Amisha Patel: Time to return

Things haven?t exactly been rosy for the pretty Amisha Patel, what with her personal life becoming a daily subject for the grapevine and her recent releases, Vaada and Elaan, flopping big time. But the Kaho Naa? Pyaar Hai debutante plans to turn around all that with the forthcoming biggie, Mangal Pandey: The Rising.

The film has Amisha playing a young widow Jwala who is saved from the funeral pyre of her husband by the British commanding officer William Gordon (Toby Stephens). What follows is a romantic relationship between the two against the backdrop of the tumultuous Sepoy Mutiny.

For her role in the film, which was first offered to Aishwarya Rai, Amisha has maintained a ?no- make-up-no-frills look?. It will be a welcome change to all those who didn?t like the heavily made-up blonde look that Amisha has been sporting for some time now. She has also ?experimented with her hair and used soft curls? to make the character look more endearing and arouse sympathy from the audience as she rebels against sati.

While Amisha?s luck at the box-office has not been all that great, she had struck gold with the Sunny Deol period piece, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. And with the August 12 release, Mangal Pandey, again turning back time, don?t be surprised if Amisha scores this time.

Chuni Goswami and Pallavi Chatterjee at 89 Cinemas: Filmi funda. Picture by Aranya Sen

Movie mania

The first-year celebrations of 89 Cinemas are growing bigger and better. The new membership cards were launched on Friday evening at the Swabhumi multiplex with Chuni Goswami being presented with the first Senior Cinezen card. Actress Pallavi Chatterjee was also present on the occasion.

Apart from the launch of the cards (a total of three with Campus 89 and Priceless), 89 Cinemas has lined up quite a few offers. The Price Off deal gives viewers attractive ticket prices between Friday and Sunday on taking the paper-cutting of the advertisement appearing in Metro. The In?Theatre Contest allows consumers to win prizes by just filling up a form before entering a particular show.

Prizes include gift vouchers from Pizza Hut, KK?s Fusion, Kaya Skin Clinic, Ffort Radisson Raichak, Kenwood, IFB and, of course, 89 Cinemas. Then there are cool offers like a peach ice tea free with a lemon ice tea, to beat the heat. You can also get yourself clicked at the Sony Booth and the snap will be emailed to you. The IFB Bid And Win contest allows you to take part in auctions of IFB products.

Cycle champ

He?s won every Tour de France since 1999, has battled cancer and is in love with rock-goddess Sheryl Crow. Discovery Channel takes a closer look at the Science of Lance Armstrong on July 24 to find out more.

The programme discusses in detail the in-depth research undertaken and the techniques developed by his team to improve his performance. That includes studying every detail of his body, bike and riding technique, recording the minutest details like the loss of time when he raises his thumb while riding, or every second saved with a slight change in the riding position.

It also features interviews with Armstrong?s coaches, aerodynamicists, physiologists and his family and discusses his unique body make-up that has influenced his performance. Armstrong?s lungs have more than double oxygen capacity than an average man and his heart can pump nine gallons of blood per minute compared to five gallons by an average heart.

The Science of Lance Armstrong will be hosted by Lance?s good friend and avid cyclist, comedian Robin Williams. Catch it on July 24 at 8 pm.

Singing star

The judge bandwagon keeps getting heavier with Alka Yagnik recently joining the gang for an episode of Fame Gurukul. ?I have not listened to others sing so intensely as I did for the show,? the singer told Metro. ?They are all very talented and I hope the best voices last till the end.?

Talking about her own musical assignments, Alka is excited about the forthcoming releases. ?I have No Entry and Barsaat and the songs have turned out well,? she said.

On being asked what keeps her going when new singers are appearing and disappearing in a jiffy, Alka said: ?The secret behind any singer?s success is her consistent dedication to her work and ability to change with time.?