Breach-of-contract: Paris Hilton sued for $2 million

A file photo of Paris Hilton. PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES: Socialite Paris Hilton is being sued for $2 million by a footwear company that claims she has breached her licensing agreement with them.

A breach-of-contract lawsuit against the socialite and businesswoman has been launched in New York by Antebi Footwear Group, which claims she went back on a business deal with them and even promoted rival product Parisian Parc footwear line on social media, reports contactmusic.com.

According to the New York Post newspaper, the lawsuit states: “(Paris Hilton Entertainment) breached its covenant of good faith and fair dealing to Antebi by means of its aforesaid intentional and malicious acts and by destroying and injuring Antebi’s rights to receive the fruits of its relationship with PHE and those rights granted pursuant to the exclusive licensing agreements.”

The company’s move is in response to a non-payment of royalties suit filed by Hilton against the footwear designers, with whom she launched a line in 2007, which asked for $1 million in unpaid royalties.

Hilton originally claimed Antebi failed to honour its licensing agreement and unlawfully squeezed out of paying her royalties.

Her original licensing agreement with Antebi runs until the end of this year

Ash to do her own stunts in Jazbaa

Jazbaa will mark Ash’s return to the silver screen after her daughter’s birth in November 2011. PHOTO: FILE

MUMBAI: 

Now that little Aaradhya has started going to play school, her star mom Aishwarya Rai Bachchan makes her grand comeback with director Sanjay Gupta’sJazbaa, her first full-fledged action film.

For a while it seemed Aishwarya’s first director Mani Ratnam would be helming her comeback film. But that project has been put on hold. The news of Aishwarya being in a film directed by adman Prahlad Kakkad also proved to be incorrect.

To be produced by Gupta, Jazbaa will mark her return to the silver screen after her daughter’s birth in November 2011. The film will start rolling early next year. Confirming these developments Gupta said: “We start Jazbaa in January 2015. We’ll be showcasing Jazbaa at the Cannes film festival in 2015.”

The filmmaker clarified that it’s not a women-centric drama. “Just because Aishwarya is inJazbaa we should not label the film female-centric. To me, she’s the hero of the film,” he said.

Ash had done some action scenes in Dhoom 2, but she didn’t have the kind of stunts that Hrithik Roshan had. In Gupta’s film, she will do all the stunts without the help of a body-double. She has already started training for the role.

“There is no gender-specificity in what she does in the narrative. I’ve cast her in a role like any of the heroes in my films. She could be John Abraham in Shootout At Wadala or Sanjay Dutt in Zinda. It’s that kind of a role where her gender plays no role in the proceedings.”

Two prominent male actors are yet to be cast alongside Aishwarya.

Interestingly, Gupta is also working with Aishwarya’s husband and actor Abhishek Bachchan in Khottey Sikkay, which he will make immediately after Jazbaa.

“There will be no breaks in the storytelling for item songs. I will tell the stories heedless of extraneous demands. Though Jazbaa will star Aishwarya, it won’t use her ultra-glamorous personality to light up the frames. She will glow from within,” said Gupta.

Did you know?: After cricket, kabaddi catches SRK’s interest

He confirmed his presence at the tournament in a series of tweets exchanged between him and Ronnie Screwvala, who owns a kabaddi franchise.

Superstar Shahrukh Khan, a co-owner of an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, is now going to attend Pro Kabaddi league matches. He confirmed his presence at the tournament in a series of tweets exchanged between him and Ronnie Screwvala, who owns a kabaddi franchise.

When the Don star tweeted about the recent victory of his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad, Screwvala responded to it by posting: “Congrats SRK – force be with you on this and HNY [Happy New Year] too.”

The actor then requested Screwvala to call him for kabaddi. Screwvala then posted: “July last week – we have a date! Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi.”

Shah Rukh, a sports enthusiast, then said he will be there for his team as well as for actor Abhishek Bachchan, who has bought Jaipur franchise of Pro-Kabaddi, a professional Kabaddi league. “Ronnie Screwvala, I will be there for your team and Abhishek’s team,” replied King Khan, who played the sport in his film Pardes.

Meanwhile, he was ecstatic that his team KKR won an IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. “My mom would be proud of my KKR boys. Love you. Need to kiss you all. Will come to Kolkata and do it. Umesh (Yadav) you are the sweetest. Absolutely deserve the Man of Match title. My daughter and I have kind of gone mad with happiness,” SRK further posted on Twitter.

Shoo away summer hair problems

Sun’s rays can cause your hair colour to change due to its temporary bleaching effects - wear a hat to protect hair. PHOTO: FILE

NEW DELHI: Colouring your locks or taking a cool dip in the pool may be a problem for your hair during summer. Know how to protect your precious locks.

Kiran Lohia, managing director, Lumiere Dermatology suggests the following tips:

Hair colour fading

The sun’s strong rays can often cause your hair colour to change due to its temporary bleaching effects. Wear a hat to protect hair. If not that, you can wear products with sun protection on your tresses.

Green hair

Swimming is a great way to cool yourself, but the chlorine present in it can make your hair turn green. Look for chlorine-removing shampoos so that your hair can return to its natural colour! And, try to wear a swim cap to reduce the amount of chlorine your hair is exposed to.

Forehead breakouts because of bangs

Greasy bangs sticking to the face can block your skin’s pores leading to breakouts. Try to keep your bangs or hair off your face so that your skin can breathe.

Making a statement with statement jewellery

Shehla’s target audience remains all age-groups, with her main focus on the socialites of the city. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: 

Shehla Chatoor, who has been designing clothes for the past 19 years, made an entrance in the yet untapped jewellery designing business, Friday evening. This was a big step for her and she was nervous, she wondered if her latest venture will be taken positively by her clientele.

“This kind of jewellery is something which nobody is doing in the market, so I was testing the waters for the first time,” adds the 40-year-old designer.

The collection mainly consists of gold-plated, semi-precious stones, with some accents of the Buddha’s image. It also has other interesting statement pieces, including necklaces done up in fresh water pearls, earrings in agate and gold-plated hand-cuffs as well. However, statement rings were nowhere to be seen in her collection, despite them being fashion must-haves this season. “I was testing the market and ring sizes can be a little tricky. But next time, hopefully, we will have rings at the exhibition,” says Shehla.

After 19 years of sticking to apparel, what made the designer venture into this market? Shehla reveals two reasons why she delved into this new business, “Firstly, I can never find jewellery which would go with my outfits. Secondly, the increasing trend of destination weddings taking place all over the world is where this idea stems from. For destination weddings, people usually don’t want to take gold items with them, it’s a little risky. Therefore, my offerings serve the purpose, without one having to worry about losing gold.”

Her work comprises semi-precious stones like corals, agate, mother of pearl, turquoise, Druze and exclusive work like meena and polki.

The jewellery was first seen in her ‘Samsara’ collection that she showcased at PSFW in Lahore. “As I get older, I find more inspiration coming from my home, my country; a place that most people take for granted. So definitely, the Orient culture and the sub-continent are the real inspiration behind these pieces,” says Shehla.

The exhibition showcased about 200 pieces and was a limited edition collection. My statement pieces stand out and leave a mark. There is certainly a huge market for them!” she concluded.

The high-end contemporary nature of the jewellery is one that may excite a bride who is not opting for traditional gold jewellery on her big day.

Shehla’s target audience remains all age-groups, with her main focus on the socialites of the city. Her clientele will surely be looking forward to whatever she has to offer from her box of gold-plated items. 

Beygairat Brigade: Ali Aftab’s ode to the Nigerian girls

Ali shares that the success of the song does not mean he will be turning his back on the Beygairat Brigade. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: 

Lead vocalist of Beygairat Brigade Ali Aftab Saeed is known for his power-packed lyrics through which he blatantly comments on prevailing social issues. Be it the tongue-in-cheek Aalu Anday that unearths societal pitfalls or the self-reflectiveSub Paisay Ki Game Hai, Ali has relied on his own words to voice his satirical views on society.

For the first time, he has composed Urdu poet Kishwar Naheed’s poem Woh Jo Bachiyoan. Ali shares that he is proud of the composition of the song. “It is catchy and memorable. I have given a poem the format of a song,” he comments.

“My friend and political activist, Zeeshan Noel, who liked this poem, asked me to try and compose something around this song. However, I told him I don’t have the money to make it,” says Ali. The song was then commissioned as part of an activism project by the NGO Avaaz.

Ali has been an active part of Avaaz’s 16 days of activism campaign that took place some time back. Made three months ago, Ali shares that the song has been well-received by members of political parties, who have shared the song on social networking websites.

The song diverges from the satirical songs that Ali is recognised for. “I think that because this was an independent project, the poetry is serious and different from what the Beygairat Brigade has done so far,” shares Ali.

This is a one-off project, Ali feels, is free of controversy. “It’s simply a song about how females have the right to go to school. The response to it has started flowing in even before the video has been made,” he tells us.

Composing the song was not an easy feat for Ali, considering that the poem’s stanzas vary in size. Ali shares that he decided to release the song in the wake of the 2014 kidnapping of young girls by militant organisation Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Originally, Kishwar wrote the poem in response to the attacks on schools for female children in Swat. Its pertinence increased following the attack on Malala Yousufzai. “This is why many people assume that this poem was written for Malala,” says Saeed.

Grounded and deeply loyal to the band, Ali shares that the success of the song does not mean he will be turning his back on the Beygairat Brigade. It wasn’t a conscious decision by him to do a solo song — just an opportunity that unexpectedly came along. “We [band members] all work together. However, I do solo projects sometimes. It depends on the requirements for each project,” says Ali.

Beygairat Brigade was supposed to release another single during this period, but was forced to delay it due to the ongoing media war. The circumstances weren’t conducive for releasing it, Ali reveals.

“We were working on a project, which should have been released by now, but we delayed it. The delay was because of the current political situation in the country. The song has a mention of journalists, so we felt that it should wait,” says Ali.

Running Themes Of Beygairat Brigade’s Singles:

Aalu Anday (2011): Defies censorship and the celebration of violence in Pakistan

Sab Paisay Ki Game Hai (2013): Highlights how the power of money overshadows one’s ethics

Dhinak Dhinak (2013): Criticises the idea of a dictatorial regime

Hema Malini: From Bollywood to Lok Sabha

Hema states that she is in politics to lend impetus to the changes needed in the way the constituency is run. PHOTO: FILE

MUMBAI: 

Actor Hema Malini, who has earned her spurs as the ‘Dream Girl’ of Bollywood in her over 50-year-long career, is looking towards enhancing her alternate career as a politician. After winning the Mathura parliamentary seat on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, she is determined to prove all the cynics wrong, who doubt her political credentials.

She has said that she is not in politics to gain publicity by striking poses for pictures, but to lend impetus to the changes needed in the way the constituency is run. “They [the cynics] were making fun of me because they thought I was just here in Mathura to pose for pretty pictures in beautiful saris,” she stated.

“They have forgotten that I spent six years in the Rajya Sabha before attempting to contest the Lok Sabha elections. So, I am not only a glamorous star whiling away my time,” said the veteran actor. “Now, those cynics will sit and watch my performance. They will say, ‘Let’s see what she does.’ Well, all I can say to them is that they will get to see a lot of me in Mathura,” she proclaimed.

The actor, who celebrated her victory with her daughters Ahana and Esha, feels her physical presence in her constituency is not enough. “It would be simple enough for me to visit Mathura once a month, but that isn’t enough. There is work to be done and many changes needed in the constituency,” said the 65 year old.

Hema claimed that although her affiliation with BJP has played an imperative role in her victory, her personal standing in the constituency contributed immensely to her winning by a wide margin. “People in Mathura knew I was there with a serious agenda. Now, I need to prove myself,” she said.