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Bollywood has powerful international footprint: Designer Manish Malhotra

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Having worked on the costumes for films like “Rangeela”, “Mohabbatein”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” and “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” in his over-two-decade journey in Hindi filmdom, ace fashion designer and couturier Manish Malhotra says Bollywood has a powerful international impact.

In his stint in the Hindi film industry, Malhotra has styled the who’s who of Bollywood, including names like Tabu, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Sridevi, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka Chopra, among many others.

Asked if celebrities play a big role in driving a designer’s popularity, Malhotra told IANS in an e-mail interview from Mumbai: “In a country where cinema and its influence is as prevalent as it is, actors are looked up to as much for their sartorial choices as for their performances. Bollywood has a powerful international footprint, with massive popularity, including social media following, not to mention a front row seat to every fashion week.

“It is only natural that actors mirror the evolution of modern culture on-screen, and off it — with their personal style.”

Malhotra ventured into the world of Hindi showbiz by designing costumes for actress Juhi Chawla in 1990 for the movie “Swarg”.

He also designed ensembles for actress Urmila Matondkar for “Rangeela” in 1995, for which he garnered recognition. Since then, he has been on a roll and has designed costumes for films like “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…”, “Raja Hindustani”, “Veer-Zaara” and “Dhadak”, as well as carved a niche with his own brand.

Malhotra launched his label in 2005. He says designing clothes for films is his “first love”.

“I’ll never leave them, and they’ll never leave me — hopefully. Today, if I had a choice between a couture collection and the movies, I would choose the latter. For me today, it’s all about my label. I want to start a diffusion line, I want to open stores worldwide, I want to expand the avenues of my label. Maybe 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have had that mindset, but today I do,” he said.

From styling the likes of Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena, Rani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta and even international singer Kylie Minogue — is there any personality left he would like to give a style twist with his designs?

“I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such wonderful talents across generations, be it Karisma, Kareena, Anushka, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka, Kajol, and Alia Bhatt. It has been their confidence, grace and femininity that has continued to inspire me.”

Malhotra said he is always looking to work with trailblazers who are not afraid to experiment through fashion as a medium of self- expression.

Currently, the designer is looking forward to showcase his collection, inspired by his latest couture range Zween, at the first Fashion Weekend International (FWI) in Doha.

“Various aspects from the Middle Eastern culture — be it the centuries-old architecture, black and white cinema to the native flora and fauna — have been key inspirations for this collection,” he said, adding that he would be showcasing over 60 ensembles.

Aishwarya will be seen walking as the showstopper for Malhotra at FWI. He says the former beauty queen epitomises grace.

“Aishwarya is not only a dear friend but has also been my design muse for many years now. Having worked with her in various films, runway shows and red carpet appearances, it has always been a pleasure, given her strong work ethic,” he added.

IANS

Terror funding: NIA raids Srinagar businessman’s residence

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 A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday searched the residence of a businessman in Srinagar in connection with a terror funding case, police sources said.

The central anti-terror agency carried out searches at the residence and office premises of Ajaz Ahmad Hakak in connection with its ongoing probe into the hawala terror funding by the Pakistan-based Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), an NIA official told IANS in Delhi.

The raids were carried out in Srinagar’s old city area at Hakak’s Nowhatta residence. There was no report about any seizure made.

The NIA action comes a week after it had busted a hawala network linked to the FIF and arrested three persons from Delhi, including a Kashmir-based hawala courier.

The agency had seized over Rs 1 crore in cash and Rs 43,000 in Nepali currency and several incriminating documents from the arrested men.

According to the NIA, some Delhi-based individuals were receiving funds from FIF operatives based abroad and were using the money for terror activities in the country.

The NIA had arrested Mohammad Salman, 52, Mohammad Salim aka Mama, 62, Sajjad Abdul Wani, 34, of Srinagar.

Salman was said to be in regular touch with a Dubai-based Pakistani national, who in turn was connected with the deputy chief of FIF, a charity group linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The FIF is a Lahore-based organisation established by Jamat-ud-Dawa and acts as a front for the LeT. FIF was founded in 1990 by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

IANS

Fuel price hike: Petrol costs Rs 91.20/litre in Mumbai, Rs 83.85/litre in Delhi

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The price of petrol is Rs 91.20 (up by Rs 0.12) in Mumbai, Tuesday. The price of diesel also hit a new high for the third consecutive day, retailing at Rs 78.69 per litre (up by Rs 0.17) in the city. The fuel prices are the highest in Maharashtra due to heavy VAT levied by the state government. In Delhi, a litre of petrol costs Rs 83.85 (up by Rs 0.12), while diesel is being sold at Rs 75.25/litre (up by Rs 0.16).

Among the other cities, a litre of petrol costs Rs 85.65 in Kolkata, Rs 87.18 in Chennai, Rs77.34 in Panjim. Diesel, on the other hand, is retailing at Rs 77.10/litre in Kolkata, at Rs 79.57/litre in Chennai, Rs 76.68/litre in Panjim, according to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the largest fuel retailer in India. With petroleum is still excluded from the GST regime, prices vary according to local VAT rates.

Meanwhile, taking on the government, the Maharashtra Congress performed a solemn “shraaddh” (a post-death ritual) of cans of petrol and diesel, and US Dollar on the first day of “Pitrupaksh” in wake of the spiralling fuel prices in the state. Saying that the fuel has now become befitting gifts for weddings, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said, “States like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Rajasthan and others have already reduced taxes on fuel. Why can’t Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis follow suit and reduce people’s misery.”

IANS

Abe replaces Defence, Health Ministers in Cabinet reshuffle

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday replaced his Ministers of Defence and Health, Labour and Welfare in a major Cabinet reshuffle, with an eye on upcoming elections for the upper house of the Parliament in 2019, to be followed by lower house elections in 2021.

This was Abe’s first major reshuffle after he was re-elected as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September.

Abe retained six of the 19 ministers in his Cabinet and named 13 new ministers, out of which 12 were former ministers, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was cited as saying by Efe news.

The most significant change in the Cabinet was new Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who replaced Itsunori Onodera at a time when the government was set to push a controversial reform to change its pacifist Constitution.

Abe also named Takumi Nemoto as the new Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, replacing Katsunobu Kato, while veteran politician Yoshitaka Sakurada was appointed as the Minister of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Satsuki Katayama, currently the only woman minister in the Cabinet after Abe replaced two other female ministers, will be the new Regional Revitalization Minister.

Two of Abe’s closest aides, Finance Minister Taro Aso, and Suga himself retained their portfolios, along with Foreign Minister Taro Kono, Economy and Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko and Minister of State for Economic Revitalization and Human Resources Toshimitsu Motegi.

The reshuffle indicated Abe was set to continue with his economic policy or “Abenomics”, that was launched six years ago to revive the world’s third biggest economy.

The leader also reorganized the leadership of his party on Tuesday, naming former Health Minister Kato as chairman of the party’s general council, with the objective of pushing the proposed constitutional amendment.

This was Abe’s fifth Cabinet reshuffle in six years and across three terms.

IANS

Indonesia quake, tsunami toll jumps to 1,234: Disaster agency

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The confirmed death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has risen to 1,234, from 844, the national disaster agency said on Tuesday.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday triggered tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet), which ravaged the small city of Palu, on the west coast of Sulawesi.

Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced and are in need of emergency help, while thousands have been streaming out of the stricken areas.

Rescuers have yet to reach many affected areas leading to fears the death toll could rise again.

Nigel Timmins, Oxfam’s humanitarian director, said it could take weeks to realise the full extent of the disaster.

“It’s not just a wall of water, it’s a wall of water full of debris: concrete, trees, cars – everything being churned around like a giant cement mixer. It’s like a huge bulldozer that clears away the land and afterward you’re left with complete chaos,” Timmins told Al Jazeera.

About 1,700 houses in one Palu neighbourhood were swallowed up, with hundreds of people believed buried, the national disaster agency said.

There was also mounting concern over Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicentre, and two other districts – with a combined population of about 1.4 million.

Initial reports from Red Cross rescuers who had reached the outskirts of Donggala district were chilling.

“The situation in the affected areas is nightmarish,” Jan Gelfand, head of an the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) office in Jakarta, said in a statement.

“The city of Palu has been devastated and first reports out of Donggala indicate that it has also been hit extremely hard by the double disaster,” Gelfand said.

Aljazeera

Kovind, Naidu, Modi pay tributes to Shastri on his birth anniversary

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President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 114th birth anniversary at Vijay Ghat here.

“Remembering our former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastriji on his birth anniversary. His integrity, wartime leadership and role in the shaping of the Green Revolution remains an inspiration for the entire country,” the President tweeted.

“Paying tributes to the former Prime Minster and great son of our soil, Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth Anniversary at Vijay Ghat in Delhi today,” Naidu tweeted attaching photographs.

Paying tribute to Shastri, Modi said he “epitomised strength and simplicity. He led India at a crucial time and worked hard to make our nation more prosperous”.

Shastri was born in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari Devi on October 2, 1904.

On January 11, 1966, he breathed his last in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a day after signing the Tashkent Declaration, reportedly due to cardiac arrest.

Shastri was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award in 1966.

IANS

President, PM, Rahul remember Gandhi on his birth anniversary

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Launching a two-year-long celebration marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday shared their messages on social media.

“Tribute to Bapu on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhiji’s life was devoted to the ideals of peace, brotherhood and harmony. Today, there is an opportunity to replicate our allegiance and resolve towards these ideals. Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings are relevant to the whole of humanity,” Kovind tweeted early in the day.

Sharing his op-ed to national dailies on the occasion, the Prime Minister said: “From today we are entering Pujya Bapu’s 150th anniversary year. It is a great opportunity for all of us to fulfill their dreams. #Gandhi150.”

In his op-ed he said: “He (the Mahatma) remains a shining beacon of hope for millions of people across the world who seek a life of equality, dignity, inclusion and empowerment. The impact he left on human society has few parallels…

“Let us think about how our actions can contribute to a cleaner and greener environment for the future generations. Almost eight decades ago, when the threats of pollution were not as much, Gandhiji took to cycling…

Modi also tweeted on the “insightful op-ed” by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on “how India and Singapore are united in the pursuit of building a cleaner and better tomorrow for the coming generations”.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi said truth and non-violence — the two beacons of Mahatma Gandhi’s life — that he lived and died for, are India’s foundation and true patriots must protect them.

“Gandhiji, is not an immobile statue, he is a living set of ideas and values flowing through India. Truth and non-violence, which he lived for and was killed for are the foundation of our country. True patriots must protect them,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

IANS

Minor apprehended for attempting rape on Class 3 girl

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In a shocking case, a 15-year-old boy has been apprehended here for allegedly trying to rape his neighbour — a Class 3 girl student, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Aslam Khan said the incident was reported from north Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar on Monday evening.

A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged immediately, the police officer said.

“Following that, the accused was apprehended,” she said, adding the case was being investigated.

(IANS)

2 students immolate self over love affair

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Inspired by a Telugu film, two Class 10 students committed self-immolation over fear of failure in love affair in Telangana’s Jagtiyal town, police said on Monday.

Contrary to initial reports that they allegedly died in a clash over an affair with the same girl, the investigations revealed that they took the extreme step after their parents chided them for continuously chatting with girls.

Both the students, aged 16, consumed liquor before pouring petrol on themselves and committing self-immolation. The incident occurred in the town about 190 km from here.

The police officer said the students were inspired by recent film ‘RX 100’ in which the hero ends his life for his lover.

K. Mahender died on the spot while Ravi Teja, who sustained critical injuries succumbed in a hospital.

Their families had suspicion that there could be some conspiracy. The police, however, found that there was nobody else on the scene.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Venkatramna said the boys purchased petrol and consumed liquor before immolating self.

IANS

Smugglers kill anti-drug activist in Delhi

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An activist who had been fighting drug smugglers and local criminals in south Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar was gunned down by two suspected smugglers who came to buy drugs near his residence, police said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday night at around 9 p.m when the victim, Rupesh, 28, was playing with his children outside his residence.

The attackers first stabbed a drug peddler when they did not get fine quality drugs from him and later attacked Rupesh.

CCTV installed outside Rupesh’s residence captured the attackers running away. One wearing a white cap opened fire at Rupesh after he objected to their abusive language, victim’s wife Monica told IANS.

“I was standing at the balcony and saw the crime. I raised an alarm and ran to help my husband. He was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries,” she said.

“My husband and his elder brother Umesh, along with locals, had launched an anti-drug campaign in Taimoor Nagar. They had earlier complained to the local police, the DCP’s office and also to the Police Commissioner, but nothing happened. Some drug smugglers had threatened my husband and his brother,” she said.

Hundreds of people blocked traffic on major roads in the area for a couple of hours, demanding early arrest of the killers. A mob torched a motorcycle and damaged a few vehicles in the area before the police used force to disperse the stone-pelting crowd.

“We have detained some drug smugglers and are trying to identify the accused. We will soon nab the attackers,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmoy Biswal said.

“A vigilance inquiry has been ordered by the Joint Commissioner of Police to look into the lapses and omissions by the local police,” Biswal added.

The victim’s family has demanded police protection for Umesh.

(IANS)

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