priest or registrar of marriages. It is a promise made by each to love other regardless of the situation.

Why marriage kills Love?

Now it is no more flow of emotion from one heart to another. Now it is mind game.

On the day of marriage these two lovers- man and woman- get turned into property of each other.

Man turns into a husband and girl turns into a wife.

And husband is property of woman and wife is property of man.

This because marriage creates a legal contract. Girl could leave you, but a wife cannot do so easily. Man could break up relations, but husband cannot without paying penalty.

This creates rights over each other and turns love into game of exploitation, drive of possessing and controlling other. It looks like bondage, which cuts out freedom of other, brings out sanctions on talks or behavior of other.

Before marriage each partner tried to understand other, appreciate other, encourage other, assure freedom and help to other, sacrifice for other, rejoice in happiness of other.

But once contact is made, all this goes away. It seems all this was just a trailer of movie to attract other to enter the theater which would get letter turned into prison for the other.

Same face, which he was longing to see for days to see, becomes boring. He does not even care to see it with attention. Girl which he was longing to see in dreams, he hates to see even if standing before his open eyes. Same lady is sitting side by side with him at party and he is busy in looking pictures on Face Book of the girl sitting thousands of miles away.

Osho has made one beautiful remark about marriage as under: “I have heard fairy tales that a frog gets turned into prince or princess. I don’t know how true these stories are. But I am sure of one thing that on the very day of marriage a man or woman gets turned into a frog� It is psychology of married person which changes his or her outlook.

This makes one frustrated about marriage. There is a Gujarati proverb that Shaadi lakdeka laddu hai, a cake made of wood, looks attractive to see, but when you try to chew it, you find it has no taste, it just breaks your teeth.

But this happens when love dries away in married life. Then living together is meaningless. It is mutual torture. One author also said that marriage without love is nothing but socially legalized prostitution or contract of mutually accepted slavery where each party tries to be boss or jailor of other.

So, what is solution to assure that your marriage does not kill love?

Simple, marry but do not let your mind take it as marriage. Let outsider know and believe both of you as married but deep inside remain lover and beloved, remain same boy and girl which you were before marriage. Continue same care, attention, appreciation and trust as you had before and never been afraid to grant freedom to each other. You have no right to take away freedom of other in name of love or bargain out his or her freedom in exchange of love.

If you think even after marriage, that you have not married at all, then your marriage is a constant adventure, a pilgrimage to go deeper into each other and helping each other to reach to higher level.

Married life, a constant adventure In Hindu tradition they have 7 circles around fire, which means that after marriage your love has to pass through 7 Chakras of your being, you have to united 7 level, each level deeper than other or higher than other, from meeting of body, to meeting of heart and from heart to meeting of the soul. Then other will become door to reach the God. In Sufi tradition they say that jus by loving your beloved you can reach to the ultimate shore of existence, you can get glimpse of God or enlightenment.

Sufis say God is nothing but infinite, inexhaustible love. An attraction between a man and woman which starts with physical attraction, get sublimed into deepest love for each other and then explodes into love for entire universe. Man does not love that time, but he becomes love. He gets filled with shower of love every moment from every being and every atom. Then this very world becomes paradise. This is entering into Garden of Aden which Jesus talks about, securing Enlightenment with Buddha talks about, embarking on Fanah (or dissolution of self-consciousness into universal consciousness) that Sufis call about.

Let me pray that let love be your guide in your married life and let your husband and wife be the door for the divine, and your married life be a constant adventure.

THE THAKKAR FAMILY RANCH DENISON, TEXAS

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JANHVI KAPOOR 2018 brought me both the worst and best experience of my life

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anhvi Kapoor said the year 2018 was a mixed bag for her as she had both the ‘worst and best experiences’ of her life in the same breath.

The young actor’s mother, Sridevi, passed away earlier this year, while she was still filming her debut, Dhadak.

Jahnvi said her personal growth has been tremendous and she has emerged stronger in the trying times.

“It’s harder to say anything…

When I say growth, I mean personal growth, I don’t know about artistic. This year brought me both the worst and the best experience of my life. It’s a little strange…

Our family is now united, so

that is very big thing for me. But whatever happened that too was very heavy (tragedy). We are still in shock, so we haven’t been able to process it properly. I’m really thankful for all the love that we have received, and I got a chance to work, which is a big thing for me. I got a chance to make my parents proud, which is most important for me,” she said during a session at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Janhvi said the films that her father called the Golden Era of Hindi cinema were ahead of time.“I think they are way ahead of even our time. I feel we have got tangled into a trap, a commercial one. I think the freedom to tell the story was earlier,” she said.

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She pointed out films such as Mr. and Mrs. 55 as an example which celebrated the essence of feminism back in the day.

“Madhubala has done such a beautiful job in the film. But more than that, the concept that the film raised. It dealt with feminism.

Madhubala ji’s character was so forward thinking. Her aunt was also in the film, whose character was more (conservative about) how girls should behave in a society. They did not present it as an issue, they slipped it in beautifully in the story. Whatever films that are coming today that’s about a girl, suddenly we tag them as female-oriented films.

They make it a big deal that it does not have a hero. There have been so many films Mother India, Chaalbaaz, Sita Aur Geeta, Sujata, Bandini, etc. The girl was a hero in all these films. But they weren’t tagged as femaleoriented’ones,” she said.

Calling Madhubala her favorite, she added, “I think she is not given that much credit for her acting talent because she was so beautiful. But the work that she has done, so spontaneous I don’t think the way she worked in Mughal-E-Azam, anybody could do that.”

She named Dilip Kumar and Guru Dutt as her favorite actors.

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K A NGA N A RA N AUT DON’T NEED TO EMPOWER WOMEN, JUST DON’T SUPPRESS THEM

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or actress Kangana Ranaut, who is bringing Rani Laxmibai’s story to the big screen with ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’, her female co-stars are crucial to the biopic. A firm believer of women power, she said people need to stop suppressing them. For Kangana, it is the courageous streak of the freedom fighter that resonated with her.

She said in a statement: “Growing up, I was considered a child hero, absolutely sensitive and obedient but when I felt I needed to break free I just took off. No one from the family was allowed to speak to me but my mother would hide and call me and softly ask what did you eat? No other questions.

“In those days, I realized love and God is the ultimate truth and both are woman. Since then I have become a firm believer of women power which can empower us.

“We don’t need to empower them, they are powerful, and they are the very reason why humanity and human race exists. How can we empower them? We just don’t need to suppress them, that’s all...we need to recognize their subtle, sophisticated and superior strength and respect that. Rani Laxmibai was a firm believer of women and their power and she utilized it to the fullest.”

With the film, Kangana wants to pay a worthy homage to Rani Laxmibai, and so she is glad that it is shaping up the way she had envisioned with women taking center-stage.

Considering the film celebrates the fighting spirit, Kangana said it was crucial to rope in female actors who would do justice to the fierce characters etched out for them.

“In the film, Rani Laxmibai’s army is her strength. It was full of women who had an irrepressible spirit and a flair for fighting. We have Ankita Lokhande, Mishti and many more actresses forming the army. We will reveal each character through the promotions,” added Kangana, who is putting finishing touches to the January 2019, release. While Lokhande plays Jhalkaribai the warrior queen’s advisor and trusted aide, Mishti will be seen as a young warrior in the infantry. They were trained in horse riding and sword fighting for the roles.

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TA ZIN

PRE ITY

UNREALISTIC TO COMPARE SHELF-LIFE OF HEROES AND HEROINES

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he 43-yearsold actor said the fact that the society is still patriarchal makes it tough for women to pursue their careers and same is the case with movie stars. “If a female actor dedicates that many years then she would also get that kind of stardom. Lot of actresses get married, have children, take a break. I personally took quite a few years of break. One must compare apples to apples. You can’t compare apples to oranges. The moment an actress gets married and has children she is taking care of the children, she is out of circulation,” Preity told in an interview “Having said that, it is a patriarchal society, but the real test of time will be with newer bunch of actors who are getting married and still working, to see how things go. It is unrealistic to compare heroes and heroines as their lifespan is different,” she added.

The actor believes the approach towards women has changed both on and off-screen today. “Who would have thought Veere Di Wedding with all women would do Rs. 90 crore (business)?

Nobody. It is the most exciting time for an actor like me as well. There are interesting roles out there and I would not like to do what I did 20 years ago. I want to grow and do progressive roles.”

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DISHA PATANI A

ctress Disha Patani who started the year with a bang owing to the blockbuster success of Baaghi 2 considers the year to be extremely grateful to her as she currently gears up for the Salman Khan starrer Bharat. While in the first half of the year, Disha was busy with one of the biggest hits of the year Baaghi 2 which is an action franchise, the actress has spent the second half shooting for the upcoming Bharat which is an action film too. The actress plays the role of a trapeze artist in the film and feels this is the most challenging role she has played so far. When asked Disha about it, she said, “The year 2018 has been great to me.

I have always been fond of working in action packed films and luckily both my films this year have fulfilled my wishes.

The unprecedented success of Baaghi 2, my second film which crossed over 100 crores after MS Dhoni got me lot of love from fans across the globe. Bharat has been very special to me since I bagged a role opposite Salman Khan so early in my career. My role in Bharat has been the most challenging one so far. This year has been a positive year to me

BLOCKBUSTERS

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A POSITIVE YEAR TO ME AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL and I am very grateful.”

Both of her earlier releases have been blockbusters which have collected 100 crores plus at the Box Office, and the same is been expected from her 3rd film Disha is one of the most active Bollywood celebs on social

SHOLAY (1975) RS. 35 CRORE

Sholay is considered a classic and one of the best Indian films. It was ranked first in the British Film Institute’s 2002 poll of ‘Top 10 Indian Films’ of all time. In 2005, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards named it the Best Film of 50 Years.

Written by Salim-Javed, directed by Ramesh Sippy, and produced by his father G. P. Sippy. It received negative critical reviews and a tepid commercial response, but favorable word-of-mouth publicity helped it to become a box office success.

AGNEEPATH (1990) RS 10 CRORE ‘Agneepath’ starred Amitabh Bachchan as the protagonist Vijay Deenanath Chauhan along with Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Neelam Kothari, Rohini Hattangadi and Danny Denzongpa as the antagonist Kancha Cheena. The title of the film was taken from a poem of the same name called ‘Agneepath’ which was penned by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Amitabh won National Film Award for Best Actor at the 38th National Film Awards for his performance. Mithun Chakraborty received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

media and she keeps on sharing few videos from her training sessions for Bharat. The makers of the film along with the actress have kept her look under very strict wrap as it is nothing like we have seen Disha before. It is very different and so the makers don’t want it to be out anytime soon.

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AMITABH BACHCHAN-

BAGHBAN (2003) RS 25 CRORE Baghban was released in 2003 and was well appreciated by the masses. The movie featured Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Salman Khan in the lead roles. A film that asks the question “If a man helps you to walk your first steps in life, why can’t you help him walk his last steps?” director Ravi Chopra’s family drama finds a father reaching out to his children with unexpected results.

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SHILPA SHETTY WE TEND TO FOCUS MORE ON SIZE, SHAPES THAN AGILITY, ENDURANCE

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rom making her debut in Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Baazigar to winning the international reality show Celebrity Big Brother 5, delivering commercially successful Hindi films and establishing herself as a fitness enthusiast, Shilpa Shetty Kundra has done it all. The actress says people tend to focus more on superficial elements rather than real body strengthening when it comes to fitness.

Shilpa had led a group of 2,353 people to create the Guinness World Records of holding the abdominal plank for 60 seconds. The event was organized by Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company. Talking about her transformation from an actress to a fitness enthusiast, Shilpa told, “I think we tend to focus more on size, shapes, how well we fit into designer clothes rather than on core strengthening, agility, endurance etc.

I understood the value of fitness when I had my baby because I realized that I am responsible for another life and to take care of him, I have to be physically and emotionally strong and healthy. So that becomes my constant motivation,” added

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the mother of a seven-year-old boy. Shilpa is also known for acting in commercial potboilers like Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Pardesi Babu, Dhadkan and Life in a… Metro. She was also praised for her role in the film Phir Milenge that dealt with AIDS. Now as a YouTuber, she is enjoying the fruit of success. Many people are subscribers of her YouTube channel where she shares healthy recipes and fitness tips. “At times, shooting a video for YouTube costs me more than anything else,” she said with a laugh. “But my idea of starting the channel and sharing easy recipes was to encourage youngsters to take a step towards healthy eating. I know this for a fact that the number of youngsters staying independently… away from family is increasing every year.They mostly don’t know how to cook healthy yet tasty food at home and end up eating processed food that damages their health. So, as a fitness enthusiast I had to find a solution to that,” added the actress. Shilpa did not appear in films for quite some time. Still, she managed to stay in the public eye by encouraging people to practice Yoga and judging dance shows like Nach Baliye and Super Dancer.

Sharing her love for yoga, she said: “Yoga offered me a healthy mind and simple lifestyle. Of course, I cannot live like a yogi because then I have to give up a lot of materialistic things which I also love, but my life is very simple, healthy and I eat to live. I do not live to eat. One of the very important things that yoga has taught me is to be emotionally secure, stay centered and connected to myself.

Yes, in the entertainment business, we are quick to judge based on appearances and at times, others’ comments might affect one’s confidence level. But always remember, others’ judgment, which is shallow, does not define who you are.”

It is observed that many youngsters are addicted to social media.

They go through anxiety and stress because of bad lifestyle. Shilpa advises them to try yoga. “Yoga helps to align our body’s chakras and strengthen our inner confidence. Once you are emotionally strong, how people perceive you, does not affect your personality.

Yoga is the need of the hour,” she explained.

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VARUN DHAWAN

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o a question asked if being David Dhawan’s son helped him land his debut role in Student of the Year, Varun spoke of auditioning for Dhobi Ghat and losing the role, and even trying his hand at getting a bank job. Growing up, he said, he always wanted to own a channel or become a comedian. “In every group, there is always this one guy who is the joker, the life of the group. If you ask me, that has been my lifelong dream,” he said.

David, too, denied having played any role in his son’s career. He said, “He (Varun) assisted Karan Johar but I didn’t know about it. He has shocked me. I thought he would get a job in a bank or something.” David added that while directing his son later in life (in Judwaa 2), he had saved his ‘worst behavior for his son’. “But I was never treating him like a newcomer.

I used to save the worst for him,” he said.

Recalling his initial days of being directed by his father, Varun recalled, “There was a

IS THE MOST INSECURE ACTOR: DAVID DHAWAN stand kept with a ball and he said: ‘this is Anupam Kher, now act’. And I was wondering if this was for real. Then he shouted, ‘Do it!’. I said, ‘Anupam is a human being, why have you put the tennis ball here?’ He said, ‘if you can’t act with a tennis ball, you cannot act’.

I was scared and wondered which method of acting this is. Then I realized that it’s the David Dhawan method of acting.”

Varun admitted that he didn’t feel the pressure of his first movie, as he banked on Johar taking the brickbats if the movie failed. It was only from the second movie onwards that he came face to face with the “stress” element. But it is Anurag

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Kashyap’s movies that the junior Dhawan is eyeing, as he said, “Initially, my leaning was always towards the Left side. I loved Black Friday, and all Sriram Raghavan’s films. I would have given my right hand to be launched by Kashyap. But nobody was taking me seriously at that time.”

The duo also offered an insight into each other’s working style. While the father called his son the ‘most insecure actor’ who gets emotionally attached to the characters he essays, Varun spoke of his father as a ‘director with the most clarity’.

“I first realized my father was a big director, through a watchman. We used to live in this building in Bandra and play on the terrace. Once, the watchman came and shouted: ‘Come down!’ And to me he said: ‘Your father is a big director, he will punish me!’,” said the young actor.

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KALKI KOECHLIN

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THERE HAS TO BE TRUST BETWEEN ACTORS DOING INTIMATE SCENES IN FILMS

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alki Koechlin says it is extremely important for actors to trust each other before shooting intimate scenes and believes such a practice should be made mandatory in the film industry.

Kalki said she has done intimate scenes with actors without even meeting them before, something which should not happen. “When we are on a film set, no one is going to not have a really choreographed action scene. No one is going to ‘by mistake’ punch the actor in the face. So why aren’t we doing that for intimate scenes?

“There are a number of scenes I’ve done where I’ve not even met the actor before I have to bite his lips off. It doesn’t make sense. There needs to be trust between the actors,” she said. The actor was part of a panel discussion on code of conduct at work at the 9th edition of Tata Literature Live!

Kalki said she is currently doing a play where they were given a two-page code of conduct that was drafted by the royal court last year after several #MeToo cases surfaced. “In this play that I’m doing, about rape of a Roman woman, every morning my co-actor and I have consent between each other where we ask, ‘Can we do this?’ and agree on touch. That has just made us so much more comfortable. We trust each other a lot more.

“There is no ‘improvisational bit’ that happens.

That kind of good practice needs to be encouraged and demanded from those of us in the industry,” she added.

Kalki believes it is extremely important for an individual and an industry as a collective to take responsibilities. “In my industry, we have had a meeting few weeks back with the producer’s guild, directors, casting directors, crew members to understand what are the problems and how can we ourselves take responsibility.

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2019

RANI MUKERJI’S MARDAANI IS GETTING A SEQUEL

Rani Mukerji is set to star in Mardaani 2, a sequel to her 2014 critically acclaimed hit Mardaani. A Pradeep Sarkar-directed cop drama, the film revolved around child trafficking and featured Rani as Shivani Shivaji Roy, senior inspector, crime branch.

The sequel is produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films is starting the Mardaani franchise with the project.

Mardaani 2 will be directed by Gopi Puthran, the writer of the first film. “Mardaani is and will always be extremely close to my heart.

Right since its release, everyone has asked me time and again when I would be doing Mardaani 2 and I’m sure this announcement will come as a pleasant surprise to them all. Gopi has written an extraordinary script that we all love, and I can’t wait to start shooting this film soon,” Rani said in a statement.

The first film proved a breakthrough for Tahir Raj Bhasin, who 2019

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featured in a negative role, and giving a sneak peek into the character of the new antagonist, Rani said Shivani will face a “merciless” villain.

“Shivani will face a cold, merciless villain who has no empathy, no fear of God and is pure evil. The character has been written superbly and I’m excited to find out who the actor will be.”

Mardaani 2 is set to go on floors in 2019 and will release in the latter half of the year.

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2019

CRAZY BUT LEGITIMATE TAX DEDUCTIONS If you have any doubt about deductibility please set up meeting with office of perfect tax by email to info@perfecttax.com or calling 1-888-671-0829. If you want to set up free tax planning meeting please call for year 2018, please call at the earliest 469213-1519, as you may not be able to implement tax planning to reduce taxes of 2018 after year 2018 is over.

VAISHALI THAKKAR CEO PERFECT TAX & FINANCE A) Care needed in claiming tax deductions Since tax season is about to start, we are all busy in finding out what we can deduct from taxes to lower taxes. Sometimes we are not aware, but some crazy expenses could be deductible, if you can prove to IRS that expenses incurred by you were ordinary, necessary and reasonable.

So, I am listing out some deductions, which appears strange, but were accepted by IRS as legitimate.

However, please note that tax laws have changed from 2018. Some of the expense which could be deducted as Miscellaneous deductions as part of itemized deductions are now no longer deductible as this head of miscellaneous deductions is removed form list of itemized deductions.

Moving expense deduction removed from 2018.

is

also

totally

However, if some the deductions discussed below or any other similar deduction which you could link with your 1099 or business-related income, will be deductible for you on Schedule C.

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B) Certain strange deductions allowed in past by courts 1) Fees for clarinet lessons

A parent was able to deduct the expenses for clarinet lessons for her child as medical expenses, because she claimed it corrected her child’s overbite. This was based on a 1962 case where an orthodontist argued that playing the clarinet helps correct a child’s overbite.

2) Babysitter expenses for a charity worker

A mother claimed her babysitter expenses as a deduction because she was performing charitable deeds while she was away from her child. This would mean that you pay somebody to look after your child while you work for no pay for a charity. In this case the tax court rejected and overruled an IRS revenue ruling when, despite not having the money go directly to a charity, a parent used the baby sitter expense as a charitable contribution while volunteering for a charity.

3) Private airplane expenses for owner of a Rental Business

A couple owned and rented out a condo that was a 7-hour drive away from their primary residence. Rather than drive five to seven hours to check on their rental condo or be tied to the only daily commercial flight available, a couple bought their own plane. The Tax Court allowed them to deduct their condo-related trips on the aircraft, including the cost of fuel and depreciation for the portion of time used for business-related purposes, even though these costs increased their overall rental loss on the condo.

4) Cat food Expense

A junkyard owner bought cat food to attract local stray cats in order to drive away mice, snakes and rats. He claimed it as a business expense, as it made the place safer for customers. It was approved by the IRS. 5) Cost of a swimming pool

A taxpayer with emphysema puts in a pool after his doctor told him to develop

an exercise regime. He swam in it twice a day and improved his breathing capacity. The Tax Court allowed him to deduct the cost of the pool (to the extent the cost exceeded the amount it added to the value of the property) as a medical expense because its primary purpose was for medical care. Also, the cost of heating the pool, pool chemicals and a proportionate part of insuring the pool area were allowed as medical expenses.

6) Sex-change operation Cost

A man who was diagnosed with gender-identity disorder (he felt he was a woman trapped in a male body) wanted to deduct almost $22,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses for various surgeries, including hormone therapy, sexualreassignment surgeries, and breast augmentation, in order to become a woman. Here is what the tax court decided: the hormone therapy and the sex-change operation in the amount of $14,500 was a qualified medical tax deduction. However, the expenses for the breast augmentation was not; it was deemed nondeductible cosmetic surgery by the court.

7) Cost of getting in shape.

In 1994, Chesty Love, a stripper in attempt to get more tips underwent breast augmentation surgery to boost the size of her boobs, to the eye-popping size of 56-FF. She then proceeded to deduct the expense from her taxes. A tax court judge ruled in favor of the stripper, stating that the implants were a stage prop, and thus a legitimate work expense that can be deducted. She could prove that being in shape was required for her to remain in business and continue earning income. She was allowed cost of equipment for exercising and courses to lose weight and improve your heart rate and reduce cholesterol.

8) Cost of a business trip to Africa

In one case, the owner of a dairy took a trip to Africa to conduct research on wild animals, and successfully claimed it as a business expense because it was relevant to his business. Any business trip which could be proved as “ordinary and necessary” to the course of doing business to the IRS is eligible for a deduction.

A sole proprietor successfully deducted lawn care expenses as business expenses because he met his clients in his home office. However, you must prove that your house is your workplace and the state of your lawn has relevance to the performance of your business

10) Cost of body oil

One bodybuilder claimed a deduction for the cost of body oil that he used in competitions. The IRS didn’t seem to have any problem with this, as it was a business expense.

11) Cost to get rid of Barking dogs

A self-employed consultant who worked in her condominium sued her neighbors and the condo association, alleging that her work was disrupted by noise from faulty construction and barking dogs. Also, in connection with the litigation, she was charged with a criminal misdemeanor. She deducted $26,000 of attorney fees associated with both proceedings as business expenses.

The IRS said the legal fees were personal costs. But the Tax Court allowed her half of the write-off because she used 50% of the condo for business, and the IRS failed to prove that the noise didn’t adversely affect her business use of the residence.

12) Making a documentary movie

A lawyer faced a challenge from the IRS as she sought to deduct losses during the six years, she spent making a documentary film on the musical group Up with People. The IRS claimed the long series of annual losses indicated that her filmmaking activities were a hobby, asserting the project was essentially a highcost home movie because her husband once was a member of that group.

He was able to get opinions of several well-known filmmakers filed with court stating that one could make money with documentaries.

Ultimately, the court ruled in her favor, allowing her deduction of six-figure losses.

It noted that she acted in a businesslike manner, hiring staff such as a bookkeeper, buying insurance, consulting experts, changing the story line to make the film more marketable, blogging about it, and taking it on tour to movie festivals.

13) Deduction for illegal business

In 1981, a drug dealer from the Minneapolis area was caught with possession of large amounts of cocaine, amphetamines, and marijuana. He was arrested and later audited. The audit found that he owed $17,000 in taxes. The drug dealer argued that he should be able to deduct a significant amount of the back taxes as business costs incurred by running his business from his home. He managed to get a deduction, but still went to jail for drug possession.

14) Landscaping

A sole proprietor who regularly met clients in his home office could deduct part of the costs of landscaping the property, on the grounds that it was a part of the home being used for business, according to the Tax Court. The court also allowed a deduction for part of the costs of lawn care and driveway repairs.

15) Sponsorship for hobby of a talented child

A father owned a profitable real estate development business. His teenage son was a local celebrity.

The father decided to have the company become a sponsor for his son’s racing activity. Over a two-year period, the firm paid $160,000 for motorcycles, equipment and other costs. The funding ceased when the son turned pro.

The Tax Court said that most of the $160,000 was a deductible business expense because the firm obtained new business connections, favorable construction financing deals and other similar benefits from its sponsorship

Writer of this Article, Vaishali Thakkar is The Tax Advisor and CEO of Perfect Tax.

9) Can lawn care expenses be claimed as a deduction?

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2019

H

e’s an actor, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, dialogue writer, musician and more.

Satish Kaushik has dabbled in every possible aspect of filmmaking, but what he enjoys the most is acting. He says, “I may have directed 15 films, but in my heart, I am an actor first. Standing in front of the camera pleases me the most. I work day and night as a director and producer, but I will be an actor till my last breath.” In a conversation, the senior actor talks about his upcoming films and also gets nostalgic about his four-decade-long journey in Bollywood.

He’s recently finished shooting for Salman Khan’s ‘Bharat’ and talking about his preparation, he says, “Salman has inspired to me get fit. I am playing the role of a Merchant Navy officer in ‘Bharat’ and since I would have to wear a uniform, I thought I should cut down on size. For two months I attended workshops to lose weight and I’ve become regular at the gym, too.”

He is also currently helming the film, ‘Kaagaz’, which is based on a real incident. It features Pankaj Tripathi as a farmer who has to prove that he’s alive, after having been falsely issued a death certificate. Kaushik says, “I had procured the rights to make a film on the life of Lal Bihari Mritak, 14 years ago. I’ve finally got the chance to tell this unique story.”

Satish Kaushik’s directorial debut, ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ (1993), was a box-office disappointment. He had even issued an apology on social media to producer and good friend Boney Kapoor earlier this year. Recalling memories of his first film, he says, “During the 80s, when Boney first signed me as an actor, he offered me Rs 201.

Anil (Kapoor) told him that he’d seen how talented I was during ‘Woh Saat Din’ (1983), so he told him to give me Rs 500 instead. Boney would’ve never thought that the actor he signed for 500 rupees would make him lose Rs 50 crores on films like ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ and ‘Prem’ (1995) (laughs!).” Such is his friendship with the Kapoor brothers that Kaushik considers them the most influential figures in his career and life. He says, “I became friends with them when I worked on one scene in ‘Woh Saat Din’.

Satish Kaushik An actor with my personality could have never succeeded without talent Sometimes it just takes one scene for you to make friends and open doors of opportunities in the film industry.”

Kaushik places great importance on friendships and relationships in the film industry. The National School of Drama (NSD) graduate says, “At NSD, I made friends for life. Anupam Kher, Anang Desai, Govind Namdeo, Anita Kanwar, Kavita Chaudhary and Karan Razdan were my classmates.

Theatre institute mein hum log filmon ke khwab dekhte the. We used to talk about Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan movies, while other students used to talk about theatre.” It was through NSD that Kaushik, Kher and their entire class was sent to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for a six-month course. That changed Kaushik’s life. He recalls, “Anupam

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and Anang used to get all the roles at FTII and no one offered me any work. Then one day, the institute had a play titled ‘Rustom Sorab’ with Nadira Babbar and Rajesh Vivek, where I played a negative character called Behram. I got a standing ovation and that’s when my talent got noticed for the first time.”

Having seen the highs and lows, Kaushik feels that talent is important in showbiz than luck. He explains, “An actor with my personality could have never succeeded in this profession without talent, solely on the basis of luck. Hard work and talent are what holds you in good stead, much more than just good fortune. During my days as an aspiring actor and a struggler, I never clicked a single portfolio shot or photograph. I was sure no one would offer me a role after looking at my photo.”

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2019

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2019

AMITABH

Amitabh star a g e m be ollywood important to is it s y sa n Bachcha f view to rent point o fe if d a . to open creative filed e th in y ll ia c espe one’s work, st, Literature Fe ta Ta f o y a ing d ere in At the open Bachchan w a y Ja e if -w nt P arth Dhanva h Big B and M d id S r te ri with w The conversation of his book h c n u la e t th e author Shanghvi a rel, where th l with ir u q S e th ea Rabbit and how they d m e th f o th asked bo ing criticism. ou are ask Y “ , id sa han him Jaya Bachc should ask u o Y . n o r rs pe on to answe rs e the wrong p t h g ri e she He is th d laughed, (Bachchan). w ro c e th s n.” A .” this questio lly don’t care a tu c a I “ , d adde cism ked that criti jo t rs fi n a h y c ch are actuall Amitabh Ba le p o e p that r us, guarantees important fo ’s It “ . rk o w ur s to see following yo no one goe If . ld e fi of e v o, that’s one in the creati S . d a b e b would d.” our films, it s to your min e m o c t a th gs the first thin

B

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BACHCHAN CRITICS ARE RIGHT MOST OF THE TIMES

s e times critic th f o st o m t ed tha they ork because He then add w ’s te is rt a n ut a unaware are right abo the artiste is t a th s g ives in because it g point out th m is c ti ri c t p acce ay not of. “I would work you m r u o y f o t am c e ny critics. I you an asp a m re a re f. The ve that be aware o who can ha re e h y n a t m re beyond wha o g sure there a to le b a view who are a different perception, e v a h r o n ritte ne in the you have w ant for anyo rt o p im e ’s it any times, w M point. I think t. a th w o n d to k es, critics creative file st of the tim o M . it f o are unaware he said. are wrong,” e w t, h g ri are that he has id sa o ls a owever, t he criticism tha The actor, h h it w g n li a e of d en you his own way tuations, wh si h c su In “ ism ut that critic c finds unfair. , ir fa n u n e your ve be feel they ha e paper on th f o e c ie p at ing, look into rn and stick th o m ry e v e all and I am bathroom w day buddy, e n ‘O y, sa nd the mirror a .’” approve you going to dis at an n Abhishek, so rto c a is he h , tioned how n Interestingly e m , o g a onths ce the event two m method sin is th g in w lf llo keep himse has been fo to r e re a c f his beginning o any misses. em going despit

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2019

RHEA KAPOOR

I’M AWARE OF THE PRIVILEGES OF BEING ANIL KAPOOR’S DAUGHTER, BUT I HAVE HAD ONLY ONE FATHER

R

hea Kapoor addresses nepotism and conducts a candid chat with father Anil Kapoor on his journey in the film industry, his positive approach and the secret of this evergreen image at the IFFI 2018. Rhea took turns to ask her father about questions pertaining to his journey in the film industry, his positive approach, his fitness and more. While speaking about his foray into the film industry, the Mr. India fame actor said the decision to pursue a career in acting was easy. Anil said, “I was a horse with my blinkers on. From the moment I came to my senses I wanted to be an actor.

I was very fortunate to get a break in the form of a young Shashi Kapoor’s role. Since then I have not wasted, constantly dreamt, worked on my craft and worked on being a people’s person. But I am still a work in progress.” Daughter Rhea then asked her father about the qualities and traits necessary to be an actor and asked if academic training in theatre and acting is important or whether instincts and practical knowledge matters more. While answering this question, Anil Kapoor said, “To have a foundation of academics is great. But it needs to combine with instincts. Everything cannot be studied and planned.

I credit my success to my preparedness to fail. But now the stakes are much higher.” The actor further elaborated, “There are no shortcuts to hard work. I believe that if you’re a trained actor in today’s times, it becomes easy for the director and the writer to mold you. Focusing too much on looks can stagnate you as an actor. It may work for a short period of time but soon there will be nothing left inside to give to the audience, to the writer and to the role. Try and increase your shelf life by being physically, mentally and spiritually fit.”

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When asked about the secret of his young appearance, the actor said, “I need the energy and stamina to portray the characters.

In the process I started looking after myself and working out.

I believe you must look after yourself. For me as an actor I have only one lifetime. I want longevity.

I have always believed in marathon. I was never a 100m race person. I have been consistent, committed and worked hard, which is why I have been in the business for 38 years.” When asked by an audience member about what her chosen career path would have been had she not been Anil Kapoor’s daughter, Rhea Kapoor in a frank fashion said, “I am aware of the whole nepotism debate, I know of the privileges of being Anil Kapoor’s daughter. But I have had only one father. I cannot help it.” The fashionista then added, “I have been interested in subjects like interior designing, fashion, visual arts and a multitude of other things.

But for now, I have my focus on producing films.”

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2019

ALLEN SPORTS VILLAGE

CRICKET STADIUM

AND MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT UNVEILED

On Tuesday, Dec. 18th, Sam Thakkar, CEO of the Perfect Group of Businesses, that includes Thakkar Developers and FunAsia Radio, joined his business partners and the Mayor of Allen to unveil plans for the Allen Sports Village. With a multi-sports stadium offices, restaurants, shops and residences, Allen Sports Village will be a one-of-a-kind development.

Attendees at the event included: Allen Mayor Stephen Terrell; Mayor Pro Tem Gary Caplinger; Councilmember Robin Sedlacek; Councilmember Baine Brooks; and Councilmember Lauren Doherty; and Collin County Commissioner Darrell Hale. Also attending were officials and staff from the Allen Community Development Corporation, Allen Economic Development Corporation, and City of Allen.

Thakkar is collaborating with Jay Pandya, Chairman of the CricRealty Company, who is bringing his experience as owner of the St. Lucia Stars cricket team along with many years of experience in commercial real estate, retail, and construction to help bring this project to life.

Thakkar, “We truly feel Allen Sports Village is a unique development that will achieve the ambitious goals we set 2019

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for ourselves when we entered the commercial real estate businesses: • Work to bring communities – people and businesses – together to achieve a greater good.

• Be visionaries, creators and builders who develop extraordinary assets.

• And, strive to create developments

that create a sense of place and build community to form a lasting legacy.”

Thakkar, “We purchased the land at the corner of Alma Road and 121 to provide a true live, work and play development that would offer something special to the community. As we began our planning for the project we connected with Jay Pandya, who had plans to fill an unmet need in the Dallas area for a sports stadium designed for global sports including cricket.”

Thakkar is partnering with CricRealty to develop the stadium and a unique mixed use development with more than 500,000 square feet of Class A office space, 1,000 urban residential units, two hotels, and 165,000 square feet of retail and restaurants. The anticipated total investment is $500 million and total employment is projected at more than 4,000 jobs.

Thakkar “One of the things that makes us unique is that we are not only building for others; the Allen Sports Village will serve as the new headquarters for Thakkar

Construction on the Allen Sports Village is expected to begin construction in 2019 with completion of the first phase, to include the stadium, project to be in 2021. Thakkar Developers is currently working with the City of Allen on zoning approval and will follow an aggressive schedule to gain necessary permits and begin construction.

“We’re thrilled to enter into a private-public partnership with The CricRealty Company and Thakkar Developers to bring this unique project to Allen,” said Allen Mayor Stephen Terrell. “With a new international visitor base, we look forward to a big boost in tourism spending—which benefits businesses and residents alike.”

Thakkar, “We look forward to working with the City of Allen and the Allen community to realize our vision for this exciting project. And, we are excited about becoming members of the Allen business community.”

Pictured left to right: Poorvesh Thakkar, CEO of Thakkar Developers; Mahesh Thakkar, Chairman of the Perfect Group of Businesses; Sam Sayani, President of Thakkar Developers; Michael Schaeffer, Chair of the Allen Economic Development Corporation; Jay Pandya, Chairman of The CricRealty Company; Sam Thakkar, CEO of the Perfect Group of Businesses; Hon. Stephen Terrell, Mayor of Allen, Texas; Dan Bowman, CEO of the Allen Economic Development Corporation.

Developers and other companies in the Perfect Group of Businesses family; and, the stadium will be used for concerts and special events held by our FunAsiA radio station.”

“My goal is to make America fall in love with cricket,” said Jay Pandya, Chairman of The CricRealty Company.

“Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world.

There are an estimated 20 million cricket fans in the United States. Plus, the growing Indian-American population in North Texas makes this project a perfect location for professional cricket.”

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2019

SUNIL GROVER

A

haven’t seen a disciplined human being like

Salman Khan Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikhil Namit and Salman Khan.

ctor Sunil Grover, who will be next seen in Ali Abbas Zafar’s directorial Bharat, has said that he has not seen a disciplined human being and artiste like Salman Khan in the film industry.

charitable organization. Apart from that, every day he spends two hours at the gym. Few days back, I saw that he fractured his rib while exercising but on the third day again, I saw him exercising. I feel he is made of some other soil.”

Sunil, who is sharing screen space with Salman for the first time in Bharat said, “I haven’t seen a disciplined human being and artiste like him (Salman). He does so much work at one time. He does shoots for his current film and at the same time, he listens to scripts which he is going to do in year 2032. He is a very busy artiste.

He does television, travelling and also looks after his ‘Being Human’

Sharing his experience of being a part of Bharat, Sunil said: “I It is scheduled for a theatrical feel really happy and I thank god release during Eid 2019. that he made me a part of such a huge and good film. It was really a beautiful journey… I am happy and honored to be a part of the film.”

“Bharat” is a drama film directed

by Ali Abbas Zafar and jointly produced by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira

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The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Sunil Grover, Nora Fatehi and Disha Patani in key roles.

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2019

R

seema Kagti’s sports drama Gold is inspired by the national hockey team’s historic win at the 1948 Summer Olympics when they beat England as a free nation. I played field hockey player Raghubir Pratap Singh who had his muse in Padma Shriawardee Kunwar Digvijay Singh aka Babu, one of the greatest

dribblers in the game. The game Reema expected from me was of international standard and though it was a daunting prospect, I wanted to give the sport my all. However, there was this niggling concern that five months may not be enough to up my game. I found inspiration in Academy Award-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal. In one of his interviews, Jake admitted that he quickly realized that six months was too short a time to pick up the sport. So, he used to train for two hours every morning and then, he trained for a few more hours in the evening too by setting up a boxing ring in his backyard.

His words really charged me up and I extended my 5 months of prep to 10 by practicing twice a day, devoting two hours to each session. So enthusiastic that at times the makers had to arrange for boys to practice with me in my extra time. On occasions, they even banned me from certain sessions because I just wouldn’t stop training.

in the film. I remember on the first day of our practice sessions, many were scrutinizing me, wondering if I would be able to produce the kind of hockey required. Looking at them I wondered if they would end up kicking me out of the film. Even Michael was watching us play on skype and I don’t think he was very impressed with my performance on the field that day. But a few months later, after a shot, I could see that he was impressed with the change in my game.

I forged a great bond with Sunny Kaushal, who played Himmat Singh, another team player whose character was modelled on Balbir Singh Sr, three-time Olympic gold champ who played a key role in India’s wins in the 1948 Summer Olympics. Sunny was one of the reasons I played the way I did on screen and for my character turning out so well. We were two strong threads in the plot and spent a lot of time practicing with each other.

All our efforts were worth it in the end because as the popular saying goes, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” The kind of feedback I We had some great coaches, got for my performance after the Michael Nobbs and Clarence film released reinstated my faith in Lobo, both being the reason for hard work. the kind of hockey you see me play

PREP TALK

PLAYING THE FIELD WITH AMIT SADH 2019

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2019

ALIA BHATT:

JUST WANTS TO KEEP DOING HER WORK AND ENTERTAIN THE AUDIENCE.

A

lia Bhatt, who debuted in Bollywood in 2012 in the movie Student of The Year, has come a long way in Bollywood and carved a name for herself in just a short span of time. From being the butt of all jokes to be taken very seriously, Alia Bhatt has handled everything professionally and several people look up to her for inspiration.

During the Lux Golden Rose Awards 2018 red carpet, Alia Bhatt was asked on how she feels about reaching the top in Bollywood, for which she said that she’s here only to entertain the people and doesn’t think about all of that.

She said, “I think that’s what you to say and me to enjoy.

I just want to work here and entertain the audience. I think that would be wrong on my side to think like that because then, it can affect my decisions and I will start taking myself too seriously so, I don’t want to do all that.”

Alia added that she just wants to keep doing her work and entertain the audience.

“I have been really fortunate to get lot of love from audience and at the same time lot of support from my directors and the people that I have worked with. In that journey, I have made some great friends and I have done some fun films

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for my liking so, the only goal is to keep going, keep my focus straight, enjoy the love and be a good person,” she said.

Immigration News

YOUR BUSINESS MATTERS January 2019

AHLUWALIA LAW OFFICES, P.C. (972) 361-0606 14180 DALLAS PARKWAY SUITE 720 DALLAS, TX 75254

Immigration Updates Change in H-1B CAP Procedures on the Horizon?

On December 3rd, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which will affect companies and employees seeking to apply for an H1B visa. There is currently an annual cap of 65,000 for H1B visas (H1B Regular Cap), with an extra 20,000 visas awarded to those who hold U.S. advanced degrees (H1B Master’s Cap).

This new procedure intends to change the way H1B Cap petitions are filed. Instead of petitioners submitting completed petitions with all supporting documentation for the H1B Cap on the first business day of April, they would now need to pre-register with USCIS during a specified registration period. Under the new rule, the Federal Government would notify the Petitioning company if they were selected to apply for their applicant. They would then submit their H1B Cap application for their beneficiary along with all of the supporting documents.

This new rule also seeks to change the order in which the applications are selected. Instead of the regular H1B Cap selection happening after the H1B Master’s Cap selection, those with Master’s degrees would first be counted towards the overall cap. According to USCIS, this would increase the number of beneficiaries with a Master’s degree or higher to make it into the regular cap.

While this is still in its early stages, there is a chance that this rule could be implemented in time to affect the protocol for the upcoming H1B Cap Season. We urge employers to begin compiling their beneficiaries’ information earlier and have all the necessary documentation and information ready to be filed.

Visit our website to read more information on above topic at www.ahluwalialaw.com. For more information , contact us at (972) 361-0606 or frontdesk@ahluwalialaw.com.

VISA BULLETIN—January 2019 Pallavi Ahluwalia, Managing Attorney

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2019

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SHOOJIT SIRCAR

I AM THE KING FIRST, NOT AUDIENCE

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hoojit Sircar said he does not make his films wondering whether the audience will approve of it as the director believes he is the “king first”.

The filmmaker recounted the public’s mixed reaction to his latest directorial October, saying a lot of people thought that the Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu-starrer was slow.

“A lot of people saw October and told me that the film was really slow. And I was like, ‘Fine what can I say?’ It’s a territory where you can’t be blindly sure of what you are doing. Even when you are pitching to an actor, you are trying to tell him what your vision is. I’m not a magician, this is a process for me too.

“I’m not trying to get a good audience.

People tell me, but audience is the king, no but I am the king first. It is not in my control whether the audience will like my film or not. I will tell a story the way I feel it, I’m enjoying it or how my mind is processing it,” Sircar said during a conversation with film critic Saibal Chatterjee at the fourth day of the International Film Festival of India IFFI. The director, whose films Vicky Donor and Piku were major hits, said audience is the king only when a box office works.

“It is like when someone is ill, they call on God. When they recover, they forget the

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God. When they fall ill again, they remember God. So, it is like that. I can’t make a film for an audience. If I start thinking of an audience, I don’t think I’ll be able to make a film. An audience is the last thing that is on my mind (while working on a film),” he said.

Sircar said he has been lucky that all his films fared at the ticket window the way he predicted.

My films have always worked at the box office. I tell my producers in advance that don’t think it’ll be a mass film, that a lot of people will come. But I try to learn from my past mistakes and try not to repeat them. When I look back, I see there have been many, many mistakes.

Recounting how he started Vicky Donor with frequent collaborator writer Juhi Chaturvedi, he said that she gives the idea and they hold discussions.

“One night she called me up and said she had a story about a sperm donor in her mind. I thought ‘there is something wrong with this girl’. I should not say this but if some boy would have given this idea, I would have rejected it then and there itself.

“The whole night I couldn’t sleep. Then I went on the web and I read stories (on sperm donation) and I started laughing. The next morning, I called her up: let’s start the work, we’ll see how it goes.

“As and when the discussions are over, Chaturvedi goes into her own cocoon and pens the first draft, which serves as the backbone of the story,” Sircar said.

The filmmaker, who has made a political thriller like Madras Café and backed social drama Pink, said his films reflect the society around him along with the kind of cinema he watched while growing up.

Sircar, who is considered to be following the path of the middle of the road films, said he believes his work is really mediocre when he compares his films with his greatest influence, the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

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ARSHAD WARSI A

ctor Arshad Warsi’s performances in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Golmaal: Fun Unlimited, Dhamaal and Ishqiya have been loved by audiences and critics alike. He says less visibility does not bother him as an actor as his parameters of choosing a project combine not only a good script but also collaborating with good people.

Even though you have been appreciated consistently over the years, what makes you do so few films?

“Firstly, it feels nice for an actor to gain the confidence of the maker as they believe that I can bring something to the table while playing a character. I can handle a good human being who is an average talent but cannot handle a great talent who is an as**le as a human being,” Arshad told in an interview.

“Apart from a good script, the cast and crew matter to me. I really can work with an averagely talented crew but cannot work with people who are brilliant at their jobs but bad people to mingle with. That really puts me off… So, for me, finding a combination of a good script and good people is a rarity. That is why selective work is happening.”

What makes you so confident about your position in the film industry which is so cut-throat otherwise?

Arshad explained: “I am the last person to be worried about the attention.

I strongly believe that if an individual knows his job and is really good at it, the work will always come. One cannot stay jobless if one is sincere. Fear of losing visibility comes when you are faking talent.”

Citing an example, he said: “People like Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah will always work no matter how old they become or how few films they are doing. Because they magnify talent.”

Born and brought up in Nasik, Arshad initially struggled to survive; but he was

very good at dancing and won several awards and prizes in dance competitions, including at World Dance championship, London.Before entering Bollywood as an actor, Arshad worked as an assistant director and choreographed a song for the film Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja.

How do you look back at your journey — the transformation of a dancer into an actor?

“I really really miss dancing. When I started dancing at a young age, I was so passionate about dance. I knew it is my passion and I wanted to live for it, but would not be able to make my living out of it. Back then, the opportunity was not much for a dancer to make money. I knew I had to do something else to earn money. There came the acting. But my friends and family said that my personality did not change much… I’ve only become a little mature with age,” smiled the 50-year-old.

If you had to choose your favorite and most challenging character as an actor, which would it be?

Arshad said: “I enjoyed playing Babban

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from the film Ishqiya because that was a very tricky character to play. He is a grey character with a sense of humor, yet something is very off about him. I liked that. Of course, I loved playing Circuit (from Munnabhai…). I do not look at any character as challenging. I try to understand the essence of it and perform. I do not analyze my performance and really do not worry about its future. I do not have any anxiety before a performance.

Of course, my heart breaks if my performance is not liked by the audience, because that is all you want as an artiste; but I get up and go again… It is not the end of the world.”

The actor is also gearing up for his digital debut with the show Asura. More than the medium, Arshad is excited about the story because he feels it is very well-written.

“I am not talking much about the medium because for me acting is acting.

Whether it is a film or a web show, it is about acting in front of the camera.”

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2019

MAHESH THAKKAR CEO Perfect Tax

IS TAX CODE UNCONSTITUTIONAL OR ILLEGAL? judges explain how tax laws are permitted by United States Constitution. Arguments of both side sound interesting. They will surely provide you some fun and amusement, but also give some clarity about tax code.

B) VARIOUS FRIVOLOUS ARGUMENTS AGAINST TAX CODE A) ROOT CAUSE FOR SURPRISING ARGUMENTS AGAINST TAX CODE nited states constitution gives certain fundamental rights to its citizen. Constitution is considered base for enaction of any law. Any law to become effective must match the intent and spirit of the constitution.

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If Senate or House passes any law which appears to be inconsistent with the constitution, any citizen has right to move the court to review such law and discard it in full or part, if it is found violating constitutional right or provisions and refer to senate to review and revise the same.

Interesting, some tax payers and their attorneys have tried to challenge IRS tax code to be against constitution and claimed that it violates fundamental rights given by the United states constitution to its citizen.

Great surprise is that such cases have been brought about by famous personalities include heroes of movies or sports world! It seems they have been guided by some dishonest or mistaken attorneys who misled them towards avoidance of filing tax returns and/or paying taxes and even ignore IRS notices. They took position that IRS code itself was illegal and hence IRS has not right to issue any notice for demand of taxes or no power to take any actions against them.

Unfortunately, these attempts to challenge validity of IRS code at court failed and taxpayer had to pay taxes with penalties and even face prison for nonpayment of taxes and raising frivolous arguments.

Here I give below some of the frivolous argument to claim tax law against constitution. They sound logical, but court 2019

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1) Taxation is taking property, so it is a violation of the 5th Amendment.

Taxpayer claimed that that tax collection is taking of property without the due process of law, which is unconstitutional. They cite the 5th Amendment of the Constitution, which states that no person shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”.

Why it’s frivolous: Brushaber v. Union Pac RR court said: :While the 5th Amendment of the Constitution does protect against unlawful seizure of property, the Constitution itself grants the federal government the power to tax Having the 5th Amendment prohibit taxation would create a contradiction; so therefore, taxation is not considered a violation of the 5th Amendment.” in Phillips v. Commissioner in 1931 also the Supreme Court has upheld that Internal Revenue Code was constitutionally valid. .

2) Filing an income tax return is voluntary as per 1040 instructions Tax payer claimed that filing an income tax is voluntary because, according to their interpretation, the IRS said so itself. He stated that the 1040 Form instructions say that filling out the form is voluntary. In addition, he stated that the 1960 Supreme Court case Florida v. United States stated that our “system of taxation is based upon voluntary assessment and payment, not upon distraint”.

Why it’s frivolous: It is true that both the Supreme Court Case Florida v. United States and the IRS instruction manual use the word “voluntary”. However, this indicates to the ability of the tax payer to calculate and file the appropriate returns instead of having the federal government determine the returns from the start. There is not any clear code section which confirms that filing income tax return is voluntary, rather code clearly mentions penalties for not filing required tax returns.

3) Taxation is slavery, and thus a violation of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery Taxation is compulsory, not voluntary.

But this does not mean it is slavery.

Taxpayer argued that compulsory taxation is a form of slavery, and hence against the 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery in the United States.

Why it’s frivolous: The 13th Amendment does protect all people in the United States from any form of involuntary servitude or slavery, unless it’s done as a punishment for a crime.

However, the courts have repeatedly ruled that taxation does not qualify as involuntary servitude or slavery as banned by the 13th Amendment.

4) Money received in form Federal Reserve notes are not income.

Taxpayer argued that currency notes or dollar bills are not real currency because they cannot be exchanged for gold or silver. They bring up Article I Section 10 of the Constitution, which grants the federal government the exclusive power to create and regulate money. More specifically, they claim that Section 10 limits all legal currency exclusively to gold and silver.

Why it’s frivolous: In United States v. Riffen, court clarified that Article I Section 10 does grant exclusive power to Congress and the federal government to create and regulate money, including gold and silver, but there is no explicit or implicit limitation on declaring another form of legal tender. Dollar bills or currency notes and cons issued by Government are considered income because they are a form of legal tender.

5) The United States only consists of the District of Columbia and US territories.

In some cases like United States v.

Collins and Brushaber v. Union Pacific RR ,taxpayers contend that the United States only consists of 50 states and federal territories like Guam, Puerto

Why it’s frivolous: The United States consists of 50 states as well as District of Columbia, federal territories and federal enclaves. When the Constitution was ratified, it unified the states under a strong federal government, reserving some powers for the states and leaving some for the federal government. It in no way implies the sovereignty of any state. Courts upheld and stated that the 16th Amendment gives the federal government the power to tax anywhere that is under the federal umbrella.

C. HISTORICAL CASE OF WESLEY SNIPES RELATED TO FRIVOLOUS ARGUMENTS One of the most famous case of frivolous arguments is that of famous actor Wesley Snipes had made fortune through his movies earning $40 million from 1999 to 2004. But he fell prey to an accountant and an anti-tax advocate who led him towards a dangerous and costly route of frivolous arguments against IRS. Mr. Snipes fell prey to a variation of the argument that only foreign-source income is taxable. If you have domestic income, the crazy theory, goes, it is tax-exempt In 2008, Mr. Snipes was convicted of three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns. He was sentenced to three years in prison in Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2010.

The big victory for Snipes was that he was acquitted of felony tax fraud and conspiracy. He was only convicted of misdemeanor charges, since he didn’t file false tax returns under advice of professional advisors, who had misled him.

Mr. Snipes claimed that he relied on Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile. They were convicted of tax fraud and conspiracy, and both got longer prison terms than Mr. Snipes did. Eddie Ray Kahn, of Sorrento, Florida, was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and Douglas P. Rosile, of Venice, Florida, was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment.

As per IRS terminology, a “frivolous” label is about as bad as you can get, just shy of the other ‘f’ word, “fraudulent.” Falling prey these ‘f’ words can be expensive and could even involve jail time, as it did for Mr. Snipes. Even in a purely civil tax dispute, if the IRS finds your argument or tax position to be frivolous, it can mean a 20% accuracy-related penalty (Internal Revenue Code Section 6662); and even a whopping 75% civil fraud penalty (Section 6663).

If you have any doubt about any tax code rules and you have received IRS notice, please contact reputed and law-abiding tax firm like Perfect Tax to get right advice. You may email them at info@perfecttax.com Mr. Mahesh Thakkar, writer of this article, is a CPA, Estate Planner and Finance Professional.

He also Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and Company Secretary from India. He is chairman of Perfect Tax Group of companies and handles International Tax Planning.

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Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and various other islands in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, as well as federal enclaves like military bases and Native American reservations are outside United states and so resident of these localities are not residents of USA and USA tax laws to do not apply to them..

NUSHRAT BHARUCHA COMEDY IS QUITE DIFFICULT TO DO

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ctress Nushrat Bharucha of ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ fame has some more comedy films coming up but said they’re not easy to do.

“Comedy actually is quite difficult to do. The timing, the tone, the delivery and the precise expressions are all very crucial, especially for actresses because we are not given the author-backed punches,” Nushrat told. “But I’m very comfortable with the comedy films that I have done because they have a certain premise and subtext. I have been playing catalyst sort of roles in the comedy films that I’ve been doing. I love what I do, I love what is being given to me, I am comfortable with it and I love the way it has been received,” added the ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ actress.

Looking back at her Bollywood career, which started over a decade ago, she said, “If you come to think of it, it’s been a comical journey for me. But both ‘Turram Khan’ and ‘Dream Girl’ are very different from the rom-com (romantic-comedy) films I’ve done in the past. Their treatments are different and even within the comedy genre, these films explore different sub-generes.

‘Turram Khan’ is a social comedy and ‘Dream Girl’ is a unique yet a hardcore commercial entertainer.”

There are a lot of genres that she really wants to do. “I feel it’ll take time for everything to fall into place - whether it’s scripts, roles, characters or writing. So, I guess with time, I will do other genres,” she said

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SHIBANI DANDEKAR ISN’T BOTHERED ABOUT LIVING LIFE IN PUBLIC EYE

Shibani Dandekar is making headlines for her rumored relationship with actor Farhan Akhtar, but the actress-singer doesn’t fret about it.

Asked how the public scrutiny impacts her personal life, Shibani told, “I think it depends upon the individual and how you take it. There are some people that get really affected by it, there are some people that don’t really care much. I think, when you are working in a public space, there needs to be a certain level of understanding that you need to have that your life is out there for the world to see. So, you have got to deal with it, to the best of your abilities. It’s not always going to be easy,” she added. Apart from music, Shibani has also made a place for herself as an actor after doing projects like Naam Shabana, Noor and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero.

How do you plan to take your career in Bollywood further?

“Not really, in terms of Bollywood, not much. But there is a lot happening on TV.” On the professional front, Shibani also associated with Tourism Australia. “I collaborated with Tourism Australia and ESPN Cric Info for the India vs Australia cricket series in Australia.

With this association, I got an opportunity to travel and explore five cities in Australia - Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. During my visit to each of these cities, I was accompanied by one Australian cricketer who took me around the city.

I was brought up in Australia during my teenage years, but this trip helped me discover all the undiscovered locations in Australia.” She said,“I am not a big fan of doing touristy things. But I may be up for it, occasionally. I would rather cast my vote for relaxing, mixed in with a little bit of adventure.”

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2019

B

ollywood actresses are no more sticking to plain glamorous roles; rather, they look for characters that have meat to them. An example of the same will soon be hitting the big screen when Anushka Sharma will come as Aafia in Aanand L Rai’s directorial Zero. Aafia is a scientist with cerebral palsy. In order to get into the skin of the character, Anushka Sharma prepared three months ahead of the shot. In a media interaction, Anushka Sharma reportedly said that she understood the challenge as an actor that she will be facing while essaying the role, and that’s exactly what drew her towards the project. She knew it would be nothing short of a milestone in her career. The actress also added that the makers reached her with a lot of From staying on the wheelchair to working with an audiresearch they did on the condition of ologist, Anushka Sharma left no stone unturned for her the character and crafted the film accordingly. After deciding to go character as Aafia on board with the role, Anushka met with doctors to understand the character and the character’s complication easy. Thus, the in dept. actress didn’t The actress hesitate in worked asking for extra with an octakes just to get cupational the right shot therapist and According to the audiologist for reports, Anushka understanding stayed on the wheelthe physical as chair the whole time well as speech limshe was on set and itations of her charfor three months before acter. While talking while she worked with the about the challenges occupational therapist and she faced as an actor audiologist. She wanted to Anushka Sharma reporthave the first-hand experiedly said that since she ence of the emotion, one gets had to create an involunwhen he/she spends a lifetime on tary movement voluntaria wheelchair. ly, was a hard nut to crack.

Handling the dialogues along with the emotion that the scene carried, wasn’t much

ZERO

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AMITABH BACHCHAN WRITERS ARE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN FILMMAKING

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egastar Amitabh Bachchan, son of late celebrated poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, said writers are the most important part of the filmmaking process. Talking about his father, Big B said: "Every time my father wrote a poem, we were the first he would introduce the poem to. In particular he would ask us to read it in almost the same graph and tone with which he had written, and I felt that it was extremely important and has affected my work as a professional actor. I feel that writers are the most important ingredient in filmmaking." Amitabh with his politician-actress wife Jaya Bachchan, launched author Siddharth Shanghvi's new book 'The Rabbit and The Squirrel'. On being asked about the importance of storytelling and whether she reads to her grandchildren, Jaya said she made a habit of reading to them every night.

Commenting on reading stories to the eldest, Navya Naveli Nanda, she said: "I used to make up stories every night when she was little and when my grandson (Agastya) arrived, I started telling the same story, adding a little bit and paying a little more attention to the prince. It used to be a bit more on the princess before." The 70-yearold actress said when the two grew up, she stopped making up stories and read proper published books to them. Why are the Bachchans

reluctant to part with books? Jaya said: "When we were little and invited to birthday parties, I remember kids would bring a box of sweets or cookies to birthday parties. But when we grew a little older my father would always say, give a book, it remains on the shelf; at some time, you pull it out and read it.

That's more important than eating chocolates. It was my job in the house to clean the book shelves every Sunday and I would browse through the books.

It was such an interesting activity." “Being brought up with books taught her that their value was more than anything else, even more than a piece of jewelry. It's difficult to part with books," said the mother of Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan Nanda.

Shweta recently turned an author. Big B himself ensures he writes everyday even if it is to connect with his fans, whom he calls his extended family. On blogging every day, he said: "I have dedicated followers on the blog and I call them my extended family. I feel very committed now because there are people who are waiting for the blog to come." He calls blogging 'a commitment'. "No matter what time I finish at night I do find time to write something. It is not for any kind of commercial or personal gain," he added.

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2019

KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN

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WANT TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT THINGS TILL I’M 70

rom doing films as different as chalk and cheese to redefining professionalism for working mothers to trying her hands at a radio show, top actress Kareena Kapoor Khan does not want to stop there and says she would like to keep exploring “different things” till she is 70 years old.

Kareena made her acting debut in 2000 with Refugee.

She was later seen in films like Ajnabee, Asoka, Chameli, Yuva, Omkara, Jab We Met, Heroine, Satyagraha, Ki&Ka and Udta Punjab. She launched her radio show titled What Women Want with Kareena Kapoor Khan on Ishq 104.8 FM last month.

Asked if she aspires to do something more, Kareena told,“The idea today is only about content — and being a part of good content, whether it is the web, cinema, stage or radio. I think today artists and actors are all about supporting content. I am just happy that I have got to try my hand… It’s the first time for me. So, let’s see… I would like to try different things till probably I am 70.”

The 38-year-old actress, who hails from Indian cinema’s first film family, redefined professionalism by returning to work soon after delivering her first son named Taimur in 2016.

Kareena, who married actor Saif Ali Khan in 2012, also praised digital platforms saying, “I am glad all this is opening up for us. The content in cinema and different platforms is changing. There are so many options to do what you want in today’s time and I think it’s the best time to be an actor.”

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The Veere Di Wedding actor has lent her voice to the character of the hypnotic python Kaa in the Hindi version of actor-filmmaker Andy Serkis’ forthcoming film Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle, which is slated to have a global release on the streaming site Netflix.

Kareena, who is excited to be a part of the eternal classic originally written as The Jungle Book by author Rudyard Kipling, says, “Mowgli was one of the closest characters to my heart because his journey has been very interesting….

The journey of (his) self-discovery is something every young adult gets attracted to.”

When asked if she’ll be excited to share the film with her two-year-old son, when he grows up?

She says, “When he turns 13, he will be there watching it with me… But that is why I couldn’t say no.”

She said being offered to lend her voice to Kaa is an absolute honor.Talking about Kaa, she said,“She (Kaa) is quite a seductress. Dubbing for it was quite unique… She had to sound hypnotic… I have not played a character like that. In most of the movies, you have seen me playing a girl-next-door or a homemaker, but to play this seductress of the jungle was super fun.”

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2019

BOLLYWOOD 2018 BIGGEST HITS OF THE YEAR

Sanju

Kapoor stars as Dutt, along with an ensemble cast which features Paresh Rawal as Sunil Dutt, Vicky Kaushal, Manisha Koirala as Nargis, Dia Mirza as Manyata Dutt, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Jim Sarbh.

In a conversation with Hirani, Dutt shared anecdotes from his life, which the former found intriguing and prompted him to make a film based on Dutt’s life. It was titled Sanju after the nickname Dutt’s mother Nargis used to call him. Principal photography began in January 2017 and was completed by January 2018.

The film’s soundtrack was composed by Rohan-Rohan and Vikram Montrose, with A. R. Rahman as a guest composer.

Fox Star Studios acquired the distribution rights of the film.

Sanju was released worldwide on 29 June 2018. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Kapoor and Kaushal’s performance and Hirani’s direction; some criticized its supposed image-cleansing of its protagonist. It registered the highest opening for any film released in India in 2018, and on its third day, it had the highest single day collection ever for a Hindi film in India. With a worldwide gross of US$82 million, Sanju ranks as the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2018, the second highest-earning Hindi film in India of all time, and one of the highest-grossing Indian films.

Sanju is a biographical film directed

by Rajkumar Hirani and written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi. It was jointly produced by Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the banners Rajkumar Hirani Films and Vinod Chopra Films respectively. The film follows the life of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, his addiction with drugs, arrest for alleged association with the 1993 Bombay bombings, relationship with his father, comeback in the industry, the eventual drop of charges from Bombay blasts, and release after completing his jail term. Coming from a family of cinematic legends, East Indian actor Sanjay Dutt reaches dizzying heights of success -- but also battles numerous addictions and other personal demons. Ranbir 2019

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BOLLYWOOD 2018 BIGGEST HITS OF THE YEAR

Padmaavat

capture Chittor and its Queen at any cost. He returns with a bigger army and ranging fury. He attacks Chittor with brutal force and a bloody and fearsome battle takes places between the righteous Maharawal Ratan Singh defending his kingdom and the honor of his queen and Sultan Allaudin Khilji. Khilji manages to breach the fortress but in vain as the Queen chooses to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect her dignity.

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et in 1303 AD medieval India, Padmaavat is the story of honor, valor and obsession.

Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati is known for her exceptional beauty along with a strong sense of justice and is the wife of Maharawal Ratan Singh played by Shahid Kapoor who is the pride of the Kingdom of Chittor, a prosperous kingdom in the north west of India. The legend of her beauty reaches the reigning sultan of Hindustan – Allaudin Khilji played by Ranveer Singh. The sultan who is a tyrant, is fixated with wanting anything that is of exceptional beauty for himself. He lays siege on the impregnable fortress of Chittorgarh. After a grueling 6 months, he returns empty handed.

He becomes obsessed and now wants to

Padmaavat received mixed reviews. Critics praised the visuals, the cinematography and Singh’s portrayal of Khilji, but criticized its storyline, execution, length and adherence to regressive patriarchal mores. Critics also disliked the portrayal of Khilji as a stereotypical evil Muslim king and Ratan Singh as the righteous Hindu king. Despite not being released in some states of India, it grossed over US$81 million at the box office, becoming a commercial success and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

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2019

With a production budget of US$30 million, Padmaavat is one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. It faced numerous controversies. Amid violent protests, its release was indefinitely delayed. In December, the Central Board of Film Certification approved the film with few changes, which included the addition of multiple disclaimers and a change in title. Padmaavat was rescheduled for release on 25 January 2018 in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D formats, making it the first Indian film to be released in IMAX 3D.

BOLLYWOOD 2018 BIGGEST HITS OF THE YEAR

2.0

Produced on an estimated budget of US$76 million, 2.0 is the most expensive Indian film to date. Production began in 2015, with principal photography conducted at AVM Studios later that year. The first schedule was filmed at EVP World. Scenes were primarily shot in India, particularly in Chennai’s Madras Boat Club and Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Filming was completed by August 2017. The film is the first in Indian cinema to be natively shot in 3D, which was done by cinematographer Nirav Shah. Legacy Effects made their return to construct prosthetic makeup and animatronics, with visual effects supervised by V. Srinivas Mohan. Editing was handled by Anthony and production design was conducted by T. Muthuraj.

2.0 was released worldwide in both 3D and conventional format on 29 November 2018, along with its dubbed versions in Hindi and Telugu. It received generally positive reviews upon release.

Critics particularly praised the film’s visual effects, performances of Rajinikanth and Kumar, and social message; the pace and screenplay received criticism. It earned US$16 million worldwide on its first day, which was the second highest ever for an Indian film. The film crossed US$56 million in its opening weekend to emerge as the highest-grossing film worldwide for that week.

2.0 is an Indian-Tamil science fiction action film written and directed by S. Shankar. Produced by Subaskaran under the banner of Lyca Productions, the film is a standalone sequel to Enthiran (2010), featuring Rajinikanth reprising the roles of Vaseegaran and Chitti, alongside Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson. Sudhanshu Pandey, Adil Hussain, Kalabhavan Shajohn, and K. Ganesh appear in supporting roles. The film follows the conflict between Chitti, the once dismantled humanoid robot, and Pakshi Rajan, an ornithologist who seeks vengeance on cell phone users to prevent avian population decline. Scientists help the government investigate a threat that is beyond understanding. The soundtrack is composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics written by Madhan Karky and Na. Muthukumar.

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2019

THE YEAR OF WEDDINGS: A ROUNDUP OF ALL BOLLYWOOD MARRIAGES IN 2018

SONAM KAPOOR AND ANAND AHUJA The year of weddings in Bollywood started off with Sonam Kapoor’s grand wedding to her longtime boyfriend Anand Ahuja. Sonam tied the knot to the Delhi-based businessman and entrepreneur on May 8. Before their marriage, there were many speculations regarding them dating, but the two never officially announced their relationship status before their marriage.

However, this did not stop the two from publicly displaying their dynamic love through social media posts and public appearances. The couple got hitched in a lavish wedding in India, which was attended by their families, friends and B-Town fraternity.

DEEPIKA AND RANVEER SINGH These two love birds got hitched in a private ceremony in New Delhi on 10 May 2018. Neha Dhupia looked stunning in pastel pink lehenga with mix of traditional red and coral pink, mint green embroidery on it. She wore traditional chuda, a jadau and kundan choker style necklace matching jhumkas and tiny maang tika to perfect the look. While the groom donned a white sherwani, baby pink turban and hot pink pocket square sole perfectly complimented the setting.

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NEHA DHUPIA AND ANGAD BEDI These two love birds got hitched in a private ceremony in New Delhi on 10 May 2018. Neha Dhupia looked stunning in pastel pink lehenga with mix of traditional red and coral pink, mint green embroidery on it. She wore traditional chuda, a jadau and kundan choker style necklace matching jhumkas and tiny maang tika to perfect the look. While the groom donned a white sherwani, baby pink turban and hot pink pocket square sole perfectly complimented the setting.

They announced their marriage with pictures on their social media accounts. Their marriage announcement came as a surprise for their fans as not much was known about their relationship before they made it official.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA AND NICK JONAS The grand wedding took place at the Umaid Bhavan Palace, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas exchanged the rings in a Christian wedding ceremony officiated by Nick’s father, the couple sealed the ceremony with a kiss. A day later, Nick brought a full marriage procession to sweep Priyanka off her feet, and the Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur witnessed the big fat Indian wedding with a videshi touch. Post the wedding the couple hosted their first reception in the capital.

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2019

DEEPIKA PADUKONE: REVEALS THE QUIET SIDE OF HER HUSBAND RANVEER SINGH

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ewlywed Bollywood couple, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have never failed to capture our hearts. Be it their on-screen chemistry or offscreen PDA, the couple has left us in awe by their magical charm together. Now that they are married, the couple has set the bar high for relationship goals. After all the wedding festivities, the couple has now started heading back to their daily life, looking forward to exploring a new life together.

Post wedding, Deepika Padukone in her first interview with a magazine has revealed that there’s a quiet side to Ranveer Singh persona as well. We all know the Simmba actor as a highly contagious explosive package of energy. But Deepika distinctly justifies another side of her husband. Deepika describes her husband as a vulnerable, extremely emotional, very intelligent person who sometimes is childlike. But

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she emphasizes that all is not him without his irrepressible energy.

Ranveer is a real people’s person.

Deepika adds that emotionally she is the more intuitive one. Ranveer, on the other hand, is more of the IQ but he is sensitive as well. She is happy that she got to spend the rest of her life with a person who understands her

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2019

RANVEER SINGH: EVERY LEADING MAN WANTS TO BE A ROHIT SHETTY HERO

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anveer Singh said he is in awe of the way Rohit Shetty presents his heroes and believes every leading man in the industry wants to work with the director. Ranveer has collaborated with Shetty for the first time with Simmba, in which the actor will be seen playing a cop.

“Nobody projects heroes quite like Rohit Shetty. That’s why every leading man wants to be in a Rohit Shetty film because you know the way he’s going to present you, nobody else can. It’s been a huge honor and privilege for me to be his leading man,” Ranveer said.

The Padmaavat actor had earlier shot for an ad with Shetty and he said during the shooting process of the commercial he decided he would do “whatever it takes” to be in one of his films.

be in Rohit Shetty films. You have to earn the right... By doing some hard work sincerely, at some point you’ll get an opportunity like this and I got that. I was hoping, wishing, manifesting that I get to work with him,” he said.

Ranveer said Simmba has every possible layer of emotions and as an actor, he tapped into all for the action-drama. “I’ve been juiced in this film. In the first installment of the franchise itself, there are so many layers - emotions, comedy “I was waiting to get a chance and so much more. It was really in his film, but you can’t just very fulfilling as an actor,” he said.

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Simmba, aimed as a franchise and a crossover project between Shetty’s previous hit ‘Singham’, will also feature Ajay Devgn in a special appearance, reprising his role of the eponymous cop.

“I grew up watching Ajay sir’s films. He is one of my favorite actors, my screen idol, the true blue macho hero. He is a legend and to be sharing screen space with him is nothing less like dream come true,” Ranveer said.

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2019

- VIDYA BALAN THE DIRTY PICTURE CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER

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hen size zero became a buzzword for Bollywood, actress Vidya Balan broke the stereotype around a conventional Bollywood heroine’s look by proudly flaunting her curvaceous figure in Milan Luthria’s directorial film The Dirty Picture.

actress wrote.

Also featuring actors Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi, The Dirty Picture released in 2011. Vidya’s uninhibited portrayal as Silk Smitha won her a lot of praise and a National Award.

As the film, which was based on the life of adult film star Silk Smitha, has completed seven years, Vidya, who rose to a spectacular amount of fame for the role of Silk, became emotional and penned a heartfelt post on the Instagram saying, the film changed her life forever.

She thanked Luthria for making her “feel free as a bird” and thanked Ekta for giving her the 1990s hit sitcom Hum Paanch and a movie like The Dirty Picture.

“On December 2, 2017, 7 years ago, The Dirty Picture released and changed my life forever. But every time someone asks me how I did it, I don’t know what to say. Perhaps because Milan made it so easy for me… He hand held me throughout and all I wanted was to do justice to Silk and live up to the faith that had been placed in me by Ekta Kapoor (producer) and Milan,” the 39-year-old 2019

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“Milan, however, tells me, his big concern was that he should not let me down. Of course, he did not and not just that, he lifted me so high that I felt free as a bird… For that and for believing in me, thank you, my dearest Ekta, for Hum Paanch, maybe there would have been no The Dirty Picture for me without Hum Paanch,” she added.

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2019

PANKAJ TRIPATHI so many people have now started to recognize me

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aap re baap, ab itne log jaanne lag gaye hain,” actor Pankaj Tripathi, a National Award winner exclaims in acknowledgment of the love and praise he has received for his versatile roles in films and web series over the years. He says he is swarmed with good scripts but doesn’t have enough time to devote to all.

“People have really liked Mirzapur.

The public is giving lot of love. Two years ago, I used to feel I have done so many films… who knows me.

Now I wonder… Baap re baap, ab itne log jaanne lag gaye hain (so many people have started recognizing me). I don’t know what’s happening. I am only doing my work with sincerity. Rest, I don’t know what is happening,” Pankaj told.

From playing Sultan Qureshi in Gangs of Wasseypur to leading the cast of the film Gurgaon to playing pivotal roles in web series like Sacred Games and Mirzapur — Pankaj’s growth trajectory is a shining example of how character artistes are coming into their own with the changing landscape of Indian showbiz.

It is convenient to say he has almost become synonymous with gangster characters, but one cannot miss his roles in films like Newton, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain.

“I feel people want to watch crime stories and explore the genre, but honestly, I don’t like a lot of

‘khoon kharaba (bloodshed)’.

Even in Mirzapur, I am not seen indulging in any bloodshed.

Even in Gangs of Wasseypur, my character was brutal, but he was seen in shooting once or twice.

Personally, I am not fond of brutal bloodshed scenes. I like simple, ordinary tales, but I think youth is liking such crime stories and so they are made,” said Pankaj, who will be seen in Sacred Games 2.

He will be seen in comedy and satirical films like Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai and Luka Chhupi.

“There are so many offers, but I am booked till August. I’m getting some wonderful scripts in the independent cinema space, but there’s no time. Either I am telling the filmmakers to wait for me…but nobody will wait for me till next year.

Still, I am taking out time in between everything and managing what I can,” the National School of Drama alumnus told on the sidelines of the recently concluded International

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Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Citing the example of his Mirzapur character Kaleen Bhaiya, Pankaj said, “He creates a fear in your mind, but he doesn’t do anything. He keeps sitting on a chair without saying much.

In fact, he comes across as a caring father, a good husband and a son…

So, I enjoy doing such characters.”

There is a lot that Pankaj adds to his roles, taking it beyond the written character. “I do some writing in all my roles. There are small things that I improvise on. I read a lot, and travel a lot, so there is a reflection of that when I talk,” he explained, adding that while improvisation is an important tool for an actor to immerse himself or herself in a role, it is not something that all actors can do.

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2019

RICHEST CELEBRITY

SALMAN KHAN TOPS FORBES RICHEST INDIAN CELEBRITY 100 LIST FOR 2018 Salman Khan has topped Forbes India’s 2018 list of richest Indian celebrities for the third time in a row.

Salman Khan, who is currently busy shooting for Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat, is one of the most-popular Bollywood actors. If his films turn out to be blockbusters, the Bajrangi Bhaijaan of Bollywood boasts of a huge fan following. And now the 52-year-old actor has topped Forbes India’s 2018 list of richest Indian celebrities with earnings amounting to Rs 253.25 crore.

Salman has taken the top spot for the third time in a row. His earnings include his last two films - Tiger Zinda Hai and Race 3 along with television appearances and multiple brand endorsements.

Salman is followed by Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli with total earnings of Rs 228.09 crore. The third position is taken by Akshay Kumar with a total gross of Rs 185 crore for the year.

Deepika Padukone, who had a spectacular run at the box office, courtesy Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, broke into the top five and has bagged the fourth position with earnings of Rs 114 crore.

Shah Rukh Khan, who had no release in between the considered time frame (October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2018), slipped down from second position to 13th position in the list. Down by 33 percent, his earnings were estimated at Rs 56 crore.

SRK’s Don co-actor Priyanka Chopra too slipped down to 49 position with earnings of only Rs 18 crore.

The list also witnessed new entrants from the South Indian film industry. Nayantara is the only woman to make it to the list from the South Indian film industry.

The list also includes an interesting mix of debutants, including India’s EDM trailblazer Nucleya, Malayalam actor Mammootty, Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda, Telugu director Kortala Siva, and Taapsee Pannu.

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2019

WAHEEDA REHMAN Male actors think they will look younger if they romance young actresses:

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or Waheeda Rehman, when it came to her beliefs. it did not matter whether it was her first Hindi film or if she was cast opposite the then biggest star, Dev Anand. It was her conviction that made her choose the role of a sex worker in her second Hindi film Pyaasa to the shock of many.

“It wasn’t hard at all. Once I made up my mind, I didn’t bother what people said. People told me playing Rosie (in Guide) was my life’s biggest mistake but I wanted to do it so, I went ahead with it. Even today, the character is remembered. So, it’s about my conviction,” the veteran Bollywood star said as she shared her life’s philosophy and film journey during a session at We The Women conclave.

It was, hence, inevitable the actor mentioned the famous CID (1956) story, where she refused to shoot until she was given an outfit which she felt comfortable in. Waheeda Rehman said the film’s director Raj Khosla was livid how a debutante could throw tantrums. “He kept saying, ‘You are behaving like this in your first film itself. Do you realize you are working with a star like Dev Anand?’ And I would tell him that while I do realize I am working with a star, something’s that I am not convinced about, I won’t do. I was very sure about being logical and for that, I would fight irrespective of which movie I was working on,’ she shared.

Of course, being strong-headed came with a price as people in the business called her arrogant. But, according to Waheeda, the biggest advantage of living by her own rules in the male-dominated industry, was

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that people knew she could not be taken for granted.

She added, “In the beginning itself, I set certain rules (like), you wouldn’t call me for work after a specific time.

So, people were cautious with me since the beginning.

I would tell them not to call me after 9.30 pm and they would say, ‘We are writers/directors. We are creative people. It’s natural for us if our discussions last till 1 am.’ So, I told them, ‘You have your discussions. But I am an early riser. So, you can also call me seven in the morning to discuss.’”

Being opinionated also meant she would not hesitate to call out her co-stars or directors for their sexist attitude, regardless of their stature. “When (a female actor) touches 30, they say, ‘She has become old.

Now, we will have to cast a new girl.’ I used to be so bugged by it and would think how can they do something like this.”

“They would tell me, especially Dev (Anand), ‘You don’t know Waheeda. Public wants to see us.’ (And I would tell him), ‘Yeah, see you and me also.’ He would reply, ‘No. What happens is that a man stays young forever.’ I would ask him that who said that. This is a problem that has existed since the beginning and it continues even today. A 60-year-old or 52-year-old is being a romantic hero and for a girl, after 25, it’s said, ‘It’s enough.’ They (male actors) think, ‘We will look as young as the age of the actresses we work with.’

There’s an insecurity,” she said.

It was also the most logical thing for Waheeda to fight with her producers over the huge pay disparity. “Pay disparity was same during our times as well and it used to make me angry. But the producers would tell me, ‘More girls go to the theaters to watch films and they want to follow the men, not women!’”

Waheeda Rehman also talked about the status of women in the industry five decades ago and how it has changed today.

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2019

AISHWARYA I stayed away from Social Media because after a while it becomes business

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ishwarya Rai Bachchan kept away from the social media for a very long time until joining Instagram earlier this year. She says the fact that people start seeing it as a “barometric reflection of your popularity or status” was a put off for her.

So far, she says, her social media journey has felt natural.

“I don’t post whatever happens through the course of the day because then it would become a job and then you’re constantly focusing only on the fruition of it, and not the actual experience. I need to be connected to my real life,” said Aishwarya.

What made you decide to make your social media foray finally?

“I think it’s the patience, prodding and perseverance of my well-wishers…

I mean, it’s the way of the world; I get it. The reason I stayed away for so long was that the nature of the beast is such that it becomes a business.

Everyone wants numbers, they start to see it as a barometric reflection of your popularity or status.

How do you then monetize it, or treat it professionally?

“It’s fine that it’s a business at the end of the day, but I didn’t want to get drawn into that entire world, the drama. That said, it’s a way of life, it’s the world in which our kids are growing up, it’s here to stay, and there’s nothing wrong with it,” added the mother of one.

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named Aaradhya together. Glimpses of their vacations are sometimes a part of what the actress shares with her fans online.

Talking about her favorite vacation style — beaches, mountains, cities, jungles or deserts — she said: “Abhishek and I are happy everywhere but we’ve been doing a lot more beach destinations since we had Aaradhya.”

What is always in Aishwarya’s travel bag?

“You can’t ask me that! Abhishek always laughs and says my bag is like a Mary Poppins bag – even before Aaradhya. Whatever you need will pop out of it. Everything that you could possibly think of is in there.”

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2019

SHRUTI HASSAN

I DON’T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERIENCE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE POLITICAL SPHERE Shruti currently has many things on her plate – from producing her next feature film with mother

Sarika, to

preparing for the release of

Hindi film directed

by Mahesh Manjrekar

her next

I

am writing something that is from the depths of my experience and soul,” says actor Shruti Haasan – dramatically stressing on the last part of her sentence in her deep, husky voice – talking about her English music album that is keeping her occupied.

Shruti currently has many things on her plate – from producing her next feature film with mother Sarika, to preparing for the release of her next Hindi film directed

by Mahesh Manjrekar – but her main focus is still her independent album.

Shruti, who has worked in Bollywood as well as in the South, on her recent visit to the city for an event says, “I am looking for something that I haven’t done, something that breaks perceptions, and also I have never been offered a role that is really modern and close to my actual personality, and I would love that.” Shruti adds, “I would love to not just play myself, but a girl like me.”

Shruti, who is currently hosting Hello Sago, a talk show, admits that working on TV has been challenging for her. She says, “I did not know that it would require so much thinking on your feet and being spontaneous, but it has helped me know people much better. It has helped me understand the different sides of people, so it has been a really good experience. When we have conversations with guests on our show, we have to make sure they are comfortable speaking to you, and I am not always the most social person so I had to really learn to be connected, and I had to really invest in the person sitting next to me.”

Music is something that Shruti wishes to focus on more. She says, “I am doing much more music than I have ever done in the past, I started out as a musician and people have been asking, ‘When are you doing music again?’ It has been about 10 years, so it was about time. I am currently working on my independent English

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album, and it is very exciting even though I am trained in Hindustani music, but I find it easier to express in English. I am writing something that is from the depths of my experience and soul.”

Earlier this year, her father Kamal Haasan announced that his upcoming films – Indian 2 and Thevar Magan 2 – will be among his last as an actor. Shruti says that she supports him in whatever he does. “Whatever he feels like doing will make me happy. Of course, you have to give people the space and time to do whatever they choose to in life, and that is really the true support of a fan, isn’t it?” asks Shruti. When asked if she is also thinking about entering the world of politics, Shruti says, “I don’t have the knowledge or the experience to contribute to the political sphere at the moment, so I would not comment on it.”

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2019

JASON MOMOA’S Aquaman THE FILM HAS VITAL MESSAGE ABOUT EARTH’S HEALTH

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ctor Jason Momoa says his forthcoming film Aquaman includes an important environmental message. In the film, Momoa essays Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, with character duality.

Talking about the duality and the vital message, the actor said in a statement: “He has got a lot of bravado, but he does have compassion and even fears. He is a good man, but what makes him truly great is that only he can unite these two different societies because he is also Atlantean, and the chosen one.Yet what makes him human, even humble under all that swagger, is that he knows he is just not ready for it.

Unfortunately for Arthur, time is not on his side. His half-brother,

Orm, has seen to that, and his plan to incite a war allowed the filmmakers to include vital messaging about the health of our planet in the story.

Orm has decided to unite all the ocean kingdoms, and attack the surface world, largely because of all the things we do to pollute our oceans.”

Momoa explained that his character Arthur will fight against the Orm to save the planet.

“Arthur doesn’t care if he is king, he just doesn’t want Orm to hurt the surface. Orm is all about uniting the seven kingdoms and taking over the whole world. So, Arthur finally sees that he must stop him and the only way to do that is embark on this huge crusade, this epic road trip. That is the cool part because it has this ‘romancing the stone’ kind of vibe, which I really loved.”

Jason Momoa also claimed that he’s not been working out since past one year. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor’s

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co-star from the DC movie, Amber Heard, said that he “loves working out”. Momoa replied saying, “absolutely f*****g not … I love rock climbing, but I do not love working out. I haven’t worked out in at least a year and it’s been awesome.”

The 39-year-old actor said he worked out during the filming of Aquaman, going to gym sessions with his co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (who plays Black Manta), so that he does not get injured during the filming of intense fights and other action scenes.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman is set after the events of last year’s Justice League. Arthur Curry or Aquaman learns that he is the heir of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and teams up with Mera to prevent the conflict between the world beneath the sea and the surface world.

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2019

GREECE

Traveller

Greece is so much more than just a summertime destination!

Choose Greece for your winter holidays and enjoy the possibilities that open before you! Winter in Greece is waiting for you to experience:

Sporting Activities In The Wild Large areas of woodland with snow-capped peaks, forest trails and old pathways, rapid rivers crowned with stone bridges and striking lakes create the ideal setting for having a truly memorable experience during your winter holidays.

The biggest ski resorts in the country are on Parnassos, Kalavryta, Kaimaktsalan, Vasilitsa, Tria-Pente Pigadia, Pelion and Mainalo Mountains and they will offer you unforgettable snowy adventures against an all-white setting.

You will enjoy the natural beauty of the mountainous areas with the numerous cloud –capped peaks and the wide network of signposted trails while you go hiking or mountaineering. If you love mountain biking, or you use a 4WD vehicle, you will discover many off road routes that will lead you deep into the heart of Greek 2019

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Winter in Greece is waiting for you to experience:

nature.

You can practice water sports in lakes such as Orestiada, Ioanninon, Plastira, Kerkini, Vegoritida, or bird watching or simply go for a romantic stroll, enjoying the view of the snowed landscape reflected in their still waters.

A Winter Trip to A Greek Jewel Town ….

Seasons may change yet the perennial beauty of some destinations remains, only to be enhanced in winter!

Kastoria, Ioannina, Metsovo and Karpenisi are typical examples.

In Kastoria, one of Macedonia’s

gem towns, you will enjoy going on a tour of the lake’s serene surroundings.

Wander in the town’s traditional upper class neighborhoods, see the Byzantine monuments and visit Dispilio (7km SE of Kastoria) a lake settlement of pile dwellings dating back to 5000 BC. Ioannina, the capital of Epirus region is a beautiful old town with an amazing cultural heritage, imposing monuments and picturesque neighborhoods. Visit Lake Pamvotida, one of the area’s top sights and the picture-perfect islet of Kyra Frosyni located right in the center of the lake. You will feel as if transported to the past, to an era of secrets and legends.

Metsovo is a town with a noble air about it, perched on a mountain slope and built according to the Epirus architectural style.

Visit the impressive art and culture sites, taste the famous local dishes and feel your energy levels soar as you practice sports in the area’s forests and mountains.

Trendy Villages Full Of Life Dotting the countryside, partly covered in clouds or lying under a cloak of pure white snow, these villages are the meeting point for those jet-setters who wish to enjoy their trip to the countryside as well as winter sports in style, and at the same time have lots of fun in night clubs until sunrise. Arachova in Central Greece and Palaios Agios Athanasios, a picture-perfect traditional village in Macedonia, are the most popular destinations at a stone’s throw from ski resorts.

Nature’s Embrace Virgin forests, majestic mountains, impressive caves, deep shaded gorges, wetland habitats of rare beauty and other remarkable ecosystems enhance the loveliness of the Greek countryside.

You will see the grandeur of Greek nature unfold in the National Parks on Pindus, Parnassos, Vikos, Parnitha, Olympus,

Hidden Mountain Paradises Wooded recesses lie nestled in mountainous areas, most of them seemingly defying the law of gravity and offering an unobstructed view that can take your breath

away. Numerous paths are there for you to explore as the country’s rugged terrain gradually unveils to you the beauty of the Greek highlands and offers many alternatives to thrill-seekers.

There is no match to the mountainous parts of Korinthia and Arcadia in the Peloponnesewhen it comes to areas of natural beauty that also share a rich history.

If you travel to the mountainous parts of Nafpaktia you will find there are more than 40 villages scattered on the area’s seven mountains, nestled in forested peaks, next to winding trails on a wild terrain.

Visit Zagorochoria, a group of 48 traditional, stonebuilt villages in the center of Epirus region. You will be captivated by the wonder works of nature and men.

If you choose Mt. Pelion, you will enjoy visiting the villages perched on the mountain slopes, as they are fine examples of the local traditional architecture.

You will also find an interesting network of hiking trails under the breathtaking canopy of foliage on the mountain of the Centaurs.

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2019

Mainalo mountains and the Forest of Dadia, as well as in habitats such as the ones in Lake Kerkini, Prespes, Vegoritida and in Nestos River. The choice is yours…

Actress-model Lisa Haydon, who became a mother in May 2017, says having a child opened her eyes to a whole new world and way of life. She also says that now is the time when women don’t need to have career apprehensions with regard to starting .a family I knew I wasn’t going to have to“ choose one or the other. Sure, having a kid opened my eyes to a whole new world and way of living and one’s priorities may change. But it’s up to each individual and what they want to .make of it I was filming a web series till I was“ five months pregnant. I did the cover of Vogue India with Hrithik (Roshan) when I was four months pregnant… I believe that we are finally arriving at a place where women don’t need to have career apprehensions towards starting a family. You can have it all.

You might have to run a tight ship and have the occasional meltdown but it’s .all good,” Lisa said She welcomed her first child — son Zack Lalvani — with husband Dino .Lalvani Lisa, who made her acting debut with a supporting role in the 2010 film Aisha, and has also featured in Housefull 3, has also been appreciated for her role .in Kangana Ranaut starrer Queen She was also part of India’s Next Top Model Season 1 and 2 along with Top .Model India this year

model and actor to From being a says that having a child a mother, Lisa need for schedules and emphasizes the .organization It also becomes quite natural to pick and choose“ what is most important and then make time only for that as the stakes are higher,” said Lisa who also says that one of the self-realization that pregnancy had on her is that ‘pancakes taste best with a .’squeeze of lemon and powdered sugar Now that she is back to work and have been shooting and Zack is still little, Lisa says that the .balance has been working out nicely I love being at work and have also noticed he“ also values my presence a bit more when I return home after being away on a work trip,” said the model-actress who also feels that today women are accepted regardless of marital status and .motherhood, especially in the modelling industry I think the change is already here. I also had a“ different impression of parenthood till I became one and realized I can still look the same and feel better than before,” said Lisa, who also says that it’s a proud moment for any woman to flaunt her baby .bump It’s actually a very special time and feeling,” she“ .said

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HAVING A KID OPENED MY EYES TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD

LISA HAYDON

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2019

EB 5 – GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO GET GREEN CARD FOR FAMILY

DISCLAIMER: EB-5 qalifications are subject to change any time Please call us for the latest EB-5 related news and regulatory changes A) Overview of the program USA Congress established the EB-5 Program with following conditions in 1990 to create jobs 1) $1,000,000 capital investment in New Commercial Entity (NCE) 2) Investment may be reduced to $500,000 for jobs in Rural areas or Targeted Employment Areas (TEAs) 3) 10 new jobs must be created per Investor.

4) For each EB5 investor, the family including spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 years old are eligible to apply 5) Investment Obtained Through Lawful means B) Permissible ways to raise investment Capital invested must have been obtained through lawful means. Evidentiary burden is on petitioner to demonstrate lawful Source of Funds.

Different types of permissible Sources of Funds are as under: 1) Accumulation of Income 2) Sale of Real Property 3) Loan Secured by one’s own Property 4) Shareholder’s Loan 5) Gift

E)

Considerations When Selecting an EB-5 Project

1) EB-5 Project background and team.

* Experienced Immigration Attorney

* Experienced Regional Center Agent 2) EB-5 Compliant Business Plan enough project detail.

3) Targeted Employment Area designation.

4) Capital Stack (Funding) of Project and Investment Details.

5) Capacity of project for timely Job Creation. TEA projects approved by Regional center can include indirect workers also while counting jobs created by project, which makes them little easier to fulfill this condition.

6) Amount of job cushion; acceptable job creation methodology 7) Reputation and experience of the promoter in real estate development or in type of project involved.

C) Benefits of having Green Card 1) Green cards give an investor and his or her family right to live and work in the U.S. 2) Green Card holders can live anywhere they choose in the U.S. 3) Liberty to stay in USA without any work. Green Card holders can work or not work in the U.S. 4) Access to the U.S. education system, Eligible for in-state school tuition 5) Access to health care through the Affordable Care Act. D) EB-5 Case Process Flow

Contact: Poorvesh Thakkar & Krupa Shah PH;214-395-6757 / 214-619-3006 EMAIL: poorvesh@funasia.net

*NOTICE: THIS PUBLICATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION TO BUY AND IS NOT BEING DIRECTED TO ANY RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR TO ANY “U.S. PERSON” (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN REGULATION S PROMULGATED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED) UNLESS THE SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT IS AVAILABLE.

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F) Status and future of the EB-5 Program

7) Experience and reputed promoters Broadline Holdings.

1) Approximately 20,000 I-526 petitions currently pending with USCIS (with approximately 80% of the applications from China) 2) Upcoming Renewal of the EB-5 Program. EB5 program is expected to go up by December 31, 2018 3) New Legislation Proposed – key points

ii) Background of the promoters.

Promoter of the project, Broadline Holdings is a Joint Venture between Thakkar Development Group, LLC and Alamo Equity, LLC. This is an Investment Management Company with a private equity focus. Company has more than 50 years of experience in Real Estate combined. It has over $500 M in Real Estate projects currently in pipeline

a. Stricter definition of Targeted Employment Area. b. Increase Investment Amount: up to $1.8 million. c. Restrictions on certain source of funds for EB-5 investors. d. Enhanced integrity and compliance requirements for regional center projects to protect EB-5 investors.

G) Cost to Investors • Investment amount $500 K • One time EB-5 Administrative charge $ 50,000 • USCIS filing fees approximately $10,000 • Immigration Attorney fees approximately $15,000 H) Project of Marriot Autograph Hotel of Broadline Holding of McKinney i)

Status and highlights of the project

1) New upscale Autograph Collection Marriott hotel285 rooms 2) Amenities include 36000 square feet of state-of- the art meeting space, a three-meal restaurant and a unique pool/lazy river amenity that differentiates the hotel from others in the area.

Ideally Located at the Craig Ranch Development 3) Access to preferred tee times at TPC Craig Ranch golf course 4) Access to 75,000 sq. ft. Craig Ranch Fitness Center 5) 300 Seat Plaza in the Village wedding chapel nearby 6) Proximity to historic downtown McKinney and the booming Legacy commercial hub in Plano, Texas

Here is the list of Key Projects being handled by Broadline holdings. a) Mustang Square - Plano, TX • 36 acre land development • 40k-50k sq ft cinema complex b) Allen Sports Village & Entertainment Complex - Allen, TX

• 80 acre $500+ million mixed use development

• 22,000 seat sports stadium c) Spurs Lane Medical Campus – San Antonio, TX

• Located in Prime Medical Center

• 65,000 sq.ft Class A Medical Office on 8.5 acres d) Marriott Autograph Resort, McKinney, TX ( Approved as TEA project by regional Centre)

• 285 rooms

• 36,000 SF of state-of-the-art meeting space

• Access to TPC Golf Course

• Fine dining and casual restaurants • Resort style Pool/Lazy river iii) Background of company managing hotel Proposed Marriot hotel will be managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, which is approved

by Marriot. It is one of the largest and most dynamic independent management companies in America, will operate and manage the location.

Great thing is the company has its headquarters in Plano city of Dallas Metroplex which is very near to site of the hotel project.

Here are details of their experience.

• Portfolio of 850 hotels/resorts with 100,000 guestrooms

• 68 flag brands

Contact: Poorvesh Thakkar & Krupa Shah PH;214-395-6757 / 214-619-3006 EMAIL: poorvesh@funasia.net

*NOTICE: THIS PUBLICATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION TO BUY AND IS NOT BEING DIRECTED TO ANY RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR TO ANY “U.S. PERSON” (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN REGULATION S PROMULGATED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED) UNLESS THE SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT IS AVAILABLE.

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2019

Contact: Poorvesh Thakkar & Krupa Shah PH;214-395-6757 / 214-619-3006 EMAIL: poorvesh@funasia.net

• Manage 22 hotels & 5,000 rooms in Texas • Executive team of veteran hoteliers averaging over 30 years of experience

iv) Reasons for setting up project in Texas It is due to following positive factors of Texas state

1) Tax free State

2) Second largest State of USA

3) Big source of oil leading to very strong economy

4) Relatively low real estate prices

5) Lowest minimum wages rate ben

6) Temperate weather

7) Highest growth rate of economy amongst all States of USA v) Why Dallas preferred choice in Texas?

Headquarter of over 75 Fortune 500 Companies

• Highest number of Professionals (Physicians/IT)

• Lowest unemployment rate in State

• Relatively low real estate prices

• Better & safer weather than other cities of Texas

• High per capita income offering great market

• Hundreds of families moving every day to Dallas Metroplex Project Snapshot

• Aimbridge Hospitality, one of the largest and most dynamic independent management companies in America, will operate and manage the location

• Portfolio of 850 hotels/resorts with 100,000 guestrooms

• 68 flag brands

• Manage 22 hotels & 5,000 rooms in Texas

• Headquarters in Plano, Texas

• Executive team of veteran hoteliers averaging over 30 years of experience DISCLAIMER: EB-5 qalifications are subject to change any time Please call us for the latest EB-5 related news and regulatory changes

*NOTICE: THIS PUBLICATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION TO BUY AND IS NOT BEING DIRECTED TO ANY RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR TO ANY “U.S. PERSON” (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN REGULATION S PROMULGATED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED) UNLESS THE SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT IS AVAILABLE.

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EB5 SEMINARS IN INDIA

AHMEDABAD

MUMBAI

SURAT Contact: Poorvesh Thakkar & Krupa Shah PH;214-395-6757 / 214-619-3006 EMAIL: poorvesh@funasia.net

VADODRA DesiPages|January 2019|97|

2019

Contact: Poorvesh Thakkar & Krupa Shah PH;214-395-6757 / 214-619-3006 EMAIL: poorvesh@funasia.net 2019

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LUNCH/DINNER

CATERTING CHOICES ANJAPPAR 214-705-1800

ANDHRA MESS IRVING: 469-687-6800

BAWARCHI BIRYANI RICHARDSON: 972-474-8844 PLANO:214-699-8003 FRISCO: 214-699-8003 IRVING: 972-401-1449

FUNASIA BANQUETS 972-513-5701

HOT BREADS 214-705-7770

RED HOT CHILLY PEPPER FRISCO:972-362-6555

SARVANA BHAWAN 469-362-7755

TANDOORI NIGHTS 972-707-8130

ULTIMATE BBQ

214-774-9995

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2019

469-304-6616

FunAsiA Management Team: 214 454 7230 Sam Thakkar----------214 395 6757 Poorvesh Thakkar--------

Bringing the Community Together

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2019

AAMIR KHAN Apologises for Thugs of Hindostan Failure: I Take Full Responsibility

I

t came as a shock to fans when Thugs of Hindostan, starring Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, bombed at the box office. The period drama that promised to be one of the grandest films of the year, was panned unanimously by critics and audience alike. Despite being released on 7000 screens worldwide, the film struggled to make even Rs 150 crore at the ticket window.

At a recent conference, Aamir Khan took full responsibility for the debacle. The 53-yearold actor said, “I take the full responsibility of Thugs not working with the audience.

You can be sure that we tried our level best but somewhere we went wrong. There are a few people who liked the film. I would like to thank them. We realize that most of the people did not like the film. I want to apologize to fans that I couldn’t entertain them the way they wanted, though we did try our best.”

Earlier, Aamir had received much support

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from Shah Rukh Khan, who is his friend in the industry. He had said it was heartbreaking and that people have been too harsh on the film. “I would like to say something. It’s a little personal and I don’t know whether it’s right to say it or not. This is something that’s saddened me and so I want to share it. When it happened to me personally, I wasn’t so sad, but this time I am.

“There are people who have given excellence to cinema for years. A film can be good, a film can be bad; none of us can ever claim ki maine duniya ki sabsi achchi film banayi hain. Mr. Bachchan and Aamir have been people who have constantly contributed to the excellence of cinema,” SRK added.

Shah Rukh also said that Aamir and Amitabh have made a significant contribution to cinema in their career. “The greatest contribution to Hindi cinema in the last 10 years has been from Aamir, and with Amitji, it’s been even longer. Now if a film of theirs (Thugs of Hindostan) doesn’t reach the level that you expected it to, does it take away from what they have done for cinema? I think some people have been a little too harsh.

It’s heartbreaking. It doesn’t mean that their spirit is broken, they are all amazing artistes who will bounce back.”

SRK added that people have been too hard on the film. “I also think that Thugs of Hindostan is fantastic.

Sometimes we do go wrong, but Aamir has never done a film in which he hasn’t put in his best. I’ve known him for 20 years. And if there’s anyone who can put in even more effort than Aamir which Aamir will also agree it’s Amitji... and at this age! So, they’ve come in with good hearts and great talent and tried to make a film which tries to open up a new genre.”

As if being slammed by critics wasn’t enough, the entire film was leaked online in HD print by the piracy website TamilRockers. This also made a huge dent in the collection of the film.

Thugs of Hindostan revolves around the “thugs” led by the fierce Khudabaksh (Amitabh Bachchan), who pose a threat to the John Clive-led East India Company in 1795 Hindostan. The British recruit Firangi Mallah (Aamir Khan) to infiltrate the band of rebels and get them the leader of the thugs.

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2019

KATRINA

MARRIAGE WAS ON MY MIND, BUT IT DID NOT WORK OUT

Katrina Kaif opens up on idea of love and marriage.

K

atrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor love story was stuff that dreams are made of. But their romance didn’t stand up against the test of time, and after dating each other for seven years, the lovebirds decided to part ways in early 2016.

The news came as a shocker to many, but almost three years down the line, the ex-couple has moved on happily.

While Ranbir has found love in Alia Bhatt, Katrina is single and happy.

The 35-year-old actress in an interview to a leading daily opened up on her idea of love and marriage.

When asked if marriage is on her mind, the Zero actress said, “It was on my mind, but it didn’t work out and you have to keep following the path set for you in life. I don’t stress about 2019

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it now. I fought that battle and am peace with the fact that some things didn’t turn out the way I had hoped for. Now, I’ve left it to the universe and to God because I’m sure there’s a bigger hand that shapes your destiny. What’s happened to me so far is unusual and fascinating, and I can’t take credit for all of it. So, whoever is responsible, will look out for me in the future too.”

However, the actress says that she is ready for love and it will happen to her at the right time.

“I know love will happen to me at the right time when I least expect it. I could drop a book at the airport and as I bend down to pick it up, someone else goes down and hunches too, to help me. I would look up, our eyes would meet, and in that instant, love would happen. Love doesn’t grow over time, it happens in an instant.”

On the work front, Katrina will be seen in Zero, she plays an actress who is battling alcoholism.

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2019

DILJIT

DOSANJH PEOPLE TOLD ME TO GET RID OF MY TURBAN FOR THE INDUSTRY.

A

n actor is much more than his ethnicity and his religion, says Sikh singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh, who has found popularity in Indian showbiz with his versatile roles in films like Udta Punjab, Phillauri and Soorma, as well as with his songs.

“An actor is more than his ethnicity and his religion.

A filmmaker, a director has to be convinced and should be able to envision someone in a role, regardless of Sikh or not Sikh, if the filmmaker feels you suit the role, then that’s perfect,” says Diljit.

However, the 34-year-old feels honored to represent the Sikh community in mainstream Hindi cinema.

He said: “Actually a lot of people have told me that I shouldn’t be an actor. People told me to get rid of my turban or not become an actor. Back then, I knew that I would be okay to give up films, but not my turban.”

Before venturing into Bollywood, Diljit used to think that “sardar actors can’t be successful in Hindi cinema”. But now looking at his fame and stardom, it would be wrong to say that he is not successful.

Diljit made his acting debut in 2011 with The Lion of Punjab and stepped into Bollywood in 2016 with Udta Punjab. He has been recognized for his acting, but it was his singing which made him popular first.

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“Music will always be my life. It is who I started as, and it will always be my first love. Acting happened by chance and I am glad it did. But my main profession is music. I am a musician first.”

He has sung several chartbusters like Laembadgini, 5 taara, This singh is so stylish and Do you know. A few days ago, he launched his new track titled “Jind mahi”, which also features “October” actress Banita Talking about the song, Diljit said: “We shot the song in London, a place which I absolutely love. I have performed there several times. We shot in an indoor location, but the experience of shooting it with an entire team was wonderful.”

“I just began shooting for Good News. Arjun Patiala will come out next year with a Punjabi film Shadaa.

My next album Roar is also releasing this month,” Diljit added.

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2019

TALAT MAHMOOD

S

A.G. CHINI

inger Talat Mahmood was acknowledged as India’s Shahenshahe-Ghazal, and though he always chose to maintain a low profile, he continues to be in our memories because of his velvet voice and evergreen songs.

Blessed by the Almighty with perfect diction, intonation and perfect voice, especially for singing ghazals, Talat made waves when A.I.R Calcutta offered him an opportunity to sing ghazal – ‘Tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakegi….’ When aired became an instant hit. According to H.M.V more than one lakh records of the song were sold-out within a month. Tapan Kumar Sinha, the nickname Talat had adopted for his film career, echoed all over, and was heard even in Mumbai’s film industry.

SINGER TALAT MAHMOOD WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS INDIA’S SHAHENSHAH-E-GHAZAL assistant. During our brief conversation I was bowled over by his tender voice. Later, when I came to know that he was Tapan Kumar, the famous singer from Calcutta, I immediately signed him to all my songs in Babul. In fact, after the success of Babul, Talat’s voice became famous as the voice of Dilip Kumar, and the duo gave many hits.

“Among their popular songs are Duniya Badal Gayee….’

(Babul); ‘Sham-e-gham ki kasam….’ (Footpath); ‘Ye hawa ye raat….’ (Sangdil); ‘Ae mere dil kahin….’ (Daag); ‘Ae dil mujhey aisi jagah le chal….’(Aarzoo).

Naushad continues, “Dilip Kumar became so obsessed with Talat’s voice that when I tried to experiment with Mohd.

Rafi’s voice on him in the film Deedar, he out rightly rejected Though music director Anil Biswas was the first it. However, after a lot of cajoling, he finally agreed.” to invite Talat to Mumbai, it was music director Naushad who first introduced him in his home About Talat’s voice, thespian Dilip Kumar had this to say, production, “I was working at Kardar Studios “When I would lip synch his songs, I would put in much when an appealing gentleman approached more extra effort to match his great singing prowess. me, asking the whereabouts of Nitin Bose’s 2019

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2019

NOT MY GOD by:HIBA TANVIR

We go back a long way When I meet you in private, we seem divinely connected.

You seem close and reachable.

You appear to be warm,kind and forgiving.

You feel closer than my jugular vein to me.

When I meet you in the confines of my home, I don't feel my external appearance is being judged by you.

You don't seem focused on the length of my dress, the color on my nails, a strand of hair being visible.

You seem to see far beyond all that deep into my soul.

But, all that changes when I meet you in public.

You are spoken about with fear.

You seem surrounded by an army of serious looking men.

You appear strict, harsh and unforgiving.

You feel so very distant.

When I meet you in the confines of places of worship, you feel inaccessible.

Men with beards, men in saffron, men and more men seem committed to separating you and keeping you far away from the rest.

You can't be reached without their consent, involvement and permission it seems.

They talk and give grand sermons about you.

But, these sermons only seem to elevate you to ranks that make you seem more unreachable.

They infuse everything about you with fear, judgement and punishment.

But, that's not the God that I know or the God that I meet in private.

The God they speak of is not like my God. My understanding of you can be characterized as "blasphemous".

A great sin and crime, I'm told because it is disrespectful to God. But, isn't their narrow, harsh and fearful understanding of you the real blasphemy?

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2019

SPORTS

MITHALI RAJ’S SECRET TO HER ENERGY!

M

ithali Dorai Raj, captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team is undoubtedly one of the greatest to have played for our country. Mithali’s dominance over the game is revealed through the records she has achieved over the years. She has played international cricket across all three formats for almost 20 years now and even at 35, there’s no stopping her. She is a prime example of what a true champion looks like and to understand her dominance over the game just remember that she is the first & only woman cricketer to have scored more than 6000 runs in WODIs. At the young age of 19, Mithali emerged as one of India's most capable batsperson with a staggering 214 against England in the second & final test at Taunton; with this record to her name, she became the second highest scorer in women's test cricket. Given her expansive career

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filled with records and accolades, we often wondered what is Mithali’s secret?

Mithali explained the need to make a switch in our lifestyle & diet. She said, “While staying fit is the most essential part of a sports person's life. I feel everyone should focus on fitness and healthy eating.” She also stressed on the fact that people should move to non-dairy milk products and said, “One can easily build a sense of discipline by working out daily and making healthy food choices like switching to non-dairy milk. Plant-based milk is a great source of essential nutrients that provide energy to sustain throughout the day.” By now, it’s clear what’s keeping Mithali going strong even after two decades of playing international cricket. It is So Good Protein + Soy Milk! A thing that many cricket lovers might not know about Mithali Raj - she is the only cricketer (be it male or female) to have captained the Indian team in more than one ICC World Cup finals. Once in 2005 and again in 2017! With such consistent performance on the field, she deserves more than just our adulation, she deserves all the love and support!

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HEALTH & FOOD THESE 5 HERBAL TEAS HAVE THE BIGGEST HEALTH BENEFITS

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ondering which type of herbal tea is best for you? From chamomile to ginger, here's a list of the healthiest herbal teas, according to a nutritionist.

Aside from water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world, and its practically medicine in a mug. But tea consumption isn’t quite as popular in the United States compared to other countries.

In the States, about 80% of tea is consumed iced, mostly during the summer; the U.S. also ranks low in per capita tea consumption. Much has been written about the health benefits of green tea and matcha. But herbal teas are also great for hydration and offer protective nutrients.

Technically, herbal tea isn’t tea—meaning it's not derived from the same Camellia sinensis plant that produces green, white, black, and oolong varieties. Instead, herbal teas are infusions of various non-tea plants, which may include flowers, herbs, spices, and other roots. Because most of these plants are caffeine-free, herbal tea is a flavorful, nutritious option that won’t keep you up at night or elicit an unwanted buzz.

In addition to sipping herbal teas hot or chilled, they can also be used in cooking. Try herbal tea as the base for a cocktail mixer, along with fresh ginger and mint. You can also use herbal tea as a liquid in smoothies, oatmeal or overnight oats, soup broth, and marinades; or to steam

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Peppermint

Hibiscus

In folk medicine, chamomile tea has long been used as a calming beverage or sleep aid. Primarily made from dried chamomile flowers, this tea has been shown to help people fall asleep faster.

Chamomile also has anti-inflammatory properties, and has been shown to help reduce the severity of menstrual cramps. And there's more: The flower is also tied to blood sugar regulation and bone density protection.

While fresh peppermint is a fantastic addition to tea, it can also be steeped to make "tea." While much of the research has been done with the mint’s extracts, tea may offer similar benefits. These include improved power and time to exhaustion in athletes, as well as enhanced breathing function.

Scientists believe these effects could be attributed to a relaxation of bronchial muscles, an increase in brain oxygen levels, and a decrease in blood compounds associated with fatigue. Those same muscle-relaxing effects allow peppermint to help soothe and ease indigestion. Bonus: Simply smelling mint has also been shown to reduce fatigue, curb anxiety, increase alertness, and enhance memory.

Made from parts of the hibiscus plant, this tea has a tart flavor that’s somewhat similar to cranberries. Another antioxidant-rich source, hibiscus has been shown to boost ‘good’ HDL levels and lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in people with diabetes. Hibiscus also helps protect the liver and promote weight loss.

In one recent study, overweight adults given hibiscus extract experienced reductions in body weight, body fat, body mass index, and hip-to-waist ratio compared to a placebo. Hibiscus also supports immunity through its anti-bacterial potency.

Roobios

Ginger

Also known as red tea or red bush tea, rooibos (pronounced royboss) is made from the leaves of a shrub native to South Africa. In addition to being loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, this tea has been tied to bone health protection, improved digestive health, and obesity prevention. Rooibos also provides small amounts of minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, zinc, and magnesium.

Ginger has long been touted as a remedy for nausea, morning sickness, and motion sickness. Sipping ginger tea can offer similar benefits, as well as other potential perks: The root is a potent inflammation fighter, shown to help lessen muscle pain after intense exercise, and reduce pain in people with osteoarthritis. Ginger also helps to ease period pain and support immunity, in addition to protecting against cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

vegetables and whole grains. And since they're edible, you can also use loose herbal teas as a garnish on salads or sweet treats.

Here are five types of herbal tea, including some information about their benefits.

Chamomile

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A

ctor Hema Malini, when asked how she fell in love with Dharmendra, has often said that she had never met a man as handsome as him. In the early 1970s, he was one of the 10 most handsome men in the world, this in an era where there was no internet, and hardly any television. To an entire generation of cine goers, Dharmendra may be a graying old man, known as the father of actor Esha Deol, but in his day, he was among the most striking men in Bollywood.

To several generations of film lovers starting from the 1960s, right up to the 1980s, Dharmendra was a dashing hero like none other — muscular yet childlike and utterly romantic. A hero, who as the male lead, romanced beautiful women, bashed up baddies and, in his later years, pulled off comedy with ease.

He subsequently went to launch both his sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, into films. His romance and subsequent marriage with Hema Malini is stuff of legends and, perhaps, one of the most successful love stories of Bollywood.

Dharmendra was born in Punjab’s Ludhiana district into a Jatt Sikh family. Son of a school headmaster, Dharmendra was smitten by the moving images from a very early age. Many might find it hard to believe but Dharmendra got into Bollywood not through any connections or luck but was selected as part of a Filmfare talent hunt contest.

Married at the young age of 19 to girl called Prakash Kaur in 1954, Dharmendra arrived in Mumbai (then Bombay) from Punjab looking for a job. He made his debut in Arjun Hingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. From then to 1967, he was cast as a romantic hero, starring with actors like Nutan, Nanda and Saira Banu. Not many know that he formed a successful team with late actor Meena Kumari, with whom he worked in seven films. It is often said that they were romantically involved. However, what was certain was that Meena Kumari helped him establish himself as a romantic hero in an era dominated by triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand with the second line of actors like Rajendra Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Raaj Kumar and Sunil Dutt enjoying much success.

With Phool aur Patthar (1966), he was first seen in an action role. The film would be a precursor to a host of action-oriented films. While action as a genre was hardly prevalent in Bollywood, a hero who would bash up the baddie got a new paradigm in the

DHARMENDRA HAPPY BIRTHDAY DHARMENDRA: BOLLYWOOD’S JATT YAMLA WHO IS ALL MUSCLE AND HEART ‘Jatt’ image of Dharmendra. Films like Dharam Veer, Charas, Azaad, Katilon Ke Kaatil, Ghazab, Rajput, Bhagawat, Jaani Dost, Dharm Aur Qanoon, Main Intequam Loonga, Jeene Nahi Doonga, Hukumat and Raaj Tilak all fell in this bracket.

Through the 1970s, many films with Amitabh Bachchan would feature fight sequences, which earned him the moniker, Garam Dharam.

The 1970s also saw him pairing with Hema Malini. They did several films together including ones like Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sharafat, Naya Zamana, Patthar Aur Payal, Tum Haseen Main Jawaan, Jugnu, Dost, Charas, Maa, Chacha Bhatija, Azaad and Sholay. It was in the course of these films that the two fell in love and after much opposition from all sides, married in 1980 in a simple Tamil ceremony at her home in Mumbai. A married man, father of four children, in a rather public affair with one of the most sought-after actors in Bollywood (Sanjeev Kumar was hope-

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lessly in love with her and allegedly was so dejected that he remained single all his life and Jeetendra nearly married her; she backed out at the last moment.) was as controversial as it could get. Their affair still remains one of the most talked-about romances of Bollywood.

In his later years, Dharmendra was seen a whole host of comic roles as well. To most people in their late 30s and 40s, in films like Chupke Chupke and Sholay, Dharmendra’s comic timing is stuff of legends.

He appeared in other films where his flair for comedy was on display such as Tum Haseen Main Jawan, Do Chor and Naukar Biwi Ka. Dharmendra wasn’t only about his ‘Jatt’ image, romantic or otherwise. He will forever be remembered for delivering some sensitively etched characters like the ones in films like Satyakam, Anupama and Khamoshi.

Apart from Meena Kumar and Hema Malini, Dharmendra formed successful pairings with Tanuja, Asha Parekh, Mala Sinha, Sharmila Tagore and Rakhi on-

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‘CAKE’, ‘SALAM’ WIN RESPECTIVE CATEGORIES AT SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL

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sim Abbasi’s critically-acclaimed family drama, Cake and a biopic on the Nobel Prize Laureate Abdus Salam, Salam, have won awards at the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal.

The Aamina Sheikh, Sanam Saeed-starrer won the Best Feature Fiction while Salam won Best Feature Documentary. The festival announced the news on Facebook.

“Many thanks to you the audience who come out to support the festival and its films!” the post read.

“For audience favorite best feature, the winner is CAKE the Film, the Oscar nominee from Pakistan.

For audience favorite Best Documentary Feature the winner is SALAM – the film about the first Pakistani Nobel Laureate,” it further stated.

The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee, chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy-winning documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, has selected Cake to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘Foreign Language Film Award’ category at the 91st Academy Awards.

Forgotten but not forgiven: Documenting Abdus Salam “We are excited to continue the tradition of sending films from Pakistan in the foreign language category of the academy awards! Each year, the submissions become stronger and we are keeping our fingers crossed that one of these days we will come away with a golden statue!” told the Saving Face director.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will choose the final nominees for all award categories, including Best Foreign Language Film, in January 2019.

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TUESDAY

ATTORNEY ADAM MALIK 6:00 -6:30PM

WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY

ATTORNEY

PALLAVI AHLUWALIA

10:30 -11:00AM MONDAY

ATTORNEY ATTORNEY NOMAN AZHAR SANJAY MATHUR 5:30 -6:00PM

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4:30 -5:00PM

-SERENITYD

o you struggle with bouts of anger and frequent irritability? There can be a lot more going on in your mind with the constant struggles of every day life. However, in the world of Ayurveda, these are both expressions of excess pitta in mano vaha srotas (the channel of the mind). Balanced pitta in the mind is credited with a number of positive mental and emotional capacities like will power, courage, confidence, contentment, satisfaction, enthusiasm, cooperation, acceptance, and surrender.

However, when aggravated pitta accumulates in the channel of the mind, especially in these summer days and increased outside temperature, it tends to cause accumulating heat, and can lead to anger, irritability, and other fiery emotions like envy, criticism, and excessive ambition.

path of Yoga, come join us at Dhyana Yoga Center. More information about our classes at www.DhyanaYogaCenter.com. We also offer weekly meditation classes on Thursday evenings at 630 PM. Come join us.

These meditation sessions are not based on any religious guidance or ceremonies.

Meditation, Ayurveda and Yoga are ways to support a return to balance so that we can reclaim health and vitality through the mental and emotional spheres. In Ayurveda, using diet, lifestyle, and supportive herbs to increase our exposure to cool, slow, and stabilizing influences will generally serve to relieve anger and irritability. These qualities help to balance excess heat, while softening, grounding, and containing pitta’s intensity.

VIJAY WARMAN HOST - SUFI ROCKERS WWW.MYSTICMANDALA.ORG

So if you are ready to walk on the 2019

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MONDAY NIGHTS AT 7 PM & FRIDAY NIGHTS AT 9 PM ON 104.9 FM

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10 HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE SEEMS LIKE A NEW STUDY COMES OUT EVERY DAY TELLING US WHAT TO EAT, DRINK DO -- IT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN. DEEP BREATHS. HERE’S WHAT EXPERTS SAY HAS TRUE STAYING POWER, AND HOW TO EASILY FOLLOW THEIR INSIGHTS.

3. Snack on Dark Chocolate, Tea, and Berries

1. Go Mediterranean

In the way that you eat, that is. Focus your foods around whole grains, fruits and veggies, legumes, and nuts; have fatty fish like salmon at least twice a week; and limit red meat to once a week. “A Mediterranean-style diet lowers the risk of both heart disease and diabetes, probably because it’s so high in polyphenols and ‘good’ monounsaturated fats,” says Michael Roizen, M.D., chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic. A Harvard study published in February found that people who followed a Mediterranean diet had a 43 percent lower risk of weight gain and a 35 percent lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome (a condition that ups the risk of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease).

2. Exercise to Avoid Brain Drain

Remember less as the years go by?

You’re not imagining things: Your memory declines about 2 percent each decade because your hippocampus (the part of your brain that stores memories) literally shrinks. But you can even the playing field by keeping up with regular exercise, says neurologist Majid Fotuhi, M.D., Ph.D., director of NeurExpand Brain Center, and author of Boost Your Brain. “A third of your brain is made up of blood vessels, so it makes sense that your physical fitness impacts your brain health,” Fotuhi says. “Research shows that after a yearlong exercise program, the size of the hippocampus increases by about 2 percent, which effectively reverses age-related brain loss.”

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This trio is particularly rich in flavonoids, and a study done in the UK of nearly 2,000 healthy women shows that those who had the highest flavonoid intake had lower levels of insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. What’s more, flavonoids can help reduce inflammation, which is associated with a host of diseases including cancer, says endocrinologist Florence Comite, M.D. Tea and berries won’t wreak havoc on your healthy eating efforts, but keep the chocolate in check. Look for bars that are at least 70 percent cacao, and aim to eat no more than one ounce, (usually a small square) daily.

4. Don’t Sit on Your Duff

The more you sit, the greater your health risks -- even if you regularly hit the gym. Case in point: A Kansas State University study published

last year found that men who sat more than four hours a day were much more likely to report having a chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure. “One theory is that sitting for long periods reduces blood flow to the brain and heart,” says David Katz, M.D., Ph.D., of the Yale Prevention Research Center.

5. Take a Technology Time-Out

Research shows that being plugged in 24/7 stresses us out: “If you’re compulsively checking e-mail, you’re more likely to ruminate about work-related issues, and you’re not connecting face-to-face with family and friends,” says Bruce Rabin, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Healthy Lifestyle Program at the University of Pittsburgh. In fact, studies show people who surf the Web and/or text within two hours before bedtime report higher stress levels than those who tune out of the cybersphere.

6. Eat Your Dark Green Leafy Veggies Every Day

Spinach, kale, chard, and other leafy greens have the highest amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that studies show protect your eyes against diseases such as cataracts or macular degeneration. “They seem to shield your eyes from harmful UV rays,” notes nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., author of Age-Proof Your Body. Other good sources include egg yolks, corn, orange peppers, kiwi, grapes, and zucchini.

7. Grab a Tape Measure and Check Your Waist

“It’s not about BMI anymore -- all the reasearch now shows that the biggest health risk is belly fat,” says Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland. To keep disease risk low, experts say a measurement of under 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men is best.

Research has found that women who have waists over 37 inches have an 80 percent higher risk of various conditions, including heart disease and cancer. The best way to keep your number in check: Regular exercise -- ideally, 45 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three times a week, and three 15-to-20-minute sessions of resistance training.

8. Reconsider the Multivitamin

“Doctors used to recommend them carte blanche, but then we realized they aren’t necessarily right for everyone,” Katz says.

And some research has suggested there may be drawbacks: For example, the Iowa Women’s Health Study showed that women who took multivitamins faced a slightly higher risk of death than those who didn’t. As long as you eat a well-balanced diet that includes

9. ...But Get Your Vitamin Ds and Omega-3s

About 60 percent of us have too-low levels of vitamin D, finds study after study, and that’s been linked to a higher risk of many diseases. At your next checkup, have your levels tested so you can figure out how much D you need to take. While you can get some D from foods, it’s usually not enough: Three ounces of salmon has 447 IU, a cup of fortified OJ about 137, and a cup of nonfat milk about 115. Because vitamin D is fat-soluble, experts advise taking it with a meal containing fat, ideally the largest meal of the day. You should also consider taking omega-3 fatty acids because research has linked them to so many key benefits, from a lower risk of heart disease and cancer to a better mood. “I recommend krill oil supplements, which tend to be easy on the stomach,” Katz says.

10. Don’t Sweat Your Water Intake

While water is crucial for your overall health, the good news is you don’t have to schlep a water bottle everywhere. “There’s an often-repeated standard to drink eight glasses of water daily, but it’s unclear where that came from,” says Stanley Goldfarb, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In Goldfarb’s review of 27 studies, he found no research to support the claim that forcing down more water than you would drink normally flushes your body of toxins, improves skin tone, or helps you lose weight. “Let thirst be your guide,” says Goldfarb. “If you’re healthy, there’s no reason to drink extra water.” Also, fruits and veggies, iced coffee, and tea can help you hydrate.

Studies show that if you have caffeine regularly, your body adjusts, and it doesn’t have a significant diuretic effect.

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at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, you’re most likely fine, Katz says. If you can’t swing the five, try a whole food-based supplement, which is a powder concentrate of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. That way, you get the foods closer to their natural state, as well as antioxidants and nutrients not found in a multi.

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hraddha Kapoor, who is busy juggling between multiple projects has found a new way to keep herself hooked during her free time. During her free time, Shraddha keeps herself engaged by watching informative videos and documentaries on YouTube, on different subjects. Talking about the same, Shraddha Kapoor shared, “I enjoy a lot of things. I love to watch informative videos and documentaries on YouTube, on different subjects and I would really like to make more time to read books. Besides, I enjoy playing my keyboard and singing whenever I can find the time. Most importantly, I enjoy spending time at home with my family and friends. I want to make that my priority because they are most important to me. Other than that, whenever I get the chance to, I enjoy travelling.”

This year Bollywood saw a quirky horror comedy ‘Stree’ starring Shraddha Kapoor in the lead role. ‘Stree’ is a very special film for the actress Shraddha Kapoor in many ways.

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lia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor will share screen space in the much anticipated Brahmastra in 2019 but the rumored relationship of the two have intrigued their fans. Earlier this year, Ranbir had spoken about the same in an interview where he acknowledged the romantic relationship, but Alia is yet to go on record about her beau.

In a recent interview, Alia’s father director Mahesh Bhatt shared his thoughts about Ranbir Kapoor. Mahesh Bhatt said, “Well, of course they’re in love.

You don’t need to be a genius to get that! I love Ranbir… he’s a great guy. What they do to their relationship is something they’ll have to figure out.”

P

aris Hilton has revealed why she recently ended her engagement to actor and model Chris Zylka.

During an appearance on “The Talk,” Hilton explained why she ended things with her now exfiancé.

“When I fall in love, I fall in love fast and hard, and it was this whirlwind romance,” she said. “I’ve always been obsessed with Disney stories and love stories, and I thought it was gonna be my happy ending, and I just realized after time that it wasn’t the right decision.”

It sounds like there is no ill will post-breakup, at least on Hilton’s part.

“I wish him the best, and one day I would love to get married and have children, but for right now I’m just focused on myself and my work,” Hilton said.

s e er d

e n d x-

ll d, d e d d ht y d e

ll st

d o e w lf n

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SHAH RUKH KHAN I am an incomplete, restless artiste hah

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“I have never felt complete.

As an artiste, I am very incomplete, and I know that.

If I am not, then I would not like to work. If I am complete, then why would I wake up in the morning and work hard and still try to do something?”

Rukh Khan said that he has never felt complete as an actor and that’s what has kept him going for almost three decades in the industry. The 53-year-old actor said that rather than looking for result, he believes in quietly celebrating milestones.

“I have never felt complete. As an artiste, I am very incomplete, and I know that. If I am not, then I would not like to work. If I am complete, then why would I wake up in the morning and work hard and still try to do something?” Shah Rukh said.

Shah Rukh said he is restless by nature.

“I always think, within the commercial cinema set-up that I am working in, how can I bring in something new, as an actor, as a producer, in whatever capacity I can.

I am not complete at all, I am very restless.

If you think you are complete, then you are boring, over and done with!”

The issue with looking at things in life as a finish line, according to Shah Rukh, is what does one do when they cross it.

“So, I don’t think of things as completing.

As an old saying goes...the journey is important. If I cross anything, which I think is a good achievement then I don’t think of it as an end-line, I think of it as a milestone. But I don’t plan for it. I don’t think of ‘I should earn this much’, or ‘I should have that many awards’, or ‘I have

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to make that many hit films’, I think it is very organic. Because, if you’ve worked in films as long as I have, specifics become less important...,” he said.

Shah Rukh says the films that he is currently doing, he is loving them as he isn’t looking for any end result in the projects.

“After twenty-five years of working, I have realized that the only reason you should be working is for the happiness of your heart,” he stated.

His film ‘Zero’, directed by Aanand L Rai, aims to celebrate the incompleteness of people. In the film, Shah Rukh plays a vertically challenged man while Anushka Sharma features as a scientist with cerebral palsy and Katrina Kaif plays an actor who is emotionally incomplete. Shah Rukh said that the film neither looks at these characters with pity nor asks viewers to give them sympathy. “When films are made on special abilities, normally there is an attempt to gain sympathy.

In the entire film, we have tried that all the three character never ask for sympathy from the audience or the world. We don’t want anyone’s sympathy or empathy,” he added.

Playing a vertically challenged person, Shah Rukh said, was not a gimmick for them. “For the last one year, we have been worried that the character’s height shouldn’t become the mainstay of the film. In the first ten-fifteen minutes and even after the trailer, you overcome that. That doesn’t become a gimmick. Aanand and I didn’t want that to happen.”

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• FunAsia Kids club is operated and managed

by Ambreen Hasnat.

• FunAsia Kids Club Radio show is aired every Wednesday from 3-5pm on 104.9 FM, FunAsia Radio.

• FunAsia Kids Club is currently looking for volunteers to help conduct activities and manage the club.

Email resume to kidsclub@funasia.net or call 214-725-7466 To be a volunteer you must be at least 14years old and be able to commit to attend the once a month meetings.

JOKES What are prehistoric monsters called when they sleep?

A dinosnore!

What is the fruitiest lesson?

History, because it’s full of dates!

What language do they speak in Cuba?

Cubic!

Color Me

Email your entries for KidsPages with your name and age to kidsclub@funasia.net before the 15th of every month to be published in the next issue of FA DesiPages Magazine.

Happy New Year Hooray! Hooray!

It’s New Year’s Day! The day we start anew.

So this year I’ve decided To become a kangaroo!

Or maybe i will learn to fly, Or how to walk through walls, Or how to turn invisible, Or surf on waterfalls.

I’ll make myself elastic And I’ll teach myself to shrink.

I’ll turn into a liquid And I’ll pour me down the sink.

I’ll visit other planets And meet aliens galore.

I’ll travel to the distant past And ride a dinosaur.

I’ve got so many wondrous plans.

I’m starting right away.

Yes, this will be the best year yet.

Hooray! It’s New Year’s Day!

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THE LITTLE NEW YEAR

THE HAUNTED CASTLE

One cold morning Maurice awoke from his dreams and sat up in bed and listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but though the moon was shining brightly, Jack Frost had been so busily at work that Maurice could not see through the thickly painted panes.

So he crept sleepily out of bed, and opened the window, and whispered: “Who is there?”

“I am,” replied a tinkling voice. “I am the little New Year, ho! ho! And I’ve promised to bring a blessing to everyone. But I am such a little fellow I need somebody to help me distribute them. Won’t you please come out and help?” door and let me in.”Old Joe, hearing some noise outside, came to “Oh, it’s so cold!” said Maurice; “I’d rather go the door, and when he saw all the nice gifts the tears ran down his back to my warm bed; “ and he shivered as cheeks for gladness; and as he carried them into the house, he whisJack Frost, who was passing, tickled him under pered: “The dear Lord has been here tonight.” “Where am we going the chin with one of the frosty paint brushes. now?” asked Maurice, as they ran down the hill. “To take some “Never mind the cold,” urged the New Year; flowers to a poor sick girl,” answered NewasYear.

Soon they came upon a time, livedinto a young boy called Maxime.

Maxime (orthe Max everyone called “please help Once me.” So Maurice hurried his to in a small white house, where the New stopped. him) and a smart the village.

In the village livedYear 3000 people“Why, but Bessie just clothes, andwas was 12 soon outlived in theinyard.

There house he lives here,” said Maurice. “I didn’t know she was sick.” “See,” said the village, a smaller hauntedthan castle, lived a witch. The witch didn't live alone - she lived found outside a rosy-cheeked boy a in little the New Year, “this window is open a little; let us throw this bunch of himself, pulling a large cart which to be the witch told it to do. The witch was very wicked and with a mosquito who didseemed everything pinks into the room. They will please her when she wakes, and will loadedevery with good nightthings. she sent the mosquito out to bite the people in the village.

Buthurried one person the make her happy for several days.”

Then they to otherinplaces, On one side of this cart was painted the word village never felt the mosquito bite and thatsome person was Max. other people in the village leaving blessing behindThe them.

“What a wonderful cart you “Love,” and on the other “Kindness.” As soon asked Max to kill the mosquito, so one morning, making sure you his have Mumtaken didn't see him, have,” said Maurice; “though so much out, itMax never as the New Year saw Maurice he said, “Now seems to get empty.”

“You are right, Maurice, there is never any end out ofhelp the me village the haunted castle. pleaseheaded take hold and pull;”towards and down to love and kindness. the driveway and up the hill they travelled until As long as I find people to love and be kind to, my cart is full of to “Here the castle, they came toOn an his old way shanty. is whereMax I met a dwarf whose leg was trapped under a rock. Max blessings for them; and it will never grow empty until I can no longer the rock with his Maurice strength and freed the dwarf's leg. The dwarf was so grateful make kicked my first call,” said the NewallYear. find people to help. If you will go with me every day and help me lookedthat wonderingly at him. nobodyMax lives to the castle to thank him for being so brave. Later in the he decided to “Why, accompany scatter my blessings, you will see how happy you will be all the long here but an oldMax man found who works for us; and and hid inside for the night. Suddenly, in the middle of the evening, the castle year.” “A happy New Year!” called some one; and Maurice found he hasn’t anyhe children!”

“He needs my help,” night, was woken by strange noises.

Maxin crept out bed to seeinwhere the noises himself bed, and hisof sister standing the doorway smiling were at him. said the New Year; “for grown people like to coming from ... and he saw the ghosts.“Have He fled bed! dream, dear?” she asked. “Why, where youback had atopleasant be thought of just as much as children do. You is the little New Year?” said Maurice; “he was just here with me.” shovel out a path to his door, while I unload “Come into Mamma’s room and see what he has brought you,” anThe next morning some of my blessings; and the little when hands Max went awoke, he found the witch and her mosquito. Max took a swered his There in a snowy white cradleWhen he found tiny baby killed the witch, then squashed thesister. mosquito with a flyswatter. heaarrived busily spear at work,and piling up warm clothing, wood, brother, the gift of the New Year. How happy Maurice was then! But in thedinner, village, the people in the village were so happy that they crowned Max as the and aback new year’s the all New Year singing he did not forget his dream. Old Joe and Bessie had their gifts, too, as he king worked: “Oh,village.

I am the little New Year; of the Max married a village girl and they lived happily ever after with their many and Maurice tried so hard to be helpful that he made all his friends ho! ho!

Here I come tripping it over the snow, children. glad because the happy New Year had come.

Shaking my bells with a merry din; So open your

Contact Information

Phone 214-725-7466

Website: www.funasia.net

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2019

Email: ambreenhasnat@hotmail.com

REMAKE MARATHI FILM MULSHI PATTERN FOR AAYUSH SHARMA

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alman Khan’s production house has acquired the Hindi remake rights of the Marathi film ‘Mulshi Pattern’, which released in November. It will now be made in Hindi with Salman’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma in the lead. The crime drama is expected to go on the floors by mid-2019. A source revealed that Salman had a meeting with Aayush at his office to discuss the project. They are yet to finalize the director and the hunt is on for the leading lady.

more serious avatar. He will start training in action soon.

The Marathi version had featured Om Bhutkar in the lead and was inspired by true incidents which took place in Pune’s Mulshi taluka. It revolves around farmers who having lost their lands, turn to petty crimes stemming from frustration and poverty. Some of them eventually turn into gang lords. It had featured popular actors like Mahesh Manjrekar, Mohan Joshi and Upendra Limaye and was directed by Pravin Vitthal Tarde.

Unlike his debut film, ‘Love Yatri’, which was a love story, Aayush’s ‘Love Yatri’, also this one will see Aayush in a produced by Salman, had released in October with debutante Warina Hussain as his leading lady. Buzz is, the actor has also signed another film featuring Sanjay Dutt which is expected to go on the floors

by May 2019. That film too is supposedly loosely inspired by the underworld

SALMAN KHAN

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Recipe

CHATKHAREY CHICKEN CURRY INGREDIENTS

1. 3 tbsp canola oil 2. 2lbs chicken with bone 3. 1 med onion – chopped 4. 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste 5. 3 tomatoes – chopped 6. 1 tsp salt 7. 1 tsp red chili powder 8. ½ tsp crushed red pepper 9. Pinch of Turmeric/haldi 10. 2 cardamom pods 11. Water 12. Chopped cilantro for garnishing

METHOD 1. Heat oil and saute onions till golden in a heavy base pan or pot.

2. Add fresh ginger and garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.

3. Add tomatoes and the remaining spices and cook while stirring till tomatoes become a paste.

4. Let the mixture cool and then blend in a blender.

5. Transfer back to the pan along with 1 cup of water and bring to boil.

6. Add chicken pieces and cook for 15-20mins till chicken is tender.

7. Add a little water if necessary.

8. Cook on low till oil separates from the sauce and floats above.

9. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with rice or naan.

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2019

AMBREEN HASNAT

KEDARNATH ACTOR POOJA GOR IT WAS A CHALLENGE TO PLAY SUCH A COMPLEX CHARACTER

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ushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan starrer Kedarnath is moving ahead steadily at the box office. While the lead actors made their mark, television star Pooja Gor has also surprised everyone with her performance.

Playing Sara’s sister in the film, the actor is garnering appreciation for her debut in the Abhishek Kapoor directorial. Pooja shared that she is currently basking in all the positivity that’s coming her way.

“Every actor dreams of seeing themselves on the 70 mm screen. As for me, I have always maintained that I am open to good opportunities and roles that I have not done before. I met the team of Kedarnath almost two years back. And when I got the brief, I was so intrigued. I haven’t done anything like this before. It was a good movie with a great script and team. I think I just found the right key to unlock my Bollywood debut,” she shared with a smile.

As Pooja shared, a Bollywood debut is a dream for any actor, so it was surprising that she kept it a secret for so long. When asked what made her not announce it to the world earlier, the actor said, “I have never hired a PR as I always believe in letting my work talk for me. Also, it was my first film, so I did not want to jinx it. Anyway, there were so many roadblocks on the way to complete it. You won’t believe, for the longest time, even my parents didn’t know about it. I also wanted to see the film before I spoke about it. And then, of course, I wanted people to be surprised by my appearance when they went to the theatre to watch Kedarnath.”

Talking about her parents’ response to the film, the actor said, “They are over the moon (smiles). My

first schedule required me to go to Kedarnath. Only a day before my tickets were being booked, I told them that I have already signed the film. I could sense their happiness over the phone. They just couldn’t contain their excitement. After the release, they almost booked an entire theatre and took my relatives to watch the film. It was a very special moment for them. Since I am travelling for work, unfortunately, I couldn’t be with them to celebrate.”

While every actor is being lauded for their performance in Kedarnath, the film primarily was in the news as it was Sara’s debut. Pooja, on her part, shared that she had no qualms that the film was being promoted as Sara’s debut vehicle. “I knew exactly what I was getting into. I knew it’s Saras’s debut and I was not delusional for even a second.

For me, I got to play a beautiful character. Having played strong roles on television, it was also a way to test myself. I haven’t enacted such a complex character yet. Also, I have been a fan of Gattu sir’s work from long. So, I couldn’t deny working with him,” she said.

The 27-year-old has done titular roles like Pratigya and Roshni on the small screen. And for Pooja, there

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wasn’t much of a change in gears in the functioning of both mediums.

She said, “There is not much of a difference when it comes to work.

Television is a medium where we are bound by time. We shoot fast and a lot. In movies, there is a luxury of time. There’s no rush. You can give a lot more time to your preparation.

And that also gives you a lot of creative freedom. Initially, I would get jittery that’s why we were working so araam se (laughs). But overall, when it comes to acting, every medium is the same for me.”

Pooja further shared that she is clear in her head about what she wants and wouldn’t be running only after Bollywood. “Like I said, the medium is never going to be a barrier for me. I want to grow and excel as an actor with every character that I do. I would only like to attempt something different from my past roles. I will soon be back on television with Salman Khan produced series. We are going on floors with that soon. It’s a miniseries and every episode has been shot like a film. As an actor, you enjoy such challenges and opportunities,” concluded the actor.

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THE MODERN GOD

“GOOGLE”

NAVNEETA KHEMKA

There is always a mystery around god…Some claim they have seen him, others have felt him and many just believe in him instinctively, or in other words believe in the power that drives the universe. It is an unseen power which exists in a fundamental way.

We seek answers when in dilemma….we depend on god…we fear him sometimes, even take care of him...we either idol worship or in our mind.

But the underlying faith is that, some unseen virtual power does exist whom we closely feel attached to, who emanate in the oddest of times to support us.

Does Google not do the same for you these days? It is the interacting god, the answering god for whom we have been waiting for so long.

Google is Omnipresent, Omniscient, infinite and immortal. We search Google more than any god.

“God what is in my future?”….Google with your birthdate and time and swoosh comes the answer.

Are you in dilemma? What should you decide?

Which Job proposal you should take? The financial reports of the last five years of different companies will make a logical decision; just a click away.

Oh you need rain and sunshine…..No need to pray to god or depend on the unpredictable weather anymore like the olden days…

Ask the most difficult question …and get an immediate answer…..God told you…

Sometimes I feel one does not even need to get much degrees these days ‘cos all information is 2019

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available on Google…Just be street smart and leave the rest on the knowledge of the one-click portal…’The Google’ In Indian mythology one usually observes fast to please the gods. A fast is a way to make one strong, to be able to sacrifice food for a day, or period which teaches you to build a strong mind that can be trained to divert from hunger, the basic and essential requirement of the body. In today’s world the new fast would be being away from Google. That is one fast which would determine the strength and power of one’s mind. The ultimate test of sacrifice.

Also, in the Hindu mythology, there are many god and goddesses.

Each god has come into being at different times; represents something important. Google has attained that stature and can be called the all-purpose god. We can go to it for all our answers.

It is a universal god available to all irrespective of the religion, color, race, or gender. It is not far; the day will arrive that whatever Google says would be the final word of god.

The new modern word is Pantheism… belief in a deity that is considered synonymous with the universe Wanna Google it? Just do it!!!

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KARAOKE NIGHT Last Friday of every month at FunAsiA Richardson

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HSNT Hyderabad Society of North Texas

Presents

SHAAM -E- HYDERABAD

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Media Partner

Bringing the Community Together

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HSNT Hyderabad Society of North Texas

Presents

SHAAM -E- HYDERABAD

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Media Partner

Bringing the Community Together

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2019

HSNT Hyderabad Society of North Texas

Presents

SHAAM -E- HYDERABAD

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Media Partner

Bringing the Community Together

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Wedding at the Thakkar Family Ranch

Book your Special Events At Thakkar Family Ranch On

www.admeventmanagement.com

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Sam's Birthday Bash

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e s i r p r u S

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Happy Birthday Sam

POEM FOR SAM SHRI SAM THAKKAR KE JANMHDIN KE UPLAKSH PAR Sab ke priya, Sab ke mitra CEO Thakkar Sam, Janmhdin ki shubh bela par hum sab ka pranam.

Sab ke hriday mein hai namra prem aur aadar, Aapko is vishaal team ka dil se salaam.

Auron ke toh kabhi do aur kabhi paanch hote hain, Ae baahubali Sam, aapke na jane kitne kaam.

Har naye venture ke saath badhaate company ki shaan, Waqt aapke sang, yun lagta jaise samay aapka ghulaam.

श्री सैम ठक्कर के जन्मदिन के उपलक्ष पर सब के प्रिय, सब के प्रित्र सी ई ओ ठक्कर सैि, जन्मप्रिन की शु भ बेला पर हि सब का िणाि.

सब के हृिय िैं है नम्र िेि और आिर, आपको इस प्रिशाल टीि का प्रिल से सलाि.

औरो​ों के तो कभी िो और कभी पा​ाँ च होते हैं , ए बाहुबली सैि, आपके न जाने प्रकतने काि.

हर नये िेंचर के साथ बढाते कोंपनी की शान, िक़्त आपके सोंग, याँ लगता जैसे सिय आपका गुलाि.

Sada navin drushtikon aur naya andaaz, Sirf kaam hi kaam, yun lagta jaise aaraam hai haraam.

सिा निीन दृप्रिकोण और नया अोंिाज़, प्रसर्फ़ काि ही काि, याँ लगता जै से आराि है हराि.

Bahu pratibhaashaali, nirali ardhaangini Vaishali ka Har pal samarpan, tyaag aur sangat hai sare-aam.

बहू िप्रतभाशाली, प्रनराली अर्ा​ां प्रगनी िैशाली का,

Hum sab ki shubhkaamnaaye, praarthnaaye sada aapke liye,

हर पल सिप़ण, त्याग और सोंगत है सारे -आि.

Aayeeye, chalkaen jaam, aaj ki shaam aapke naam.

- A.G. CHINI DECEMBER 16, 2018.

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हि सब की शु भकािनाए, िाथ़नाए सिा आपके प्रलए, आईयें, छलकाए जाि, आज की शाि आपके नाि.

- ए.प्रज.चीनी

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2019

TIME TO PRESS THE REFRESH BUTTON!

By Ameena Taher

W

hen a new route is taken, the same destination and the journey begins to look new. It’s a new start to another beautiful journey and another new number added like 2019. Well, destination 2019 can become more exciting by adding new routes to the same destination called LIFE. New Year is the best time to appreciate life and live it in a way that suits us the best by doing things that we have been doing in a different way. Life is a gift so it’s important to make the best out of it while living it. It’s important to give time to once own individual self and add on to the enrichment process while surviving the daily grind. Because to live a perfect life one needs to add a little to do list. Otherwise one will never know how time flew away and once the time is up there is no point in regretting. So it is always better to do it right and do it in a way that suits the individual self.

Most resolutions made during the beginning of the year are said to be broken even before the first month ends, so it’s very important to be realistic. Know what exactly one is trying to achieve. If one were to loosely put around the list it could be a simple list that makes a person improve their current status be it at work, health, family, relationships, behavior or time management. It may vary according to individuals and

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what they would want to focus on. It is important to be clear to stay focused and try to achieve the set goals so one is left with the joy of accomplishment towards the end of the year.

It’s time to pull up a note pad and start analyzing. Spending time in knowing what one wishes and what one wishes to do with their lives is one step towards leading a very happy and complete life. It will not happen in a day. It will need a lot of thinking, analyzing and understanding of one’s own self .But, the end result will make not only the person happier but also their surroundings a more happier and efficient place. For a new beginning!

Life Is….

by Mother Teresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

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FIFTY SHADES DARKER

BY MADHURI BADLA

Beauty and your skin tone are but our karma, inherited from our lineage and an uncontrollable element of our lives. You can perform tummy tucks, hair transplants, or nose jobs, but the true color of your skin stands permanent. A signature of the race you belong to.

India, a land of paradoxes is a country where majority are of dark-skin, but fair skin is a coveted feature for most folks. This is evidenced by the multi-million dollar skin whitening products in the market which sell promises of becoming fairer, whiter and also more beautiful!

Sometime ago, I strolled into an Ulta store, one of my favorite places to indulge in retail therapy, when a traveling Lancome make-up artist (with whom I was eligible for a free make-over), matter-of-factly recounted how nearly every Indian client she had in her 30 years of make-up artistry requested her for a make-up foundation tone that was couple of shades lighter than the original skin tone. She added, “I love your skin tone and want to give you a smooth bronzed look with golden hues. You will look darker and even more beautiful”, she said. So saying, she picked out a shade that was numerically nearly 50 points darker than the shade I would have picked out for myself (if not assisted by her).

How would I look if I were 50 shades darker? I was open to trying this out. The enthusiasm of the makeup artist to make me look darker was fascinating. I admit to using lighter shades of make-up by habit to cover blemishes and appear lighter than my original skin color.

I don’t think I would have tried that shade of my own choosing! In fact, I doubt if there are Indians who buy expensive make-up to look darker? At least the Indian mentality which I was inadvertently succumbing to was that make-up is after all a cover-up to look fairer and more even toned; and buying shades darker than your tones seemed to defeat the very purpose!

Her final look was a bronzed effect, semi-smoky eyes, thickened eyebrows and a close to nude lip color. I looked few shades darker and different from the typical look I create.

Why do most Indians yearn for fair color? At the surface, white symbolizes purity, the color of the heavens! Brown represents plainness, the color of the earth! That’s plain symbolism on the surface, without looking beneath; couldn't white represent being not only fair but also cold, while brown is more down-toearth and warm? Unraveling the psychology of color is mind-boggling! The perception has become the reality.

Introspecting the cultural roots of India’s fascination with fair skin reveals a variety of reasons. The colonial past associated fair skin of the British with supremacy; also the rich royalty such as the Mughals, Nawabs and Sultans were all of fair-skin. History is replete with ancient beauty secrets that glorified maintaining fair skin by protecting exposure to the sun and using 2019

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healing treatments of sandalwood and turmeric to brighten the skin. India’s caste-systems also exemplifies fairer-skin with uppercaste and darker skin with lowercaste. An ugly and twisted truth!!

The origins of make-up can be traced to the film and theatre industry. Dancers, theater artists and actors were the first to dawn pancake make-up which has hues of pink, peaches and cream.

The reasoning behind this was for the drama of contrast. Against a black backdrop or black-andwhite films, a fairer skin gave more contrast than a darker skin! So wearing make-up was to enhance overall features and was more a luxury of the stars. Soon with the idolization of movie stars, and desire for the everyday girl to look like a beauty queen, makeup too has crossed the threshold of the stars and become more common place than before!

Sadly, color conversations in India sometimes include social pressures of marrying lighter skinned partners (including blatantly open matrimonial ads seeking fair brides) to increase the likelihood of having fairer babies. In fact, darker skinned couples that have fair babies are considered lucky to have picked up the right ancestral gene with the fairer color! In some communities, even the joy of the birth of a baby is marred by first describing the fair/dark color before any other attribute of the baby. Girls specifically, who don’t inherit color from their fairer mom or grandmother, are picked on for being unlucky. Hypocrisy of color is real, although many

in the current generation are breaking stereotypes and increasing awareness that there is more to a person than the color of their skin. Hopefully this trend continues, so that the stereotype of fairness representing beauty is shattered.

We need to teach our children that it’s not color and external beauty that matters, but character that counts. While many of us enjoy playing with make-up, enhancing our eyes with liquid liners, (all of which I happily engage in), what is important to know is that the effect is temporary! Beauty will fade, but the goodness of character always prevails!

Many of us love experimenting with new looks but must do so with an underlying realization that external appearances are ephemeral and at the end of the day, it’s not how you look that truly matters but how you acted, behaved and impacted anyone around you. That’s what lingers on after the make-up has been washed away!

When make-up has been removed, when the lights fade, when the darkness of the night prevails, every woman must continue to stay grounded and secure with the “real” self, the raw spirit, and the infinite intelligence she represents. Confidence you wear on your face is the best reflection of beauty; inner radiance that lights your eyes is what is really enchanting! While I temporarily enjoyed that moment of looking fifty shades darker and different, I was happy to use my rosewater in the night and get back to my real skin, the real me!

The world will be truly evolved when we see the “human being” first before the color of the skin, the texture of hair or the perfectness of figure! Beauty may capture attention, but it’s the warmth of personality that steals the heart, intellect and a strong will that rules the mind and a positive inner spirit which stirs the soul! After all, as the adage goes, “the mind does not take its complexion from the skin”.

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2019

PRIYANKA CHOPRA I LOVE THAT OUR WEDDING WAS A RELIGIOUS MASH-UP

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PRIYANKA CHOPRA AND NICK JONAS DESCRIBE THEIR WEDDING AS “UNBELIEVABLY SPECIAL.”

riyanka Chopra, who said “I do” wearing a 75 ft long veil for her Christian wedding ceremony with American singer Nick Jonas, says she was nervous and scared before the nuptial. But her worries flew away when she saw her groom waiting for her down the aisle.

“Every girl dreams of being a princess on her wedding day. But I never had a plan about what I wanted it to be,” says Priyanka The singer, 26, suggested they dream big and opt for not one, but two ceremonies in India to celebrate their different backgrounds.

“It melted my heart,” said the Quantico actor, adding that being able to have two big weddings, in India, with their closest family and friends was “unbelievably special”.

There were 225 guests in all at the epic weekend wedding at the majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace. These included Nick’s brothers Kevin with wife Danielle, Joe with fiancée and actress Sophie Turner and Frankie

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along with Priyanka’s brother Siddharth.

The festivities — which also included a friendly cricket match — were all planned by Sandeep Khosla and Aditya Motwane, respective founder-owners of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and Motwane Entertainment & Weddings.

On December 1, the day after the couple held a ‘mehendi’ ceremony and a sangeet that night in which both families performed elaborate musical numbers, Priyanka and Nick were married in a Western ceremony on the palace’s lawn.

Wearing a hand-beaded and embroidered Ralph Lauren gown with a 75-ft long veil, Priyanka looked ethereal as she was escorted down the aisle by her mother Madhu.

“It was all tears. All tears,” said the actor, who carried a bouquet of hyacinths and tuberoses designed by Jenya Flowers (NYC), which created the floral arrangements for the entire wedding party.

“I could not hold it in. I think I was nervous and scared. But as soon as the curtains opened, and I saw his face it was just like everything settled and I knew I was making the best decision of my life,” she told People magazine, which had exclusive access to the stars and their wedding photos and videos.

As for Nick, “the emotions were running high during the ceremonies”, especially during the Western wedding.

“You know you think your whole life about that moment. Honestly, I could not have imagined it would be as perfect as it was. It was highly emotional,” said the star of the former The Jonas Brothers band.

For the Hindu wedding ceremony, Priyanka sported a deep red lehenga, choli and dupatta. She looks every bit the ‘desi’ bride with the chooda, kaleere and garland. Nick is dressed in a sherwani and a turban.

They concluded the weekend with a Bidaai, a bridal ritual.

“I love that our wedding was a religious mash-up,” said the actress.

“We took beautiful traditions that we both grew up with and personalized them in a way that made sense for us. It’s been incredible to find the commonalities between our beliefs and figuring out how to blend them in a respectful and meaningful way.”

d l a f e

e t d d y

d , d

, d , r

s s e g e e

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The Psychology of Anger The psychology of anger is that you wanted something, and somebody prevented you from getting it. Somebody came as a block, as an obstacle. Your whole energy was going to get something and somebody blocked the energy. You could not get what you wanted.

Now this frustrated energy becomes anger...anger against the person who has destroyed the possibility of fulfilling your desire.

You cannot prevent anger because anger is a by-product, but you can do something else so that the by-product does not happen at all.

In life, remember one thing: never desire anything so intensely as if it is a question of life and death. Be a little playful.

I am not saying, don’t desire – because that will become a repression in you. I am saying, desire but let your desire be playful. If you can get it, good. If you cannot get it, perhaps it was not the right time; we will see next time. Learn something of the art of the player.

We become so identified with the desire, then when it is blocked or prevented our own energy becomes fire; it burns you. And in that state of almost insanity you can do anything, for which you are going to repent. It can create a series of events that your whole life may get entangled with. Because of this, for thousands of years, they have been saying, “Become desireless.” Now that is asking something inhuman. Even the people who have said, “Become desireless” have also given you a motive, a desire: if you become desireless you will attain to the ultimate freedom of moksha, nirvana. That too is a desire.

You can repress desire for some bigger desire, and you may even forget that you are still the same person.

You have only changed the target. Certainly, there are not many people who are trying to get moksha, so you will not have any great competition. In fact, people will be very happy that you have started going towards moksha – one competitor less in life. But as far as you are concerned nothing has changed. And if anything can be created which disturbs your desire for moksha, again the anger will flare up. And this time it will be far bigger, because now the desire is far bigger.

Anger is always proportionate to desire.

I have heard....

There were three monasteries, Christian monasteries, very close together in the forest. One day three monks met at the crossroads. They were coming from the villages back to their monasteries; each belonged to a different monastery. They were tired. They sat down under the trees and started talking about something to pass the time.

One man said, “One thing you will have to accept is that as far as scholarship is concerned, learning is concerned, our monastery is the best.”

The other monk said, “I agree, it is true. Your people are far more scholarly, but as far as austerities are concerned, discipline is concerned, spiritual training is concerned, you don’t come anywhere near to our monastery. And remember, scholarship will not be able to help you realize the truth. It is only spiritual discipline, and we are the best as far as spiritual discipline is concerned.”

The third monk said, “You are both right. The first monastery is best in learning, scholarship.

The second monastery is best in spiritual discipline, austerities, fasting. But as far as humbleness, egolessness is concerned, we are the tops.” Humbleness, egolessness...but the man seemed to be absolutely unaware of what he was saying: “As far as humbleness, egolessness is concerned, we are the tops.”

Even humbleness can become an ego trip. Egolessness can become an ego trip. One has to be very aware. You should not try to stop anger. You should not, in any way, keep the anger controlled, otherwise it will burn you, it will destroy you. What I am saying is: you have to go to the roots. The root is always some desire which has been blocked, and the frustration has created the anger. Don’t take desires very seriously. Don’t take anything seriously.

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It is unfortunate that no religion in the world has accepted the sense of humor as one of the basic qualities for the religious man. I want you to understand that a sense of humor, playfulness, should be the fundamental qualities.

You should not take things so seriously, then anger does not arise. You can simply laugh at the whole thing. You can start laughing at yourself. You can start laughing at situations in which you would have been angry and mad.

Use playfulness, a sense of humor, laughter. It is a big world, and there are millions of people. Everybody is trying to get to something. It is very natural that sometimes people may get into each other’s ways – not that they want to, it is just the situation, it is accidental.

I have heard about one Sufi mystic, Junnaid, who every day in the evening prayer used to thank existence for its compassion, for its love, for its care.

Once it happened that for three days they were traveling and they came across villages where people were very antagonistic against Junnaid, because they thought his teachings were not exactly the teachings of Mohammed.

His teaching seemed to be his own, and, “He is corrupting people.”

So from three villages they had not got any food, not even water. On the third day they were really in bad shape. His disciples were thinking, “Now let us see what happens in the prayer. How can he now say to existence, ‘You are compassionate to us; your love is there. You care about us, and we are grateful to you.’ ?”

But when the prayer time came, Junnaid prayed the same way. After the prayer the followers said, “This is too much.

For three days we have suffered hunger, thirst. We are tired, we have not slept, and still you are saying to existence, ‘You are compassionate, your love towards us is great, and you take so much care that we are grateful to you.’ ” Junnaid said, “My prayer does not depend on any condition; those things are ordinary. Whether I get food or not I don’t want to bother existence about it – such a small thing in such a big universe. If I don’t get water...even if I die, it does not matter, my prayer will remain the same. Because this vast universe...it makes no difference whether Junnaid is alive or dead.”

This is what I mean when I say, don’t take anything seriously... not even yourself. And then you will see anger simply has not happened. There is no possibility of anger. And anger is certainly one of the great leakages of your spiritual energy.

If you can manage to be playful about your desires, and still be the same whether you succeed or you fail.

Just start thinking about yourself at ease...nothing special; not that you are meant to be victorious, not that you have to succeed always in every situation. This is a big world and we are small people.

Once this settles in your being then everything is acceptable.

Anger disappears, and the disappearance will bring you a new surprise, because when anger disappears it leaves behind it tremendous energy of compassion, of love, of friendship.

Osho, The Sword and the Lotus, Talk #9

Visit to Osho Tapoban Nepal to world of Meditation OSHO UNIVERSAL

For more information on such discourses: contact Sw. Atma Paritosh- 214-395-6757 www.oshouniversal.org

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HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO WIN?

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s a child we are taught life's lessons but we are never taught how to live.

As parents we always want the best for our kids but in doing so we keep telling them

by Anumita Ghosh

get up and brush that dirt and run again.

In this New Year, let us wish a little differently. No, I am not saying we wish bad for someone, but we wish that our loved ones have the strength to take on any situation that they encounter. I wish that my loved ones take on life like never before and survive the tough days. A new year brings with it hope and excitement.

Its like a reminder that the year gone by is over for whatever it was. When we go through a difficult year, we face the worse and we survive in the worse.

That is why every year for me is a life lesson that goes by and teaches me something.

Last year taught me that when I face adversity, I will survive. So lets sit back and think how this year was and how did we survive it. How well we did and how we surprised ourselves. Because this new year, we are just a little bit more equipped and aware.

Wish you all a very happy 2019!

that winning is good. We make them equipped with all the skills that requires them to win. Win that painting competition, win that race, with the seat in the college, win that boy/ girl's heart and win that dream job. But what if we said - oh if you lose, you will just learn. What if we said - oh if you don't get the job, you will figure something new.

Unfortunately, we don't. We are too scared to lose ourselves.

Fortunately, as part of the new generation who are a little more open to experiments, we are all mostly living on our own and outside of the comfort of our homes. So when you start living alone in a city all by yourself, you will lose. You will learn. and you will survive. You will 2019

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Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your creativity is about to hit new records this January.

Since this month is also your birthday month, don’t lose your mind while you celebrate your joy. Your stars in the career zone shine brightly. Positive vibes go across your economic zone as well. Meeting old friends or family members can happen during the 2nd week, whereas miscommunication can delay the plans. The Saturn in your zone demands classical music.

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your smartness, and optimistic behavior is going to bear fruitful results this month.

While you set new goals and resolutions, there is a love interest that you might wish you consider for a long term. Money and other financial issues if any will start solving by the end of this month. Work on your health, as it demands attention. Red and baby pink are lucky colors for this month.

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your well-organized attitude will help you develop your career strategy this month. Any pending work or phone call will be answered quickly. Smooth career path is on the cards for January 2019. All colors of the spectrum are lucky for you- the water baby. We know you are bad at expressing feelings, but this month try involving yourself and socialize more. Break the monotonous rules and don’t be shy. All the best!

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your adamant, and inflexible behavior can lead you into specific problems. Stay easy Taurus. Since it’s the beginning of the year, January 2019 is filled with new changes in your life. The changes can be both positive and negative. Money and other financial matter will flow smoothly. If you are married or in a relationship, it’s time to do something special for your partner, and if you are single, treat yourself this January 2019!

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells that this year you might crack foreign deals. January is the month where you need to show your spontaneous ad musical side to achieve what you want.

Financial growth is on the cards, and pending money matters will be solved gradually by the end of this month. If you are married, you’ll get surprises from your partner.

Health issues may arise during the last week of January, so focus on your health as a priority!

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your curious behavior towards life will make you explore new ideas at the beginning of this month. Your health will be, and career prospects will move towards a stable path. Financial matters need a little more attention than the usual. This month you might win many hearts, but only one will win yours. Look around for a Leo woman or a Sagittarius man to make this month more interesting.

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Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your stubborn behavior has worked this time. The urge to win the batter and never give up attitude will help you grasp the opportunities in this month.

January 2019 strictly tells you to focus on your priorities. Financial and other money matters are in control. If you are single, you are going to stay single this month as well, and if you are in a relationshipmisunderstandings can knock your door!

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells that there is a lot to catch up. Since you are a peacemaker, this month, don’t let your past hamper your present. Try to make firm decisions concerning money and other financial matters. Go out and enjoy Libra! It’s just the beginning of 2019, stress less and enjoy more. The Venus planet in your zone will take care of your love life and career aspects. Go with the flow.

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells your leadership aura is just breathtaking! You are a complete package, Leo! January is the month where you need to show your compassion in your relationship and let your partner know how much you love them. You are a little self- centered and give less attention to your friends and family, which might affect your social life, so, work on it. You’ll surely go active in the financial matters, and smooth career is predicted.

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells that your trustworthy attitude will take you to the long way this 2019. Your friendly nature is a plus point workspace as it makes your tasks easy. But, don’t take too many shortcuts dear, you might lose everything at one go. Focus on your health, as this demands attention. Prioritize your relationships as the Pluto in your sign stays weak for this month. Lucky colors for the month are deep red and pastel pink.

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells that the Mercury in your zone will provide luck after the 3rd week of January 2019. Any important financial or careerrelated decisions taken after the third week will deliver success.

Dear Virgo, stop moving with the crowd.

Let your creative side out and set new goals for your resolution. Your life might bring a love triangle if you take too long to react.

Lucky colors for the month- navy blue and crimson.

Your January Horoscope 2019 tells that you are going to be super lucky Sagittarius!

Your fun-loving nature is going to make you meet someone just like you but a little opposite- Aquarius woman or a Taurus man. Career opportunities will flood in this month but relax, don’t rush into making decisions. Health is of no concern as you know being fit is not an option but a necessity. Spend less this month and plan a trip later.

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ANUSHKA SHARMA

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ctor Anushka Sharma says her debut film Rab Ne Bana di Jodi, which clocks 10 years, has a special place in her heart as she got to work with people who had faith in her. The actor said she is close to producer Aditya Chopra and her co-star Shah Rukh Khan even today.

“Adi (Aditya Chopra, director) used to say that ‘we have taken you because you can stand on your own against anyone’. Yashji (Yash Chopra) had also said the same. For a young person like me to hear that was a huge confidence booster,” Anushka said.

“I got to work with people who were very nice and generous to me. I share a beautiful equation with all of them even now. I am blessed to be working on this film. It changed my life. It is something that is going to be the most special thing I have done,” she added.

The actor, who was 20 when she made her debut, was praised for her confidence on screen, something that she says, came after a lot of hard

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work.

“I valued the art I was in, I valued acting a lot, I paid attention and worked towards it. I would read the same script almost every day, finding something new in it to do. They understood the hard work I was putting into the film. And the only reason I was so confident when I did the film is because I was so prepared. Confidence comes because you work so hard,” she said.

The actor said she still takes notes while reading a script to understand her character.

“It is different for different scenes. Like, what changes are happening emotionally with my character, what are the reasons of my existence, etc.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was a romantic comedy which revolved around the lives of two totally different characters Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan) and Taani (Anushka Sharma). Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi became Shah Rukh Khan’s highest-grossing film at the time of its release.

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