By now everyone has heard about the epic meeting of two of the planet's best looking and completely opposite male hunks: motor mouth Shah Rukh Khan and monosyllabic Brad Pitt
Rajeev Masand, Shah Rukh Khan and Brad Pitt
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By now everyone has heard about the epic meeting of two of the planet's best looking and completely opposite male hunks: motor mouth Shah Rukh Khan and monosyllabic Brad Pitt. Tele anchor and movie critic Rajeev Masand moderated a discussion between the two for his weekly TV outing, and gave us a sense of what went down in the room when Khan met Pitt.
"SRK reached the venue about 15 minutes before Pitt, who was staying in the same hotel," he says.
"While we waited for Pitt, SRK pulled out his phone and showed us a test song he'd shot for his new film, in which he plays a midget. Then Brad showed up in the middle and SRK showed it to him," says Masand adding, "Apparently the make up and prosthetics artist working on SRK's film is the same guy who'd worked with Brad on 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' so they bonded over that and exchanged stories on prosthetics and make up.
But contrary to reports, there had been no party at SRK's house for the Hollywood heartthrob.
"SRK changed at the Trident itself and went straight for the Sachin Tendulkar movie premiere and Brad flew out the same night."
As for Masand, who was in the middle of all that mega star frisson, he says, "One of those days I'm reminded why I love my job."
Priyanka Chopra as UNICEF ambassador meets child survivors of sexual violence
PC in Jolie's footsteps
Of course, the fact that Brad Pitt met and bonded with Shah Rukh Khan, has nothing to do with Priyanka Chopra's following in his estranged wife Angelina Jolie's footsteps. It just makes for some delicious irony. Chopra, who like Jolie, is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, followed in the Hollywood star's footsteps by visiting Zimbabwe this week, where she met child survivors of sexual violence and heard their harrowing stories.
"Jolie, the Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, was among the first to take up the cause of fighting for the rights of refugees and displaced people," says a spokesperson. "Now global superstar Priyanka Chopra takes the baton ahead."
Like Jolie, PC made an impassioned appeal to the world to support the fight against child violence abuse and exploitation. She visited Childline Zimbabwe, the country's 24-hour service for vulnerable children.
"I was astonished by the number of calls that were coming in during the brief time I was there," she said about her visit. "The counsellors and volunteers told me that many calls come from children who are hysterical because they have been raped or abused. Those who were calling were sounding so scared. Without Childline, they would have nowhere to turn."
The next day, the star hosted UNICEF South Africa's first Gala event in Johannesburg to raise funds for its work with kids.
Meanwhile back home, SRK was hosting Pitt for some epic photo ops. Nothing more than serendipity there of course. Just Sayin.'
Boys and their toys
'The difference between the men and the boys,' the adage tells us, 'is the size of their toys'. And this is exactly where, according to a top banking source, the authorities are looking to recover their unserviced loans, which run into thousands of crores from corporate honchos.
"Private jets, yachts, beach villas, sponsorships of film award shows and cricket teams. One by one we are looking to capture and sell off what we strictly classify as 'toys,' which borrowers have spent the vast sums of bank's money on, for their private pleasures. After all, that's what these toys were bought for: their sense of fun isn't it? They really served no business purpose."
Oh dear, boys will be boys.
Anandiben Patel, former chief minister of Gujarat
R and R at a price
We have often written about the top notch Viva Mayr Spa in Austria, that Bollywood stars flock to for weight loss, and skin rejuvenation. From Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, to Rani Mukherji and Aditya Chopra (who are said to have introduced the craze to their filmy friends), to Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, and Arjun Kapoor, almost every big name in Bollywood has spent a few weeks there aligning themselves to the strict regime and therapies.
Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone
Recently, already fit actor Anil Kapoor is also supposed to have checked in with wife and family. But currently, guess who is there along with her daughter? Former Gujarat CM and member of BJP, Anandiben Patel, with her daughter, Anar. Nothing wrong with that you might say, everyone has a right to seek rest and rejuvenation. But at Viva Mayr patronized by plutocrats, royalty, film stars and tech billionaires, that comes at a hefty price. An average week at the spa costs between Rs 2.50 and 3 lakh per head.
Ache Din for sure.
Abha Singh
To Oxford, again
Firebrand lawyer Abha Singh, who as recently as March this year, had delivered a lecture at Oxford University on International Women's Day, on 'Moving towards Gender Justice And the Evolving Rights of Indian Women,' was back again this week, to address a gathering jointly convened by Oxford and Cambridge and convened by TEDx. The subject? "It was titled the Bridge of Whys," she says. "Namely, why laws that are in place do not suffice to create women empowerment."
Taking time off from her busy schedule, which includes a heavy dose of prime time soundbyting back home, Singh accompanied by her lawyer son Aditya, had embarked on a tour through Europe, taking in museums and national landmarks in Italy and Spain and Portugal, before they arrived in Britain for her talk.
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