Did you know? : Mehreen Syed has become a mother

Our heartiest congratulations to Mehreen and her husband!

Supermodel, blogger and now, mother. Mehreen Syed has been blessed with a darling little girl. Syed tied the knot with business tycoon Ahmed Sheikh of Azgard 9 Textiles in February 2013 amongst close family and friends, and announced her pregnancy late last year.

The Supermodel announced the birth of her daughter via twitter, tweeting “So happy to announce that Allah has blessed us with a beautiful princess. Please remember me in duas #alhumdulilah.”

She also took to the micro blogging website to give fans and friends an exclusive first look at her little bundle of joy. “Introducing my lil Jaan :) Thank you Allah and my family and friends and fans for the duas and support, sp my own mom,” she tweeted.

We couldn’t be happier for Mehreen and Ahmed. Heartiest congratulations to you both! We hope your little bundle of joy lights up your lives.

Coldplay bassist Berryman engaged

They're really loved-up and are already ­planning to get married in a secret London location. PHOTO: ONLINE

Guy Berryman, bassist of British rock band Coldplay, has reportedly popped the question to his lady love Keshia Gerrits, after dating her for two years.

The 35-year-old is said to have proposed to Gerrits, 23, last month.

“They’re really loved-up and are already ­planning to get married in a secret London location,” a source told the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Berryman’s bandmates will attend the wedding along with their partners, but the couple is keen that their romantic ceremony should be a small affair, with just close friends and immediate family in attendance.

The source said: “Of course Chris Martin and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow will be there, as will the rest of the band and a selection of close friends from the group’s intimate circle.”

The pair first sparked rumours they had got engaged after Gerrits posted a picture on her Twitter account of a diamond sparkler on her ring finger last month.

I did Main Tera Hero for emotional reasons: Varun

Varun feels that working with an established director, like his father, in the early stages of his career is a blessing. PHOTO: FILE

Student of the Year star Varun Dhawan feels the appreciation he receives from the audience is more of a priority than earning money and fame through films. Before making his acting debut, Varun had worked as assistant director for Shahrukh Khan-starrer My Name is Khan. The next film he will be seen in is Main Tera Hero, directed by his father David Dhawan.

“Entertaining the audience is important to me. Money and fame don’t feature in my list. I love to perform. I have seen my father get fame and money, but even for him audience is more important,” said Varun.

Varun does not view anybody as his competitor. “I am not here to prove myself to any individual in the film industry. For me audience is important and their love and acceptance is essential. I will continue to entertain audience with different kinds of films. I don’t want to bore them by doing one kind of cinema,” he added.

The projects Varun is presently working on are upcoming masala comedy Main Tera Hero, a thriller from Sriram Raghavan, rom-com Humpty Sharma Ki Dhulania and a sequel toAnybody Can Dance.

When asked what sort of changes he witnessed in the two-year gap after the release ofStudent of the Year, Varun said, “The biggest change came after the trailer of Main Tera Herowas released. A lot of people including shopkeepers and kids are getting to know me. My first film, Student of the Year, was meant for a certain kind of an audience, but this film is for all.”

When asked if working with his director father was pre-planned, Varun replied: “It was not a deliberate decision, it just happened. I did this film for emotional reasons not commercial. This is my dad’s 43rd film and my second. To work with an established director like him in the early stage of my career is a blessing.”

The actor insisted that his relationship with his father did not make the dynamic on set easier. “He was more like a director. There was no such father-son relation sort of a thing. It was difficult to work with him as he is a taskmaster,” said Varun.

Did you know?: Deepika didn’t think twice before agreeing to pair up with Rajinikanth

Kochadaiiyaan is being touted as India’s first motion capture technology film.

Deepika Padukone will next be seen in Rajinikanth-starrer Kochadaiiyaan, where she will be sharing screen space with the cinema legend for the first time. The Bollywood beauty gave her nod to the film primarily because of the megastar’s association with it.

“Deepika agreed to be part of the film for emotional reasons. When Rajinikanth’s daughter, Soundarya, approached her for the project, she immediately agreed to be associated with it without even knowing the concept, the film’s script or her role. She felt that working with Rajinikanth was an honour for her, and it will also give her an opportunity to interact with the star,” says a source close to Deepika, according to the Hindustan Times.

Deepika also felt it was a great opportunity for her to discuss cinema with him, reportsBollywood Life. Also, the Kochadaiiyaan team felt the performance level required for this film would be justified only by Deepika, sources added. Kochadaiiyaan is being touted as India’s first motion capture technology film and is being helmed by Soundarya, who is also making her directorial debut with this project.

The film also stars Jackie Shroff and R Sarathkumar, and is set to release on April 11.

Queen proved that the century-long struggle paid off: Kangana Ranaut

Kangana feels that it would be hard to start with a film like Queen but all her struggle over the years led to it. PHOTO: FILE

GANGSTER (2006)

“I’m proud of my performance but disappointed with the reaction I got, because I think it was a much better performance than Queen. The film clicked and suddenly I was on every brilliant director’s ‘Favourite Actress’ list, but not a single one signed me. It was a lonely battle; me against the world.”

FASHION (2008)

“After Gangster, I was confused. My talent wasn’t helping me get work. I did some bad films just to remain visible. Life in a Metro wasn’t my film, nor was Fashion. After Fashion, people thought I was a dope head and that was not a good feeling [laughs].”

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI (2010)

“I worked very hard, although I had very little screen-time in a male-centric film. Director Milan Luthria really helped me with the character. In the second half, we had to establish the fact that Ajay Devgn’s character gives up everything for this girl. Is she worth it? Through my look, expressions and limited lines, I had to convey the passion that she feels for this man.”

TANU WEDS MANU (2011)

“The phone was ringing but not with great offers. Milan [Luthria] offered me The Dirty Picture, but how many times could I play the girl on the verge of a nervous breakdown? Anand Rai noticed me in a romantic role in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai and offered meTanu Weds Manu. The film changed the game for me. Vikas Bahl was convinced I could play Rani after watching Tanu.”

QUEEN (2014)

“I was confused about why Vikas [director] wanted me for Rani. I’d played a supermodel [Fashion] and a superwoman [Krissh 3], how could I be Rani? I don’t think it’s a great performance; it’s the supporting cast that elevates it. Rajkummar Rao’s arrogance makes Rani more vulnerable while Lisa Haydon’s liberated ways made her appear caged. There are films you do justice to and then there are films that do justice to your talent. Queen proved that the century-long struggle paid off!” 

Queen: captivating but clichéd

It’s evident that Ranaut is simply being herself in the film and the hilarious situations and spot-on one-liners in the script complement her personality to perfection. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: 

Kangana Ranaut is one of those actors in Bollywood who, despite spending a considerable amount of time in the industry, hasn’t been able to make a mark as a leading lady.

What Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai did for Amisha Patel, Gangster did for Ranaut; they had the potential to be solid launch pads for the respective actors, but weren’t capitalised on.

Patel ended up doing item numbers like Lazy Lamhe, which was in box office flop Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Ranaut ended up playing a mutant (‘manwar’) in the much-criticised Krrish 3.

Both ladies don’t have the ideal combination of beauty and skills and only a messiah could save them from being ‘nobodies’ in a competitive environment like Bollywood.

Patel may still be looking to be salvaged as an actor, but Ranaut has been revitalised through Vikas Bahl’s Queen.

A film that has reintroduced her as a leading lady who is a force to be reckoned with, Queenoffers Ranaut a character and script that seem to have been tailored in line with her quirky personality. Thus, it is no surprise that the film brings out the best in her.

Queen is the story of Rani, a 24-year-old Punjabi girl whose wedding preparations are in process, and both the groom and her families engage in them excitedly.

She is getting married to an Indian expatriate named Vijay who had proposed to her before he went abroad looking for a job. Now he is well settled and just as their wedding preparations are in the final phase, he calls Rani to a coffee shop, merely a day before the wedding and tells her that the wedding can’t take place.

The news is devastating for Rani’s family, who plead for reconciliation, but to no avail. The distraught Rani locks herself in a room, cries all day long and keeps waiting for a call from Vijay that never comes.

Finally, when she sees the gloomy faces around her, she decides to go alone for her already-planned honeymoon to Europe. That is when the film takes an interesting turn, as a typical Punjabi girl from India tries to make the best of what she gets in Europe, in her traditionalkurtis and with her Bhangra moves.

Culture shock and embracing the true Indian identity has been a running theme in Bollywood films made about NRIs (Non-resident Indians) or Indians visiting a foreign land, especially a Western country.

Of course, films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which focuses on three adult men on a joy ride, are an exception, but reverting back to one’s routes has been a common theme.

This is where Queen becomes similar to English Vinglish, but since the former is not about a housewife trying to fit in, but a single girl, the comedy of errors becomes naughtier and cruder as the film progresses.

Crude is one word that also describes Ranaut’s personality, and that is why her raw dialogue delivery as well as rough and rudimentary take on matters of grave concern in life seem in place.

It’s quite evident that she is simply being herself in the film and the hilarious situations and spot-on one-liners in the script complement her personality to perfection.

Having said that, the film has a set of clichés, such as the reserved Indian girl surprising everyone with a traditional delicacy; in English Vinglish it was laddus and in Queen, it is gol gappay.

The film offers a few interesting moments that indicate the culture shock that Ranaut encounters, such as her being asked for an ‘Indian’ kiss by an Italian chef.

However, as seen in Queen yet again, Bollywood needs to get over humour related to language barriers. Yes, the inability to communicate is usually the most prominent form of culture shock, but its recurrence in Bollywood films has made humour in films pertaining to experience in an alien land redundant and needless.

All in all, Queen does leave you in stitches, especially when Rani’s three new friends from different nationalities join her, but the extra long duration and clichés work against it. Do not leave the hall till the concluding credits finish because the film-maker has done a gripping gimmick using the Facebook layout to communicate an epilogue to the story.

Verdict: As a whole, Queen is no less than a more aggressive version of English Vinglish with a less appealing and talented leading lady. It has a lot of entertaining moments that keep it alive despite the many clichés.

Rating: 3/5

Assurance to IMF: Circular debt money to be recovered from consumers

According to sources, the outstanding amount is in the range of Rs300 billion to Rs350 billon excluding the interest. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID

ISLAMABAD: 

Pakistan has assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will recover over Rs300 billion debt, along with interest that had been obtained from banks to retire the circular debt, from electricity consumers by increasing power tariffs – a move tantamount to punishing honest consumers and rewarding thieves.

The government has incorporated the costs of servicing the syndicated term credit finance facility into the tariff petition, according to the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP), signed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and submitted to the IMF recently.

This will increase the per unit cost of electricity by minimum 7-8% that will be recovered from consumers who have already paid their bills and now will be forced to pay in place of those involved in power theft.

The syndicated term finance credit is the amount that the federal government has borrowed from commercial banks at an interest rate of over 11% to retire the crippling circular debt, which had piled up due to non-payment of bills by some consumers and electricity theft and line losses. According to sources, the outstanding amount is in the range of Rs300 billion to Rs350 billon excluding the interest.

The government further told the IMF that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has refused to add this into the cost of electricity generation. However, living up to its reputation of ‘smart accounting’ the federal government has come up with a novel idea to add this cost to electricity and also convince Nepra.

“The government will incorporate this (debt cost) in the review petition (against Nepra decision) as an eligible capital expenditure”, the government said in its assurance to IMF.

The government admitted that servicing loans “continues to add to circular debt”, according to the MEFP. It assured the IMF that by end-April it will “design a roadmap to prevent the accumulation and recurrence of payables arrears including the payables due from the servicing of term credit finance facility”.

Commenting on the issue, Shahid Sattar, a former Member Energy of Planning Commission and an expert in energy affairs said: “This is neither working capital nor capital expenditure. The government wanted to recover about Rs50 billion per annum from the electricity consumers, which will add up to the cost of power generation.

This is tantamount to punishing honest electricity consumers who have already paid their bills but now will be paying for those who have consumed electricity without paying the bill.

A similar attempt was made during the PPP government’s term, when the former water and power minister Naveed Qamar had entered into an agreement with the IPPs to pay them idle capacity charges by recovering through electricity bills. However, the move had been thwarted by the finance ministry.

Nevertheless, now the Letter of Intent signed by Ishaq Dar suggests that the finance ministry is spearheading the move.

A finance ministry official said that the government had an option either to pay the amount from the budget or recover it from consumers and it has decided upon the latter choice.

According to the MEFP, the government has also assured the IMF that under its three-year plan to fully recover the cost of generation from the consumers, “it will finalise the details for (next) round (of increase in prices) by end-April based on new power tariffs determined by the Nepra”.

The sources said the dispute over recovering circular debt from consumers was delaying the Nepra determination tariff, as the government wanted to add this into the tariff.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for water and power ministry was unavailable for comment on the issue.