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Akshaye Khanna

Akshaye Khanna, the youngest son of yesteryear-veteran actor, Vinod Khanna is one of the most prominent actors of the Indian film industry. Often considered as an underrated actor of Bollywood, this son of Vinod Khanna started her career a decade earlier. Akshay Khanna was born on March 28 in the year 1975 in Mumbai, India. He made his debut in 1997, when he was 22 years. Akshaye’s first movie was ‘Himalay Putra’ which was directed by Pankaj Parashar and this was his first movie where he shared the screen space with his father Vinod Khanna. His elder brother, Rahul Khanna, is also a Bollywood actor. Though his first movie dint fare well at the box office, he went on to star in many critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies.

Akshaye’s next release was ‘Border’ which was directed by J.P. Dutta, and had other popular stars like Suneil Shetty, Jackie Shroff , Tabu, Sunny Deol,Khulbhusan Kharbandar, Rakhi and Pooja Bhatt with whom Akshay was paired. This was his first major hit and his performance was widely appreciated. This film earned him his first ‘Filmfare’ award in the best debut category. His other recognized films are : ‘Dil Cahta Hai’ which was directed by Farhan Aktar and had Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Dimple Kapadia, ‘Humraaz’ directed by Abaas-Mustan, where he played a villain, the recent ‘Gandhi, My Father’ which the critics praised. His performance in the movie is often considered to be the best till date. His 2008 release was the multi-starrer ‘Race’ where he has again played a negative role.

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Fashion Models

In regards to Indian fashion, the world certainly sits back and takes notice. Not only do they provide clothes of international standards and designs, the fashion industry has discovered many a face that’s walked global ramps over the years. Indian models can always be told apart from their European counterparts, but they certainly have made their mark. So what is the reason for such a high demand for Indian models, especially women folk? Honestly it’s not only their dusky skin that woos the world. The truth is Indian models may have an awkward stiffness about them at the beginning but once a little prodding and they could be the epitome of all that’s needed in an international model.

They are more full bodied as compared to many other nationalities without being on the overweight or bulgy category. Best of all, most leading ladies are well educated and speak well. They can hold their shoulders above the crowd and get an audience anytime they preferred. They gain ample knowledge that boosts their confidence through timely fashion shows all through the year, which leaves them very professional. Furthermore, they always carry a bit of back home with them, so mixing international modeling needs and fitting into Indian cultural settings proves to be affine mix for them and it always works to their advantage.

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Ancient Indian fashion garments

Varied styles and textiles add immense diversity to Indian fashion and hence India is considered the perfect spot for fabric shopping. Ancient Indian fashion garments generally used no stitching although Indians knew about sewing. The traditional Indian Dhoti, the Scarf or Uttariya, and the popular Turban are still visible India and continue to be part of Indian fashion. Likewise, for women, the Dhoti or the Sari as the lower garments, combined with a Stanapatta forms the basic ensemble, and once again consists of garments that do not have to be stitched, the stanapatta being simply fastened in a knot at the back. And the Dhoti or the Sari worn covering both legs at the same time or, in the alternative, with one end of it passed between the legs and tucked at the back in the fashion that is still prevalent in large area of India. Indian men and women wear these garments in the usually hot Indian climate. – dhoti when he speaks of ‘turbans used for trousers’, and a kaupina when he is speaking of ‘a rag of two fingers’ breadth bound over the loins.

Bhagalpur is an ancient Indian centre for the manufacture of a unique cotton/silk blend of the same name. The ancient Indian fashion did not really have garments that were sewed together! Indian sari remains the traditional clothing of Indian women. Worn in varied styles, it is a long piece of flat cotton, silk or other fabric woven in different textures with different patterns. The sari has a lasting charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size. This graceful feminine attire can also be worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.

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Indian fashion designers Mona-Pali

Mona and Pali, the sister duo from Bengal, have placed Kolkata on the national map, with their passion for designing. Though they initially went into different professions, they soon gave in to their inner desire, a natural aesthetic urge, and opted out of their respective careers to pursue their dream with total dedication and determination. They started from home in 1985 at the request of their friends, who had persuaded them to design their clothes, which they executed competently and successfully.

In 1987, they flagged off their boutique ‘Monapali’ in Kolkata making their dream a reality. They moved on to become stalwarts of the Indian Fashion industry, retailing through their outlets in New Delhi (Hauz Khas Village), Ahmedabad and other prominent stores all over India.

Their clothes range from casuals to heavy formals, and are an eclectic mix of design elements- most of which are inspirations from the ethnic cultural roots of India. An unconventional mix of mediums makes the designs distinctly Monapali – be it in textures, textiles, print or embroidery. They revived Kantha, Folk (Madhubani, Warli, Patta Chitrai) tribal motifs and the Alpana from the realms of obscurity and elevated it to the status of haute couture culture. For them each collection is a challenge, and they work with whatever has triggered, intrigued and excited their creativity.

They represented India in China in the ‘Festival of India’ in 1994 and the Bridal summit- Asia Pacific in 1999, in New Delhi. Quiet, reticent and self-effacing, they are considered by fashion pundits as the ‘Silent Contributors’ to the revival of simplicity on the catwalk.

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Arshad Warsi

Arshad Warsi : the ‘Circuit’. He is unassuming, simple, and does not possess the typical quality of an Indian actor. Yet Arshad Warsi has been able to execute and add colour and vibrance to simple roles through sheer talent and brilliance.

Born on 19th April 1968 Arshad Warsi became an orphan at the age of fourteen. He had a keen interest in dance and later started a dancing school of his own. Arshad got his first break in Amitabh Bachchans production, Tere Mere Sapne. Like his debut his forthcoming films failed to create an impact on the audience. Arshads career seemed to be fading away and what he needed was a successful movie to create a firm ground in Bollywood.

It was only with Munna Bhai MBBS that Arshad came into the limelight. It was the best come back movie that one could have dreamt of. With his brilliant performance in Munna Bhai as Circiut, Arshad has created a special place in the heart of his audiences and also this industry. The simple, light hearted, amusing “circuit” is going to stay alive in the minds of his fans for a long period of time. To Bollywood one more name has been added to the list of great comedians. But Arshad Warsi possesses the additional art of making his characters so lovable, acceptable and endearing.

Here’s hoping that he reaches the zenith of his acting career, till then his fans shall eagerly wait for Arshad to recreate his magic in Munna Bhai Chale America.

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Riya Sen

Riya Sen: The bengali bombshell !
Riya Sen is the granddaughter of the legendary actress Suchitra Sen and also the daughter of the popular actress Moonmoon Sen. Born on January 24, 1981, Riya is an Indian actress and also a known model. She was a student of Loreto House and of Rani Birla College, both in Kolkata. Her hobby was jewelry designing and she has a done a brief study at the NIFT. Riya is a trained ‘kathak’ dancer and also a trained kick boxer. She has taken lessons in belly dancing. Her career started at the young age of 16 with a music video, sung by Falguni Pathak. The music video was huge hit. When Riya Sen was child, she had appeared in a film named ‘Vishkanya’. It was the music video of Falguni Pathak, which got her recognized.

As a model, Riya Sen has featured in number of music videos, television commercials, fashion shows and magazine covers. Riya has walked the ramp for famous fashion shows together with her sister Raima Sen who is also a popular Indian actress. Riya has appeared in the cover page of many fashion magazines like Femina, Elaan, Man’s World, Gladrags, and Savvy and Indian versions of Elle, Maxim and Cosmopolitan. The brand assignments Riya has appeared include Limca, where she is the brand ambassador, Colgate, Vatika, Cadbury’s Diary Milk, Nirma and Margarita King. Riya Sen has acted in a number of films like ‘Style’, ‘Jhankar Beats’ ‘Qyamat’, ‘Shaadi No. 1’ and many more. Riya has also worked as an activist and has appeared in an anti-HIV/AIDS. This Bengali bombshell is here to stay in the hearts of many.

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Wine and women

Of late, certain wines that were earlier available in the market with approximately 12 percent alcohol are now being sold with 14-16.5 percent alcohol. This increase has been credited to the use of very ripe fruit. This helps produce wine, which is richer in flavor. Consequently, the use of ripe fruit ensures that increased alcohol is produced when the grapes are fermented.

You should know that most red wines have a higher alcohol content as compared to white wines. However, this is not an absolute parameter and there are variances. Alcoholic content in wine is dependent upon the ripeness of the fruit. The ripest grapes have the highest sugar content. During fermentation, the sugar content gets converted to alcohol.

Usually, grapes that are used to make red wines are picked when they are riper than those used to make white wine. The sugar content, wine making technique and character of the fruit determine alcoholic percentage. You can check all wine bottle labels to know it’s a wine’s alcohol content. Wine enthusiasts should be aware that all labels are not alcohol and the printed content may either be 1.5% below or above the actual level. This is not an offense as laws permit such flexibility.