(From top to bottom): Suniel Shetty at the MTV Hero Honda Roadies 3 casting show; Joshua Ong, Hemant Sagar, Chandralekha Roy and Ashish Soni (left to right) at the panel discussion at Hotel Ashoka; Fardeen Khan with models at the Provogue fashion show

One for the Roadies

The open roads are beckoning once more. MTV Hero Honda Roadies 3 is on the lookout yet again for a team of 13 young people who will zoom down the highway from Jaisalmer to Leh and into the hearts of Roadies fans across the country. It?s a month-long journey but one that promises lots of fun and adventure. The auditions, held recently at Delhi?s Civil Lines, saw hundreds of boys and girls turning up for an opportunity to hit the road MTV style.

While groups of wannabe Roadies were herded off to a GD (group discussion) room, others were called on stage to participate in on-the-spot contests. All this drew encouraging cheers from the crowd but nothing compared to the whoops of delights once actor Suniel Shetty took centrestage.

The brawny actor shared quite a few tips with the gathering. ?Let me warn you: helmet nahi no to aap nahi. It is a tough terrain up there in Leh. So you have to take care and drink lots of water,? he said. There were some don?ts from Shetty as well. ?Don?t be camera conscious. Don?t be pretentious. And last of all, spice it up for MTV,? he urged.

Hosting MTV Hero Honda Roadies for the second season is Rannvijay, winner of Roadies 1 in 2003. What?s the eligibility criteria according to him? ?The roadies have to be of different personalities so that we have fun out there on the roads. It?s not about looking good or putting on an act. You have to be yourself.?

The team will flag off on June 13 and ride through Phalodi, Bikaner, Rattangarh, Hissar, New Delhi, Faridabad, Meerut, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Nahar-Solan, Shimla, Kullu Manali, Rohtang Pass-Kyelang and reach Leh on July 20. Covering a distance of 2,500km, the 13 adventurers are sure to have the times of their lives. All that?s left to find out is who will be making the final cut.

Style talk

What is the future of India in the realm of fashion and design? Raffles Design International, Asia-Pacific?s leading creative design group and founder member of the World Luxury Council, attempted to answer that question at a panel discussion held at Hotel Ashok in Delhi recently.

Chaired by Joshua Ong, the director of Raffles? India operations, the event saw a lively discussion among fashion designers Ashish Soni and Hemant Sagar and journalist Chandralekha Roy. Focusing on the awareness of Indian fashion, nationally and internationally, the panellists spoke at length about the importance of Indian design, fashion and culture being increasingly valued abroad outside the elements of a ?season? or a ?collection?.

Ong stressed the importance of world-class education to polish the raw talent in the country. He also mentioned that Raffles Design International will provide Indian designers with a platform to showcase their work at its annual fashion shows held across China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

The audience listening to differing views on style included Nafisa Ali, Chetan Seth and Jatin Kochar. The serious business of fashion was followed by entertainment in the form of a sinuous belly dancer.

Celebrating six

It was touted as the event of the month and it lived up to expectations. Provogue?s sixth anniversary bash at Mumbai?s Taj Mahal Hotel had all the ingredients of a rocking affair. Provogue also chose the occasion to launch its new Kaleidoscope collection.

Choreographed by Appu-Tania, the style show used electronic and rock music to capture the various moods of the clothes that were divided into five lines: White ?? White, Chlorophyll, Board Game, the Polynosic Collection and Winter Preview.

While White ?? White was an elegant and classic range ideal for summertime, Chlorophyll was influenced by naturalism and included textured shirts and bottoms. The Board Game range was crafted especially for the lively and energetic and the Polynosic Collection took in outfits created from re-structured polynosic and colourful cotton. The Winter Preview line was apt for those visiting cooler climes as it threw up a host of leather jackets, sweaters, corduroy pants and skullcaps.

Of course, adding plenty of spice to the selection on show were the ramp-walkers themselves including Deepika Padukone, Tupur and Sheetal Malhar. The showstopper was none other than Provogue brand ambassador, Fardeen Khan. Fardeen, who walked the ramp in his trademark flamboyant style spoke about his association with the brand. The show was followed by the music release of Fardeen?s latest film, No Entry, which is co-sponsored by Provogue.

The film?s entire starcast turned up for the party. There was Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Celina Jaitley, Bipasha Basu and even Sanjay Kapoor. Once the fashion show was complete, tub-thumping music took over courtesy DJ Aqeel. And guests including Feroz Khan, wife Sundari and daughter Laila, music director Suleiman, funnyman Sajid Khan, Parmeet Sethi and wife Archana Puran Singh, were all seen enjoying themselves and making the most of the night.

Photographs by Jagan Negi, Rupinder Sharma and Gajanan Dudhalkar