Manisha Koirala saves Miss Nepal pageant

Though its biggest sponsor Dabur Nepal abandoned Miss Nepal, Nepal's oldest and best-known beauty pageant, Bollywood diva Manisha Koirala threw her weight behind the once beleaguered contest, appearing as a judge at the grand finale. The 41-year-old actor, who held India's Hindi film industry under her sway in the 1990s, was easily the biggest celebrity at the show held at the Army Club in Kathmandu.

 

She had a simple question for the 15th contestant, Bishnu Chemjong, asking if it was better to be kind or to have integrity. A flustered Bishnu said a person who was kind had integrity as well.

 

At the end of the nearly three-hour show which, however, did not have a swim suit round out of deference to conservatives, Manisha was heard saying she was impressed with the 19 contestants, especially with the five finalists, any of whom could have become the new Miss Nepal. The silver crown studded with rubies finally went to Malina Joshi, a confident business management student from Sunsari in southern Nepal, thanks to her answer to the ... 

 

The 23-year-old replied that women were already ruling the world with their perseverance and dedication. Once known as the Dabur Vatika Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal pageant, the contest this year was a pale shadow of its former self with Dabur Nepal pulling out after suffering years of obstruction from the women's wing of the Maoist party.

 

Though the protesters said they wanted the pageant to stop because it degraded woman and displayed them as commodity, the anger was actually directed towards the Indian multinational company's subsidiary since they allowed dozens of other beauty contests to be held without any disruption.

 

After Dabur Nepal's pullout this year, the organisers, the Hidden Treasure, roped in Nepal Lever as the new sponsor and the pageant was repositioned as the Lux Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal 2011. However, though the funding and gifts for the winners decreased, there were no protests and the media trained its spotlight as one on the contest.

 

Last year, several media organisations had blacked out the show due to a fallout with Dabur Nepal after it stopped advertising with them. This year's contest had an Eid gift for the Muslim community with the first Muslim contestant winning an award. Madina Begum was crowned Miss Perseverance.

Sonam Kapoor : The bookworm

 

 

 

 

 

Ash steps out yet again

We spotted Aishwarya at the launch of 'Hanuman Chalisa'. See the picture? Jaya seems annoyed at the photographer while Ash smiles on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rekha: The diva

There is something about Rekha that makes her special. She gives the word Diva a whole new meaning. As she turns a year older, we take a look at what makes her a mystery.

Rekha was born Bhanurekha to a family of stars. She made her Bollywood debut with Sawan Bhandon

 

She was considered 'ugly' and she was determined to prove her skills to all

 

She has been quoted as saying "I devoted thirty-one years of my life to this industry and in turn this industry has given me everything that I can be proud of - name, fame and the perks that go with stardom.

 

She is a dreamer... she lives in her own world. She imagines a lot of things that suit her psyche as an actor. She is a very genuine, warm and a very sensitive person... And no denying the fact a very good learner. It has been an amazing experience to work with her; she is a perfect actress," Muzaffar Al

 

Rekha is nearest to the parallel of Swedish actress Greta Garbo... they both came from poor backgrounds and climbed great heights... As an artist she was first noticed in Ghar and after that she was no more termed as only a voluptuous artist in Hindi cinema because then came films like Khubsoorat and Umrao Jaan that set her apart," said noted film historian Gautam Kaul.

Rekha is a diva... In fact, the term diva (in India) was coined for Rekha. The way she has metamorphosed herself from what she was when she came into the industry is mind blowing... She has worked on her language, body, diction, everything and apart from that she's a fantastic actress," said renowned film critic Omar Qureshi.

 

Must watch movies: Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Ghar, 'Ganga Ki Saugandh', 'Umrao Jaan' 'Suhaag', 'Alaap', 'Khoon Pasina', 'Immaan Dharam' 'Silsila'

 

Her personal life has been under the scanner too. Was she having an affair with Amitabh Bachchan? We are not sure.

 

Rekha is an enigma. There is no doubt about it. You can either love her or hate her, there is no way in between.

 

But when it comes to talent, Rekha is among the best the industry have ever seen.

Bollywood Box office :30 Sep to 6 Oct

John Abraham starrer Force has collected Rs 9,69,80,668 in the first week. This is slightly lower than what was projected initially by the trade experts.

 

Mausam continues to sink in the second week collecting just around Rs 6,50,18,226 taking the total to Rs 25,07,84,587

 

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster has in its first week collected Rs 2,90,70,680

 

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan collected Rs 72,78,418 in the fourth week taking the total to Rs 39,78,25,429

Hum Tum Shabana has collected Rs 70,28,678

 

Prateik is very spontaneous: Kalki Koelchin

Bollywood actor Kalki Koelchin, who has teamed up with Prateik for soon-to-release movie " My Friend Pinto", finds the co-star very spontaneous and humble.

 

Kalki and Prateik, who walked the ramp for designer Rina Dhaka on the first day of the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week (WIFW) Saturday, walked confidently and totally in sync on the ramp.

 

Prateik is very spontaneous and humble. He always instructs and supports me whenever I get nervous so this chemistry worked on ramp as well," Kalki told reporters after the show.

In the first half, Kalki was seen wearing a fish-cut gown with minimal accessories, while Prateik shed his shy demeanour to flaunt his six-pack abs in a lycra shirt with buttons wide open, and a pair of cotton trousers.

The second half saw Kalki flaunting a flowing off-shoulder gown with an asymmetrical hemline, and Prateik walked in a chiffon, beige-coloured shirt with a pair of printed trousers.

Dhaka's collection was a mix of dresses, gowns, trousers in fabrics like silk, chiffons, linen silk, cotton silk and lace.

 

The elements of tassle played a major role in my collection and every ensemble will reflect the mood of summer. The colour palatte has a country feel and touch of seventies. The major shades were taupe, pink browns, dull acid green, ivory and dove grey," said Dhaka, who is "looking forward to some great business."

 

Photographs by - Rajesh Kashyap