Archives for 2017

Rohit Bal at his Defence Colony store in New Delhi. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

The bold & brazen, the frank & honest, the king of haute couture, the bad boy of the fashion world, the master of fabric & fantasy and of course controversy is his middle name. The number of epithets used for him is endless. He is none other than Rohit Bal a fashion designer par excellence from the heavenly place Kashmir. Right from his heydays his mantra was style. And right from day one in the fashion world he is known more for his sophisticated cuts and breathing fabrics. Shaheen Raaj recently played a little telephonic game with him called the A – Z of fashion. Tune in with your fabrics & scissors.

Accessories: There are no hard & fast rules but I like to use women’s jewellery on men & men’s accessories on women. In fact I am always experimenting with my brand of designer clothes line. Besides I was also the brand ambassador for Omega watches. Who says that designers cannot model for products?

Bangalore: This city is like my second home because I have many friends here and the best of them is Prasad Bidappa. A common line of conversational greeting between us is ‘Hi fashion guru Prasad Bidappa!’ to which he replies ‘Welcome Mr. Rohit Bal, the king of fashion!’ The people out here are very warm hearted, loving, caring & sweet. It has always been my dream to have my own boutique here for my special Rohit Bal clothes line and branded collection.

Colors: My choice of colors for my collections is mostly restricted to subtle colors like pastels and others reflecting earthy tones to dress up my men & women.

Designers: My personal favorite of course is Prasad Biddappa who had made Bangalore a more prominent fashion city on the global map with his annual 5 days show of exclusive Men’s Fashion Fair. It’s most unfortunate that it is no more now instead there is the on – going Bangalore Fashion week which culminates in a 4 day extravaganza.

Ethnic: This kind of dresses may be the latest flavor of the season but I also like to design traditional, modern & contemporary clothes. But my personal favorites are the clothes made of handloom & khaki fabrics.

Fashion: It is the order of the day from day – to – day changing trends. So no future forecasts or any predictions can be made in this regard. And please don’t ask me about Madhur Bhandarkar’s ex – film Fashion as I don’t want to make any comments about it. Suffice it to say that I saw the movie & I enjoyed it.

Gay: They are not made in heaven and they are not born to be gays. But when they grow up circumstances make them so. So what if most of the male models & designers are tagged with the label of gays? Even I am open about my sexual preferences. There is an abundance of gays in all walks of life then why blame only the fashion world. May be because there is an overdose of hunky beefcakes here enough to build a harem like the Nawabs & Kings of olden times.

Imagine: The world without fashion scenario, designers & models especially the male hunks.

James Bond: No matter which actor plays the role but his character is always the perfectly dressed man with style, finesse & panache.

Kings of Fashion: At present Amitabh Bachchan in Bollywood, Brad Pitt & Justin Timberlake in Hollywwod & my all time favorite Milind Soman in the fashion world.

Lobbying in fashion world: Naturally because there is a cut throat competition in the fashion world too.

Male casting couch: No it’s not a myth it really exists as in every profession.

Nudity: Yes! It is slowly making inroads in the fashion arena too via calendar shoots including semi nudity on the ramps.

Oomph factor: Without this, the fashion industry is meaningless especially in terms of female models.
Parties: They are the life & soul of the fashion world. It gives more prominence to celebrities, fashioniastas, Pg 3 people in the fashion world. And then when people get tipsy out here it’s bound to give rise to controversies galore.

Queens of fashion: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Bollywood and in Hollywood & overseas fashion world I would like to list all my clienteles like Uma Thurman, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell & Anna Kournikova.

Ramp Walking: Every young men & women wants to walk the ramp but it’s not so easy. It requires a lot of training, hard work & destiny to make it to the ramps.

Styles: It also changes with every moment of the day with the designer’s imagination, innovation & creativity.

Top most male & female models: Oh! There are lots & lots of them but my personal favorites are Jackie Shetty, Pashmina Barker, Roshan Isaac, Aryan Vaid, Prasanna, Muzzammil Ibrahim, Jatin Grewal et al. I tell you the list is endless. In the initial stages there were just a handful of them whom you could count on your fingertips.

Unisex fashion: it’s not a new trend it has been there since ages and only now it is gaining more & more prominence. So I think it’s good for a change.

Vogue: With this word I can think only of Vogue fashion institute & Vogue the fashion magazine.

Watch dogs of fashion: The other word for moral policing which of late has been more & more in the news for obvious reasons.

X factor of fashion: it could be anything related to fashion.

Yacht: I would like to own a big one of my own & hold a grand & unique fashion show on it of my own latest & branded designer collections.

Zzzzzzz: You decide on your own I am absolutely clueless about this word unless you consider Zodiac sign of mine and Zodiac as a brand name which is also very popular on its own.

by Faizan Asad & Shaheen Raaj

Attending a cultural fest of a college is not really a tempting fare for us media scribes, especially being connected to the entertaining showbiz world. But attending the cultural fest of Utopia 2017 was not only a pleasant surprise but it also turned out to be a very entertainingly enriching experience (EEE), a rare one at that. And all plaudits & kudos goes to the organisers, the volunteers & the core PR committee of Symbiosis Institute Of Business Management (SIBM).

A one day trip to Symbiosis Institute in a far away Benguluru locale of Electronic City to attend the cultural fest was the only one of its rarest kind that yours truly Shaheen Raaj & my colleague Faizan Asad will never forget in a ziffy. As right down from the varied programmes like the dances, the basket ball – “Slam Dunk” game, the songs, the miming act, the nukkad natak performed so enthusiastically for blood donation drive, the fashion show and of course the hospitality, added with the to & fro journey from our office in Frazer Town to the SIBM institute in Electronic city in tandem with the luncheon treat peppered with the most spicy Hyderabi Biryani in lieu with other food stuffs, no doubt will remain etched in our memory for a long, long time to come.

So Utopia 2017, the International Cultural Fest of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) Bengaluru saw 598 students from 23 countries like Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Angola, Ivory coast, Camoon, Uganda, Benin, North Sudan, Sri Lanka, Hungary, Dic Congo, Yemen, Togo, South Sudan, Malawi, India, Afghanistan, Vietnam, UAE, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria & Tibet came together to celebrate unity, peace & harmony, that are the foundations of a better world.

The theme for this year’s cultural fest of SIBM was “Cynosure”, meaning “Centre Of Attention”, you can also term it as “Centre Of Attraction”, which also refers to the North Star. Every year Utopia is celebrated by SIBM Bengaluru to honour the birthday of the founder of Symbiosis International University, Dr. S. B. Mujumdar who is currently celebrating his 82nd summer of his rewarding life.

In a world where new walls are built every day, the entire group of students National & International came together under one roof to celebrate a world without walls.
The director, Dr, Rajesh Panda in his inaugural speech averred, “In a time when there is a global uncertainty & turmoil, we are setting the stage for unity in diversity.” On the other hand Matic Kasnik, the Chief Guest of the cultural fest exulted, “Living with people from different nationalities, not only opens up one’s mind, but also opens you to new challenges.”

The 1st ever competition of the event “Danzon” saw a perfect mix of varied dance forms where the participants set the stage ablaze with their energetic dance moves. At the same time the basketball court came alive with the sports lovers sweating it out at “Slam Dunk” (Basketball) & “Joga Bonita” (Futsal).

This was followed by a street play (Nukkad Natak) dedicated to creating awareness for the blood donation drive which was organised on the same day by the Social Responsibility Committee of the SIBM College. This year the students collected 226 units of blood breaking their previous year’s record. One of the iconic events of Utopia was the Mime which transcended the boundaries of speech and successfully portrayed the angst caused by separation.

The music club of the college “Saaz” performed a heartfelt tribute to the Late Chester Bennington by performing his famous “Numb”. The day needed a splash of glamour & “Poise”, and the glittering fashion show provided just that. The participants from varied colleges sizzled the ramp with their exotic outfits. The event concluded with an enthralling “War Of The DJs” in which 8 DJ’s from across the city made everyone dance to their beats.

Pranav Jain, the coordinator of the organising committee stated, “SIBM Bengaluru has truly been the centre of attraction, echoing the theme for this year, “Cynosure”, having witnessed some spectacular performances throughout the day. It again proved to us that we really are One World, One Family.”

The fest ended on high spirits as the message of standing together in the face of adversity resonated throughout the walls of SIBM (Bengaluru).

In conclusion a word about Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Bengaluru. SIBM was established in 2008 as a constituent of Symbiosis International University with the aim of imparting world – class education to students and transforming them into top notch leaders of the corporate world. At SIBM Bengaluru, eminent faculty from across the country, holistic learning – focussed pedagogy, passion – driven students & world – class facilities meet the epicentre of knowledge to create the future business leaders.

by Rizwan Asad & Shaheen Raaj

Mohamed Jbali Cheating His Spouse

Just because Danielle Mullins & Mohamed Jabli is no longer married doesn’t mean that the 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? couple is done forever with reality television. In fact, it sounds like Danielle already has something lined up. Mohamed Jabli & Danielle Mullins may not be as bad as Anfisa & Jorge, but they’re still pretty close to the bottom. As a couple, they were so toxic together that they’re now divorced. In the end, while Mohamed Jabli came across as selfish & sleazy and probably a cheater, Danielle herself didn’t seem like a great person. Which is a shame, because she could have tried to present herself as a sympathetic victim? People would have ignored Mohamed Jabli’s claims that she had a strange & foul body odor if she’d made herself likable, you know? Instead, she comes across as spiteful. It seems like she set out to ruin Mohamed Jabli’s life as punishment for not having sex with her except for that one time that they really banged. Mohamed Jabli himself isn’t a great person, either. but after the way that Danielle treated him, people hardly blamed him for hiding from her.

George Clooney To Prosecute A French Magazine

A French magazine called Voici has shared the 1st ever photos of George Clooney & Amal Clooney’s baby twins, much to the actor’s understandable chagrin. The famous couple welcomed their kids into the world early last month, with sources confirming at the time that they were named Ella & Alexander. But neither George Clooney nor Amal Clooney has spoken out in any kind of detail about the kids, while not sharing pictures of the children on social media, either. They have done all they can to keep information about the twins as private as possible. On the cover of this random publication, however, one can see one photo of George Clooney holding a twin and another of Amal Clooney cradling what appears to be her daughter. The stars are seen at the actor’s Lake Como estate in Italy’s Lombardy region in the controversial images. The magazine may have messed with the wrong superstar, though. George Clooney isn’t sitting back and letting this privacy violation simply take place without having his say, both verbally & possibly in a court of law. In fact he has plans to prosecute the French outlet for secretly taking & publishing paparazzi pictures of his newborn twins.

Joy – Anna Duggar Slammed For Obscenity

The Duggars and public displays of affection don’t usually go hand in hand. Heck, you’re not even allowed to hold hands while dating. Sorry, courting. They don’t do “dating.” After marriage, however, side hugs go out the window and fornication is encouraged, as reproduction is basically one’s reason for being. Still, while Derick Dilliard & Jill Dilliard’s levels are considered relatively high by Duggar standards, they tend to keep things pretty tame, at least in public. All of this brings us to the newlyweds Joy – Anna Duggar & Austin Forsyth, who recently tied the knot and are now allowed to front hug. Hard. They can even hold hands & kiss.

Scott Disick Drunk At A Bar

Scott Disick’s recent string of behavior has all just been an act or some sort of self – parody. Recently he was seen sloppy drunk in public, but it also sounded like the guy who claims he’s not a sex addict was coming across as desperate, at best, for sex from total strangers. This guy needs help. So, as we know, Scott Disick has been drinking & partying to excess on a well – publicized bender that’s basically lasted all year. Part of that has just been constant drinking to excessive levels. Scott Disick reportedly only stays sober around his 3 kids. Another huge part of that is chasing very, very young models. All of this would be fine, he isn’t cheating on Kourtney, This is all being publicized, so even if his kids are sheltered from this now, they’ll have to learn about their father’s ridiculous antics eventually. His son Mason is old enough to pick up on a little news or notice a story in a magazine at a friend’s house. And then there’s the grim reality that Scott’s ever – intensifying spiral of behavior could result in his death. That could impact his children for life.

Audrey Roloff’s Shocking Fight

Audrey Roloff does not have a perfect marriage. The Little People, Big World stars get along very well nearly every week on their TLC reality show and Audrey has taken too often showering Jeremy Roloff with praise. This doesn’t mean the couple never fights. And it doesn’t mean they don’t need to work hard on their relationship. The never needing journey of becoming one isn’t always easy, Audrey wrote at the outset of a lengthy caption on Instagram this weekend. She states “We come from different backgrounds, upbringings, parenting, spending habits, theologies, so we are bound to have conflict. It’s not a matter of if we will fight, but when & how.” Roloff does not get into the intricacies of why they got into a recent argument. But she did share many words of wisdom with her Instagram followers in an attempt to help them along the way in their marital journeys.

Tamra Judge Is Too Worried

if there’s one thing that people who’ve suddenly gained weight love more than having news of it broadcast worldwide, it’s for their friends to constantly talk about it to their faces and behind their backs! So Shannon Beador must be positively ecstatic right now. Tamra Judge says that she is just so worried about Shannon. She talks about it at length in her blog post, which we’re sure is exactly what Shannon wants. Tamra Judge says that Shannon Beador’s weight puts her life at risk, which, while technically true, sounds like absolutely zero of her business. The way that Tamra phrases it, though, it almost sounds like she’s trying to compliment Shannon.

Kim Kardashian Sued For $100 Million!!!!!

It’s a good thing royalties are still rolling in for the Kim Kardashian Sex Tape because its main attraction may soon need all the money she can earn. Kardashian and her company Kimsaprincess, Inc. were hit with a pretty major lawsuit recently by someone named Hooshmand Harooni. He claims he filed for, and was approved for, a patent back in 2013 for an “integrated lighting accessory and case for a mobile phone device.” Why is this relevant? Why should this sound familiar if you’re a follower of Kim Kardashian on social media? Because this might as well be the description of the LuMee. The LuMee is a product Kim has been pushing for years. It’s a small light that is affixed to one’s cell phone and is allegedly helps one take the perfect selfie. This is true, based on Kardashian’s very public use of the accessory, whether you’re snapping pictures of your own cleavage….!

Sam Shepard No More

Sam Shepard, a long – time actor, playwright & director, has passed away at the age of 73. It seems the actor died from complications related to ALS. Shepard was a well – respected star of the big screen and of the stage, having penned an incredible 44 plays and numerous books throughout his career. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for the play Buried Child and was also nominated for an Academy Award for the role of Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff in 1983. At one time, New York magazine dubbed Shepard “the greatest American playwright of his generation.” Shepard was born on 5th Nov, 1943 and started his acting career opposite Richard Gere & Brooke Adams in 1978’s Days Of Heaven. He later received praise for his work in 1980’s Resurrection, prior to his Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Right Stuff 3 years later. By the mid – 1980s, with the film adaption of his play Fool For Love, Shepard was successfully straddling the worlds of play – writing & acting. He ended up on a cover of Newsweek as a result. Shepard was elected to The American Academy of Arts & Letters in 1986 and elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences that same year. His is survived by his 3 children from his marriage to O – Lan Jones and from his relationship with Jessica Lange. The late star was married to Jones from 1969 until their divorce in 1984; while his relationship with Lange lasted from 1982 until 2009, when they broke up.

Gwen Stefani Expecting Twins

Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton have been dating since the fall of 2015, just a few months after their respective splits from Gavin Rossdale & Miranda Lambert. And since then, one has head many times that Gwen is pregnant with Blake’s baby? So there better be some truth to this new report from OK! Magazine! As a source explains to the magazine, Gwen & Blake are “head over heels in love,” and at least that much is true. “Gwen & Blake were desperate to start a family together,” the source says, “and they think tying the knot would be the perfect way to celebrate.” Oh yeah, we forgot to mention that in addition to a new round of baby rumors, this report also suggests that we’ll see a wedding at the end of this summer. But, going back to the baby angle, the source admits that “At her age, a pregnancy would be nothing short of a miracle.” Gwen’s 47 years old now, by the way.

Lamar Odom Gets Candid

To say that Lamar Odom has struggled in recent years would be a massive understatement. The former NBA star & ex – husband of Khloe Kardashian has come up against just about every kind of adversity one can imagine. Granted, many of his difficulties have been self – created, but to his credit, Lamar Odom has been surprisingly candid about the extent to which he’s responsible for his own suffering. Back in Oct, 2015, Lamar Odom overdosed during a bender at a brothel in Nevada. For a while, it looked as though Lama Odom would never emerge from his coma, but miraculously he managed a near – total recovery. Lamar Odom says he’s sober these days, but his road to a healthier life hasn’t been an easy one. Lamar Odom was spotted drinking & behaving erratically on multiple occasions after his overdose, and it was his stubborn refusal to change his ways that reportedly led Khloe to cut ties with her ex completely. In a new piece he penned for The Player’s Tribune, Lamar Odom opens up about the ways he self – destructed, revealing that his personal rock bottom came when Khloe walked on him doing coke with a girl he’d been cheating on her with.