If you thought 2006 was pretty hot when it came to the really important things in life — food, shopping and the movies — you ain’t seen nothing yet. The coming year is poised to be the one when the Indian economy really takes off and that just means everything gets bigger and better for all of us.

Armed with more choices than ever before, the Indian consumer is set to see some exciting times ahead. Which will be the cuisine that finally dethrones Italian? What do our best chefs and restaurateurs have in store for us (and never mind the call of the treadmill)? Which new hang-out zones will force you to spend Sunday afternoons battling crowds and burning holes in your wallet? Which new beauty trends will your local salon copy faithfully from the pages of international magazines to give you a new look? Will dresses finally replace skirts or will the two cohabit peacefully in the fashionable woman’s wardrobe? Will your Loius Vuitton bag be upstaged by the Hermes scarf you could soon be sporting thanks to the brand cementing plans for opening shop in India? And, perhaps most importantly for films-crazy us, which movies are most likely to make the cash registers go into a frenzy, Don style?

Now we can safely say that the coming year looks set to have more bling than ever before.

Starry, starry nights

The coming year will see trendy Calcuttans heading towards several cool new hang-out and shopping zones, while the mashimas will surely take to the Mc Filet-o-Fish burger dished out by fast food giant.

McDonald’s which is finally opening shop in the city. A hundred restaurants and 10 years after arriving in India, McDonald’s is set to hit town early in the coming year with plans for 15 outlets within the next three to five years. Says Vikram Bakshi , MD and JVP, McDonald’s India (North and East), “We will be adopting a cluster approach in a mix of all our formats.” Make that restaurants in high streets, malls and drive-through outlets.

Sub-zero temperatures in Calcutta ? Unheard of, right? Not any more, as India’s first ice-bar gets ready to provide a truly chilled-out experience to inveterate pubbers. Slated to open by mid-year within the premises of year-old nightclub Venom, soon you may be swilling your vodka under the cold lights at a bar carved out of ice. Says Bunty Sethi, director, Merlinz Restaurants, “We will provide warm clothes at the bar and allow only 25-30 guests in at a time.” Cover charges will be Rs 500 for about half-an-hour in the ice-bar. The temperature? Anywhere between -5°C to -10 °C.

An artist’s impression of The Grand Great Eastern

New entrants and a revamp: once known as the Auckland Hotel or Wilson’s Hotel, the Great Eastern will open its doors in a brand new avatar — The Grand Great Eastern. Jyotsna Suri, chairperson and managing director, The Grand Group of Hotels, promises: “We will recreate the famous Victorian and Edwardian charms that had made this hotel the toast of 19th-century Calcutta society.” The once famous Maxim’s and the famed Grand Bakery will also get a new lease of life.

And when you step out for a spot of shopping, you can think beyond City Centre Salt Lake. Come September and City Centre New Town (courtesy Bengal Ambuja Housing Development) will open doors in Rajarhat. One-and-a-half times the size of the Salt Lake mall, the new centre will have a downtown mall feel complete with a 150-room boutique hotel, a butterfly house and a kids’ centre. Harsh Neotia, MD, Bengal Ambuja, says: “We want people to come here and take back a complete experience rather than just a visit to a mall.”

Food for thought

Greek salad

The discerning and globetrotting Calcuttan will continue to demand the best and will experiment more bravely than before. Move over pasta, and make way for Middle-eastern cuisine. Now, that really translates into more kebabs and rice preparations than you can handle. Signature dishes from Turkey, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are set to flame your palate in the coming days — and in more ways than one. Pradeep Rozario, the man behind Kurry Klub and KK’s Fusion promises: “Redolent with spices, they’ll hit the
Indian palate in the most delightful way.” And you can expect him to fuse some more: he’s tempted to marry Middle-eastern menus with Continental and Mediterranean yummies. “The spiciness of one will counterbalance the blandness of the other,” he says.

Sushi

“If Japanese made a tentative start this year, in the next it will take off in a big way,” says restaurateur Suddha Kukreja. More sushi, yakitori and tempuras are coming your way. According to Rahul Verma, Graphiti columnist, as the palate gets weary of the earlier winner, Thai, other cuisines are waiting in the wings to steal a culinary march. You can look forward to Greek (big yes to moussaka and Greek salad) and Pan-Asian cuisines. “The Europeans discovered them a few years ago and now it’s our turn to give in to Malaysian and Indonesian.” Meanwhile you can expect Vietnamese, that’s all about subtle flavours, to rear its head as well.

Steamed chicken with parsley stuffing. Pix: Rashbehari Das

Shaun Kenworthy, celebrity chef and proprietor of The Blue Potato, roots for the Continental comeback. “In the ’60s and ’70s, Continental cuisine ruled Park Street restaurants like Moulin Rouge, Blue Fox, Peter Cat and Mocambo. Expect plenty more Continental in the coming year.”

The big surprise? Kukreja calls it the revival of Chinese cuisine. “Every restaurant worth its haute dishes is padding up on authentic Chinese from a variety of regions.” While Cantonese, Schezwan will get further tuned, cuisine from northern China (again, much lighter than other regions) will take over.

Style file

For the ladies: Think Feminine as opposed to Sexy. Wear your jeans for out-and-out formal occasions (Yes!) but ensure that they ape cigarette pants. Throw out pale-face colours — go red and yellow and electric blue. And if you don’t own dresses (li’l black numbers or otherwise) it’s time to get them post-haste.

Designers have decreed that the bubble dress is the way to party in the year ahead. Manish Arora says: “It will last through the summer of 2007.” The hemlines will brush the knee, but Sabyasachi Mukherjee suggests that you go naughty and settle for those that end mid-thigh. Full-length maxi dresses, he says, are poised to return this year. Meanwhile, A-line skirts will end mid-calf, and the short box-pleated ones will be minuscule. Skirts gathered at the hem (pouf skirts for the uninitiated) will also be very visible.

The focus will shift from the waistline to exaggerated sleeves and necklines. Narendra Kumar Ahmed predicts that necklines will be open and wide and elbow-length sleeves will replace the cap sleeve. Looking for more femininity? Nikhil Mehra promises ruffles and gathers in luxurious fabrics such as taffetas, silk, chiffons and organzas. Surface ornamentation will be strong but — and this is a big one — the bling factor will be eased out gently (and finally, one hopes). The colours will be solid blocks (out with paisley prints). Look forward to checks, polkas and micro prints.

There’re a whole lot of exciting styles in store for men as well, says Rahul Khanna. For one, the layered look surface for trendy men. So just team the suit with a shirt and sleeveless sweater. Throw on a woollen scarf (maybe one with a geometric print) to complete the look. It’ll also be big on denim and canvas fabrics. In the formal department, velvet and suede jackets will be the winners, while the young, sporty look will be pumped up with loads of stitch-detailing and contrast-stitching. Solid colours — the greys and blacks and whites that had been dismissed as boring — make a comeback.

The silhouette will be fitted, says Narendra Kumar, with short-fitted jackets with pockets (bring out dad’s old safari suits!) and clingy shirts. And please throw out anything with a big collar.

Beauty buzz

Model: Ritika Paul

Having done the burgundy streaks and the extreme rebonding, how else can you make your hair work hard for you? According to hair expert and Graphiti columnist Bridgette Jones, hip styles and shades will make a mark on the haircare map in the new year. In the coming months, keeping it long will continue to rule. Curls will stay — perhaps till April — and hair extension will be very ‘in’.

Gradually, this leaning towards curls will lead to big hair making a comeback. “Different from the big hair of the ’80s, in 2007 the look will incorporate fullness and volume in the curl itself and not in the height of the style,” explains Bridgette.

Tiered layers will increase volume generated by the curl and specialised perming techniques will make a splash. These involve using different sizes of rollers, different wrapping techniques, perming tools, or even free-form base section to give more natural-looking results. For instance, a popular style will be to curl the hair, but to leave the ends straight. As summer crawls in, things will take a swing towards shorter, spikier and more rock-star cuts.

Colour codes will see a shift to lighter and warmer hair colours, particularly red and auburn shades, rich chocolate brown and cinnamon. Hair expert Jawed Habib is all for multi-colour and suggests that two and even three highlight streaks will be the order of the day (think bronze and copper). But if you’re all for global attitude, opt for monotones rather than streaks, says hair stylist Sylvie.

When you don the warpaint, make-up expert Cory Walia says looking naturally fresh will be big this year. The loud glossy look is dead. “If you must wear foundation, ensure it blends with your skin tone and leaves a glow. So keep it lightweight and creamy matte. Don’t try to look fairer,” is his stern advice.

In keeping with the natural, nude look, tint the cheeks with cream and gel blushers instead of heavy powder ones. Natural colours, leaning towards peaches and roses, and infusing a rusty, tangerine glow to the Indian wheatish skin, will rule. Mascara will be vital, as will the metallic look created by kajal pencils in burgundy, purple, green, grey and brown. The most drastic change we’ll see this year in make-up? The glossy lip will be passé and matte will make a come-back. But some things never go out of style — hold on to that red lipstick.

Movie magic

Vidya Balan and John Abraham in Salaam-E-Ishq

Continuing the winning streak Bollywood saw in 2006, the coming year also promises to be full of the best kind of movie magic. Says Taran Adarsh, editor, Trade Guide, “The graph is only going upwards as the quality of cinema we produce improves with better storylines.”

One of the biggies to watch out for will be Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next offering after Black. Saawariya (made at a reported cost of Rs 40 crore to 45-crore) marks the entry of Sony Pictures Entertainment into Bollywood. Two new star kids — Ranbir Kapoor, son of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, and Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor’s daughter will make a debut.
Other big films of the year include Nikhil Advani’s multi-starrer Salaam-E-Ishq made on a reported Rs 40-crore budget and Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Akbar-Jodha, estimated to cost over Rs 30 crore. This will see the hot Dhoom 2 pair of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya playing the famous historic couple.

Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Eklavya

In the Rs 25-crore-plus budget are films like Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya, Vipul Shah’s Namaste London and Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om with Shah Rukh Khan pairing with newcomer, model Deepika Padukone. King Khan will also be seen in a new avatar in Shimit Amin’s Chak De India in which he plays coach to a girl’s hockey team.

Bachchan fans can celebrate as well. The Big B will share screen space with son Abhishek ‘eye-candy’ Bachchan in at least three films — Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar 2, Shaad Ali’s Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Pradeep Sarkar’s Choodiyan. Abhishek also stars in Mani Ratnam’s Guru while Amitabh fans can wait for Chopra’s Eklavya, Varma’s Nishabd and the infamous Sholay remake. Amitabh also stars with Tabu in the rib-
tickler Chini Kum.

Mira Nair’s The Namesake

In the wings are smaller interesting films to watch out for: Madhur Bhandarkar’s Traffic Signal, Milan Luthria’s Hattrick, Anurag Basu’s Metro, Vikram Bhatt’s Fear and Red, Vivek Agnihotri’s Goal with John Abraham and Bipasha Basu, debutant director Zoya Akhtar’s Love Story, and brother Farhan’s production Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. Animation buffs can look forward to the sequel of the blockbuster Hanuman.
After captivating audiences in the international festival circuit, Mira Nair’s The Namesake, made with a $10 million (around Rs 45 crore) budget by UTV and Fox Searchlight, will release internationally.

Foreign invasion

With the large number of foreign luxury brands that made for Indian shores in the last couple of years, shopping abroad almost went out of fashion. In keeping with the trend, the coming year looks set to live up to the expectations. While brand such as Louis Vuitton, Moschino, Bvlgari, Chanel, Christian Dior, Aigner, Fendi and Valentino have set the trend rolling, others such as Alberta Ferretti, Jean Paul Gaultier and Moschino are all set to stake their claim. The three brands from the AEFFE Fashion Group (which includes Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, Narciso Rodriguez, Pollini and Jean-Paul Gaultier) will open doors in Delhi by April, 2007.

By far the most famous of these is Jean Paul Gaultier — not least for designing Madonna’s conical bra and her wardrobe for the 2006 Confessions Tour — and the French designer brings the Gaultier Femme line, the G2 line and Gaultier Jeans.

Ferretti, who at 18 opened a boutique in her small Italian hometown and thirty years later dressed the likes of Kristin Davis, Gisele Bundchen and Natalie Portman, is coming to India with her beautiful creations under the label Philosophy which boasts a young look.

Meanwhile, Moschino, originally created by Francisco Moschino in 1983 and known for the whimsical yet classical touch in its clothes, will bring its womenswear lines, Moschino and Moschino Cheap & Chic, the menswear line as well as accessories such as watches, bags, shoes and perfumes.

The others to follow suit in the country are brands like Kenzo, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, La Perla, Paul Smith, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hermes and Fratteli Rossetti.

Compiled by Samita Bhatia, Shrabonti Bagchi, Arundhati Basu, Janine Martin, Prakriti Singhania Das, Aarti Dua and Sushmita Biswas