The butterfy effect

Dirt, grime and pollution had left my once flawless complexion dull and oily. And yes, how can I forget that niggling ache in my neck, thanks to sitting hunched in front of the computer for insane hours.

Even when my trusted make-up products failed to give my glow back, I finally decided to go in for a massage to rejuvenate my senses.

The first step

So I decided to fix an appointment at Butterfly pond at Cuffe Parade. Why Butterfly Pond? Firstly, the name intrigued me and secondly I never had a massage done before.

As I made my way to the parlour, I saw huge cutouts of butterflies in vibrant hues that decorated the outer walls of the salon. I realised I had reached my destination.

Sylvia Cheng, the host put my curiosity to rest.

As the name suggests, it's made of two words - Butterfly and Pond. Just as a butterfly undergoes constant transition and then reaches its beautiful stage, similarly the salon strives to transform its customers to make them look and feel pretty. And the pond symbolises my oasis where my needs will be catered to.

As I soaked in the salon's interiors in vibrant hues of orange, fuchsia pink and aqua blue, Sylvia worked on finding the right treatment for a first timer.

After some deliberation, she suggested the spa prestige massage.

Road to nirvana

After a quick change to my bare essentials, I was left in the expert hands of therapist Sushma Bali.

Sushma started off by applying a serum on my entire body. This was followed by a mixture of an exfoliating scrub and cream. She massaged this concoction gently on my hands, legs and back for around 45 minutes. The gentle kneading eased that niggling pain in my neck.

The scrub exfoliated while the moisturising quality of the cream left my skin feeling soft and supple. After the massage, Sushma wrapped my hands and legs in a muslin cloth to ensure that the skin remained soft and the moisturiser seeped deep inside.

Then came the most interesting part of the treatment. Room temperature water was mixed with the mud pack, which was then applied on a silver foil and wrapped around my body. The warmth of the mud pack coupled with the foil heated the water and provided immediate and much needed relief to my sore muscles. This lasted for around half an hour.

After two-and-a half hours of total pampering, I was in perfect bliss. My skin was glowing and I felt ethereal. All for just Rs 2,500!

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

'Ask my shrink why I make romantic flicks'

"People have still not seen my film. So how can they pass judgements? They can decide if Love Aaj Kal is inspired by a foreign film only after seeing it," says a nonchalant and slightly stressed Imtiaz Ali. Speculations are rife that his soon-to-be-released film is inspired by the Taiwanese movie Three Times. Right now the critically acclaimed film-maker is zipping in and out of studios and is inundated with phone calls as part of the promotional activity of the romantic caper.
All about love

Love Aaj Kal sounds almost like a comparative study between contemporary relationships with those of the past. Ali says, "We have grown up listening to love stories in the previous generation. But I always wondered how the same relationships would be in the present. This gave me the idea for Love Aaj Kal." The director who proclaims to be not very "film literate" says, "I see people around me and the kind of lives they lead. That's what inspires me to make movies."

Ali was, however, quite unperturbed by the success of Jab we Met while filming Love Aaj Kal. He says, "It was just another day, another piece of work for me. Honestly, pressure is only as much as you can take."

Character sketch

The director, who has earlier directed successful telly serials like Purushetraa for Zee TV and Imtihaan for Star Plus in mid 90s, was very clear that rather than Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone suited the character of Meera. Despite Saif Ali Khan being the producer of the film, Ali had no pressure to cast Kareena. He says, "The characters of Jai and Meera had certain traits that reflected in Saif and Deepika. So I thought they fit the bill perfectly."

Rest assured, Deepika and Saif will be seen in completely different characters in this film. Ali says, "I have seen all films of Deepika and just couple of Saif's movies. I didn't pay attention to how different they would be in my film. But yes, Deepika is playing a perceptive and intelligent contemporary girl. Of course, Saif is playing a Sardar which he has never played before. Both characters are simple with a sense of reality."

Apart from Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Rishi Kapoor, the movie also marks the debut of English actress Florence Brudenell in Bollywood. Brudenell plays one of Saif Ali Khan's love interests. Ali wanted to cast a new face in the significant role. He managed to rope in Brudenell after a casting agent thought she was a perfect candidate.

Major challenge

Love Aaj Kal has been filmed in real locations at London, San Francisco and Delhi. Ali's main challenge was to shoot real people on real locations. "When you are waiting at San Francisco station, we had to work around thousands of people over there. Not everything was under my control. But I had to mould my work around the given situation."

Future projects

If rumours are to be believed, then the curly-haired film-maker is planning to cast Akshay Kumar in his next venture, he refuses to divulge any details. Ask him why he always makes romantic films and pat comes the reply, "Ask my shrink. Honestly, I don't know!"

Rajeev's moment of truth

He's back with a bang! After winning accolades for his critically acclaimed role in Aamir, Rajeev Khandelwal is back on the small screen putting contestants and celebs alike in the hot seat in Sach Ka Saamna.
The Indian version of A Moment of Truth will see the Kahin Toh Hoga star grill celebs like Vinod Kambli and Bobby Darling, among others.

The actor proclaims he's proud to be a part of this show. But surprisingly, when he was asked to host Sach Ka Saamna, his first reaction was a stern "No". "Initially I refused as I wasn't shown the content and was too pre-occupied with my films. But Siddharth Basu convinced me to watch A Moment of Truth. After doing so, I told myself I couldn't let go of such an opportunity."

The actor, who will next be seen in Peter Gaya Kaam Se on the big screen, says it was quite difficult to control his emotions while on the show. He says, "I used to get carried away momentarily but then I had to constantly remind myself that I was a host. But I was in awe of all the contestants who had the courage to tell the truth."

We decided to give the host a taste of his own medicine. Here's what he spilled when he asked him some personal and embarrassing questions:

Have you ever called in sick to work when you really weren't?

Yes, I have done so. I love my work. But this was the time when I was part of a daily soap and had to shoot for 48 hours at a stretch. That's when I fell sick to get a few hours break from the gruelling schedule.

Did you ever throw a party at your parents' house or sneak off for a party without their knowledge?

Yes, recently I had gone to Jaipur at my parent's place. Usually when I go there, quite a lot of people come to meet me. And my parents always complain that I never give them enough time. This time, one of my cousins threw a party. And I literally jumped the stairs and the railing and sneaked past to enjoy the party.

Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their backs?

Yes, when I was in school and college. During college, there was a guy who was my friend but was quite a geeky character. We used to crack jokes at his expense. He knew very well that he was the butt of our jokes.

Do you secretly hate soaps?

I hate daily soaps as they lose objectivity.

Have you ever pretended to be happy for someone's success when you really weren't?

I don't think I have ever pretended. I am more concerned about my own life and don't do things to prove a point to anyone.

Have you ever snooped through your girlfriend's belongings?

Never. Few things are sacrosanct. I do not sneak into people's belongings especially when they are not comfortable.

Have you ever lied to get a job?

Never. I am an actor. I act, I can't lie.

Have you ever exaggerated to your friends the number of women you've been with?

Never. In fact, I have told them less a number as I don't think it's a great thing to flaunt.

Sach ka Saamna will air on Star Plus on 15th July at 10.30 pm.

An artist at heart

Artist Rekha Shivdasani's grit epitomises how it's never too late to pursue and realise your dreams. After being a travel agent for 30 years, she decided to take up painting at the age of 42 in 1995.

"I was always good at painting even in school. So, I thought why not pursue it", she says. Rekha started spending a lot of time with her canvas. She honed her skills by doing a lot of research and getting inspired by her surroundings.

"The more I experimented the more I learnt. The learning process was amazing," she says. Now at 55, she's all set to showcase her skills at her third exhibition in Mumbai. Named Tapah, this exhibition is quite close to her heart. "It's a culmination of the discipline and penance in my life."

Tapah will display about 30 pieces of small and medium sized paintings, which includes a few works of charcoal. "It's a happy blend of charcoal and figurative works. Sixty per cent of it comprises oils, while the remaining 40 per cent are abstracts."

Spreading knowledge

The self-taught artiste has exhibited in several cities around the world like Dubai, Muscat and Vancouver and her works adorn the homes and offices in New York, New Jersey, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Estonia, London, Singapore, India and New Zealand.

Rekha has also taught painting techniques to several students. "I believe that art should be imparted. My students have done shows in Dubai, Jeddah, Karachi and Mumbai."


Individualistic style

Rekha indulges in a lot of oils, abstracts and figurative semi-abstracts. Charcoals are her forte. Passionate strokes are the main highlights of her works. Her designs are influenced by her strong philosophical beliefs.

She chooses her base from all over the world but sticks to Indian colours as they are more vibrant.

She counts Indian artist Jaideep Mehrotra has her greatest role model. "I simply love his style. He experiments with a lot of new mediums and his works are always suggestive."

Art as a way of life

A self-proclaimed regimented experimentalist, Rekha feels that art can bring joy and peace to individuals seeking solace.

She firmly believes that "Art is all about the art, not about the artist."

(Rekha Shivdasani's exhibition Tapah will be on from August 3-9 at the Museum Art gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai).

Is there a Mr Right?

Most of us have grown up with the notion of falling in love with our Mr Right, thanks to those Mills & Boons copies that we have grown up reading. So we make him up to be the perfect mix of brawn and brains or a tall, dark and handsome guy who can make us go weak in our knees.


But most of the time, surprisingly, we often lose our heart to someone who is a far cry from our image of Mr Right. Wonder why? Here’s the reason: According to anthropologist Dr Helen Fisher, a Rutgers University professor and author of the book, Why Him? Why her? Finding real love by understanding your personality type, there are specific reasons why we fall in love with certain people.

What’s your personality type?

Dr Fisher coined four broad personality types - explorer, builder, director and negotiator - on the basis of the interplay of various neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen in our brain.

Explorers have more dopamine and are usually creative, enthusiastic, optimistic, risk-takers and seek novelty. However, when they are in a relationship, in a bid to attract and impress the opposite sex, they tend to go too fast.

Builders are dominated by serotonin that makes them calm, social, cautious and traditional with excellent networking skills. They tend to stick to certain rules while dating and always want to flaunt their love interests to their friends.

True to their name, directors have more of testosterone and are direct, ambitious, and competitive and simply love music. They tend to make up their minds too fast and can often have razor sharp tongues. The negotiators are dominated by estrogen and are compassionate, verbal, imaginative and clairvoyant. Since they are so kind and compassionate, they are often misconstrued as doormats.

Opposites attract?

Opposites attract. This has been the famous notion that has underlined the love lives of many people. But is there any truth to it? Well, it’s partially true. While explorers and builders tend to be drawn to people like themselves, directors are attracted to negotiators and vice versa. The perfect mix of testosterone and estrogen helps individuals strike a balance in their relationships.

College student Shamika Dharamshi says, “I think the interplay of neurochemicals does play a vital part in our choices unconsciously. I am more of an explorer and I tend to get attracted to people like me. I would dread being in a relationship with a person who has a personality type like a director with high testosterone levels.”

Other factors at play

Apart from these chemicals, there are several other factors that determine whom we get attracted to and fall in love with. According to Dr YA Matcheswalla, psychiatrist and professor at Grant Medical College, JJ Hospital, factors like genetics, heredity, environment and Freudian concepts also influence our love choices.

“The chromosomes that we receive from our parents, the external factors that influence our personality and the Freudian concepts that we face in the first six years of our lives influence the choices that we make.” Apart from this, the way a person gets attracted to someone from the opposite sex on the basis of looks, thoughts, compatibility and body language.

Graphic designer Shivani Gupta says, “Whenever I’m dating someone, I look out for compatibility. If I share a good vibe with someone and if he makes me feel comfortable, then it’s quite natural that I’ll get attracted to him. Then, I look at his personality.”

The interplay of neurochemicals and various factors influence our love choices. So, the next time your heart skips a beat when you fall in love, you know what the reason is!

Musically yours, Anushka

Anushka Manchanda's spunk and zest for life has taken her on the road to success...

Her life has been a roller coaster ride. From being a Delhi teenager to member of the first Indian all-girl band 'Viva', a veejay and a playback singer, Anushka Manchanda has donned several hats.

Talent channel

Till a few years ago, she was amongst the many starry-eyed participants of Channel V's nationwide talent hunt contest. She was finally chosen as one of the five girls to form the band 'Viva' in 2002.

The all-girl band shot to fame quickly, but their meteoric rise was cut short due to in-fighting. After the band decided to split, Anushka got a break with her mentor channel as a VJ. "I was called in to audition and before I knew it, I was with the channel. I had a blast! I travelled! I partied! My work was like play," she says nostalgically.

Notes of a singer

After a short stint as a veejay, Anushka decided to pursue her singing career. She sang for South-Indian music composers like Harris Jayaraj (of Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein fame) and Sandeep Chowta.

Soon, Bollywood beckoned her. "I was at the Chennai airport on my way back to Mumbai, after a recording, when Vishal Dadlani called me. He said 'There's this song that Shekhar and I think your voice will work for'. He asked me to hum out a couple of lines after him and then told me to drop in at their studio." The song was the hip-hop title track of Golmaal in 2006, which soon went on to become a chartbuster. What followed were hits from Zindaggi Rocks, Chak De and Cash. "I had the most fun recording a rap section for one of the songs on Cash. There was also this scream I had to do for Bad Bad Girls for Chak De." Apart from lending her voice for forthcoming films like De Taali, Dulha Mil Gaya and Alladin, the artiste is now working on her solo album. She describes music as an integral part of her life.

"I've always loved music. I grew up listening to Deep Purple, Santana and a lot of rock, since that was the kind of music that was played at home. My mum bought me a piano, my dad got me a guitar and my closest friends in school all sang. So it was inevitable."

Standing tall

The 23-year-old, who likes to lead life on her own terms, finds the film industry quite intriguing.

"There's a certain way you're expected to behave in the industry. Apparently, you can't afford to piss people off. Fortunately, I've worked with some really chilled out musicians, so I've never been in a difficult situation."

Any area that she would like to improvise as a singer and Anushka quips, "A lot of people are under the impression that my Hindi isn't very good. Well, I'm from Delhi, so my Hindi is full power! Maybe I need to sing and enunciate my words more clearly!!"

The world on my plate

Meet Executive Chef Vijay Anand Bakshi of Ibis, Gurgaon, an economy brand of the Accor group of hotels, who is an avid globetrotter and loves to rustle up a variety of exotic meals. In a tete a tete with iDiva, Chef Bakshi reveals what inspires him to tease people's palates.
When did you start cooking?

I started cooking at the age of 12. One day I came early from school and was terribly hungry. No one was at home. I found some suji in the cupboard and milk. I dared to try some suji halwa. I just boiled some milk, added suji and sugar. I was so thrilled. But later on in the evening, when my mom looked at my gastronomic creation, I realised that halwa is eaten with a spoon and NOT DRUNK in a glass!

Where did you train? How difficult was the training?

I trained at the Taj Coromandel Hotel, Chennai. With long hours of work and too many kitchens and sections, it was quite difficult. Secondly, I couldn't speak the local language. It took me two months to speak the basic words and converse in Tamil.

When did you join Ibis and what does it specialise in?

Ibis is an economy brand of the Accor group of hotels. It specialises in a wide variety of food. The buffet food has an elaborate spread from south Indian food to north Indian, Oriental and continental, Lebanese, Chinese, Moroccan, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Thai etc. I joined Ibis in March 2008.

What has been your funniest kitchen experience?

This incident occurred 17 yrs ago. There was a very senior cook at Taj Residency, Vizag. He was an excellent dosa master but was very absent minded. One day, he wanted to deep fry some poories and found some sediments in the oil. So he decided to strain the oil. He managed to lift a strainer from the juice section. Not realising the outcome he strained the hot frying oil through this plastic strainer. To his surprise, he couldn't figure out where did the net of the strainer vanish? (When you strain hot oil through a plastic strainer, the net gets melted.)

Soon everyone came to know about what had happened and made fun of him. Even today, I narrate this incident to all my friends and have a hearty laugh.

What have been some memorable incidents from your global travel experiences?

Circumnavigating the globe thrice was absolute fun. Visiting different countries, tasting various cuisines, listening to a variety of music and speaking a wide range of languages was mind boggling! Once I was 72 Deg north of the equator in Norway where I didn't experience any sunset throughout my stay. I was also fortunate to cruise Trans Atlantic within six days, setting the clock behind an hour every night during the west bound cruise and the reverse (an hour advance) during the east bound.

Since you have travelled extensively, do you see any visible differences in the work culture here in India and abroad?

There are a lot of differences. Abroad, the infrastructure is very advanced. The hygiene and sanitation standards are high. The quality of ingredients is excellent. Public health Inspections are taken seriously.

In India also, we have started inspections and audits. Today, a Microbiology lab is a must in every quality hotel. The management has started training their staff intensely on hygiene and sanitation. But in India, we still face difficulty in finding vendors who are consistent. Every single day, there has to be a chef at the receiving deck to reject vegetables and fruits of inferior quality.

According to you, what is the future of Indian cuisine?

I would say "Back to future"! We will all go back to healthy home made foods, with less oil and butter. Indian food is getting more and more popularity. The day is not far when Indian food will rule the world.

Rapid fire:

1. Favourite spice: Green cardamom.

2. Haven for food: Mama's kitchen

3. Favourite gadget in the kitchen: A tasting spoon!