The model hunt at Caffeine on Sunday. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Hot up the ramp, sizzle on screen, make the quick buck and become a household name. Being a model sure can be fun.

Little wonder then that when modelling and events agency Hints and Allegations decided to conduct a day-long model hunt in collaboration with Caffeine, a coffee shop on Elgin Road, pretty faces kept dropping by to try their luck.

“We have conducted this hunt before and the search has thrown up finds like models Sanjukta and Amrita,” said Debarun of Hints and Allegations. The event has been christened Faces Unmasked 2004. As soon as the door of the coffee shop opened early on Sunday morning, everyone aspiring to be the next John Abraham or Bipasha Basu queued up. What followed was a day of hectic activity.

“We are going through a screening round, followed by a make-up session for those we think might look nice as models and a photo session. A final interview decides if they are in sync with the requirements of the profession,” explained Debarun. The panel of judges consisted of city models including earlier finds of Faces Unmasked, Sanjukta and Amrita and make-up artiste Prabir De.

“The informal feel keeps candidates relaxed and positive,” felt make-up artiste Abhijit Chandra, who went through numerous make-up sessions trying to give the fresh faces a glam look.

The final shortlist includes Ananda, Sourav, Bharat and Tyroni in the male model category and Pooja, Mary Debjani, Pheadrea and Priyanka in the female section. They will now undergo free grooming sessions before signing a contract with the company.

For Rajdip Ghosal, owner, Caffeine, the session was the first step to turning his coffee shop into what he calls a “fashion café”.

“It is just so much fun to be part of the enthusiasm of these young kids, it’s pumping in positive youth energy into the place,” said Rajdip, whose venture has served as venue for many an innovative event since it opened last winter.

Live for today

We can’t say for sure where the party-hopping crowd of Calcutta will be headed The Day After Tomorrow, but we do surely know where they were last Saturday night. Winning Streak was the destination of the hip and happening who gathered at the sports bar with filmi purpose.

While the night started with the usual foot-tapping numbers, soon all the nightbirds were treated to a sneak preview of the sci-fi movie The Day After Tomorrow, on the two giant screens at the disco. The movie, which will be released worldwide on Friday, is an action-drama from the director of Independence Day, Roland Emmerich, starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Ian Holm, Dash Mihok and Sela Ward among others. The usual party regulars and glam dolls Pinky, Tina, and other models were spotted at the do, organised in association with ETC.

While in Independence Day Emmerich presented the near-destruction of the earth by aliens, in The Day After Tomorrow, the enemy is an even more devastating force — nature. Tornadoes rip through Los Angeles, a massive snow storm pounds New Delhi, hail the size of grapefruit batters Tokyo and in New York, the temperature swings from sweltering to freezing in one day. This special-effects packed thriller shows how abrupt climate changes have cataclysmic effects on the planet.

Spanish touch

A single sofa priced at Rs 37,000. A high-back chair for a neat Rs 58,000.

If that seems too much to shell out, you could settle for something a little bigger, like a bed, for Rs 54,000. This would be the same bed to which Urmila Matondkar was tied when possessed by an evil spirit in the Ram Gopal Verma horror flick Bhoot. Or you could go for the wardrobe Hrithik Roshan used in his room in Lakshya.

That’s the best of European designer furniture for you, now available in Calcutta under the brand banner Interiors Espania at their only eastern India showroom on Shakespeare Sarani.

“This is furniture that will last a lifetime besides adding comfort and glamour to your rooms,” says Nitin Bhayana, director, Bhayana Group, the Indian partner of the Indo-Spanish furniture company. And despite high prices, Bhayana insists Calcutta has a discerning customer base, dying to deck up their homes.

The crowd at Winning Streak and (left) an outfit at the DI fashion show. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

“The furniture is made from natural materials that give the furniture longevity,” explained Vikram Arora, the distributor for eastern India. The padding and the covers is apparently made of materials guaranteed not to lose shape.

And it’s not just furniture that the company is selling here, with accessories like lights, cushions and bed linen also being stocked.

Queen crowned

Last weekend a new May Queen was crowned at DI. Winner Lisa D’Souza was followed by Priyanka Saha and Oindrilla Mazumdar in second and third place, judged by Derek ’Brien, Rupa Ganguly, model Nicolette Bird, tabla player Tanmoy Bose and industrialist Bipin Vohra. Pritam Panda’s designs were showcased at a fashion show.