(From top): Rani Mukherjee, Aamir Khan, J.J. Singh, Bobby Bedi and Amisha Patel at the music release of Mangal Pandey; Candice Pinto, Diandra Soares and guests at the Mandarina Duck launch; a model shows off diamond jewellery at the DTC show; Haran and Frederika Meijer of Plan Organisation

Music to the ears

It’s the most eagerly-awaited film of the year and while there’s time to go before it hits the screen, Aamir Khan fans in the meanwhile, can pass the time listening to Mangal Pandey’s tunes. The film’s music album composed by A.R. Rehman was released at a star-studded event at Priya theatre in Vasant Vihar, Delhi recently. With the strains of Mangala Mangala wafting in the background, the launch saw a huge crowd turning up to catch a glimpse of the Ketan Mehta film’s star cast. Launching the album was chief of army staff, J.J. Singh, as Mehta, producer Bobby Bedi and scriptwriter Farrukh Dhondy looked on. The biggest applause however, was reserved for Aamir Khan, friend Kiran Rao in tow. Adding a dash of glam were his co-stars in the film, actresses Rani Mukherjee and Amisha Patel.

With the film’s music being the focus of things, it was only fitting that A.R. Rehman and lyricist Javed Akhtar were also present. Akhtar claimed that it was difficult to write the music for the period film as he had to merge the language of the 19th century with the sensibility of the 21st century. Meanwhile, Rehman said that the picturisation of the various songs were an attraction on their own.

Mangal Pandey aka Aamir Khan was bombarded with queries, including ones about his handle-bar moustache and flowing mane. “When I finished listening to the narration, I thought of long hair and moustache and the director too felt the same way,” said the actor who now sports a clean-shaven, tousled look for his next project Rang De Basanti.

Street-wise

He used to live on the streets. Now he has had his first solo photography exhibition at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi, inaugurated by the Ambassador of the Netherlands, Eric Niehe. Twenty-two-year-old Haran has reached a stage in his life when people are coming up to him and asking for blow-ups of his photographs. He’s also been gifted a Nikon camera by the ambassador. “I never believed I could come this far,” said a moved Haran at the event.

As the title of the exhibition suggests, the photographs are about ‘Street Life ? Life on Delhi Streets through the Eyes of an Insider’ and have been chosen by ace lensman Raghu Rai. But they are not images of a dirty, grimy life that the topic conjures. “They are of optimism ? of these children in the photograph trying to think of a better life,” said Niehe.

Photography began as a hobby for Haran, when he was living at the ‘Salaam Baalak Trust in New Delhi. It became a passion after a workshop was organised for him by Plan Organisation (an NGO from the Netherlands) through its project Home/Life. It was displayed at the Habitat in December 2004 and the amateur was offered a private exhibition.

“Today I laugh at the reminiscences from my old days, but it is not one of real pleasure. Street life is challenging as I have experienced it myself. However, sometimes a ray of light enters your life and it’s an opportunity to survive. Once upon a time the streets gave me only shelter to live, now the street gives me life,” said Haran

Sweet smell of success

There they were, all five of them ? Tupur, Tapur, Diandra Soares, Fleur Xavier and Candice Pinto ? dressed in yellow leather hot pants and white singlets designed by Rocky S, drawing much more attention than the perfume they were launching. Held at the Lush lounge at Phoenix Mills in Mumbai on July 13, the launch of Mandarina Duck perfume from the luxury luggage house of the same name drew the usual glamour set in Mumbai. Apart from actors Shilpa and Shamita Shetty and Kim Jagtiani, the event saw the likes of Alyque Padamsee, ad filmmaker Kailash Surendranath and jewellery designer Poonam Soni.

Sparkling on

With diamonds on display, what else could it be but a glittering night, especially when it was the Diamond Trading Company’s (DTC) Diamond Show! On display was the most creative and exclusive diamond jewellery designed by DTC’s sightholders ? jewellery firms that mining giant De Beers supplies diamonds to.

Anchored by Sharon Prabhakar and choreographed by Achala Sachdev, the show was held at Mumbai’s Grand Hyatt recently. And for once, the stars on the ramp were not the models but the stunning jewellery on display.

The show was actually a networking platform DTC created for its sightholders and key Indian retailers. Prior to the show, the company unveiled its Diamond Reflections Design Panel, which will identify the diamond jewellery trends for the coming year. The panellists included fashion photographer Ashok Salian, make-up artist Cory Walia, jewellery designers Farah Ali Khan and Neelam, designer Rocky S, art director Sharmishtha Roy, and editor of L’Officiel Superna Motwane. DTC intends to bring design trends to the trade and consumers twice a year.

Photographs by Gajanan Dudhalkar, Prem Singh and Rupinder Sharma