Move over Raju Srivastava and Sunil Pal. The Great Indian Laughter Challenge gets its first woman stand-up comedian, Aarti Kandpal. The 27-year-old Mumbai girl is bubbling with confidence even as she prepares to shatter stereotypes and tickle the nation’s funny bone. “I have always loved comedy and I haven’t seen a woman comedian in ages now, so I feel I have to give it my best shot,” says she. Here’s hoping Kandpal has the last laugh.
SARI STATE She has played the ‘firang’ to the hilt in Yash Raj Film’s Salaam Namaste and Bunty Aur Babli and even donned a sari on celluloid. Now Aussie beauty Tania Zaetta has taken the sari international. Zaetta walked the red carpet in a sari at the prestigious Logie Awards— Australia’s television awards. “I had people coming up to me, complimenting me on my beautiful dress. I explained to them that it was a sari,” laughs Zaetta, who draped the garment herself. Green with envy, anyone?
A New Stanza
Sixteen-year-old grandson of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, has released his first book of poems My Thoughts in White and Black. A mix of English, Hindi and Marathi poems, the collection addresses issues like farmer suicides, politics, the British Raj, Indepen-dence and art. “I wrote my first poem when I was in Class IX,” says the younger Thackeray, who is also a budding photographer like father Uddhav. Like father like son.
Picture Perfect
That couturier JJ Valaya is also a super-talented photographer is evident in the designer’s new financial year calendar. And this time his lens is trained on striking model Miriam Chinelo, an exotic Nigerian-Swedish mix with an imposing six-foot tall frame. Draped in Valaya’s elaborate signature lehengas, 24-year-old Chinelo lends the calendar a distinct edge. We bet we’ll be seeing a lot more of this long-legged model.
“She has quaint features, a fantastic body and great skin tone.” -JJ VALAYA
SARI STATE
A New Stanza
Picture Perfect
