Ergo December 26

8/14/2019 Ergo December 26

1/16

Friday, December 26, 2008A BYTE OF LIFE

LIFE CIRCUS

Ayon Sengupta and KarthikSubramanian go behind the scenesof Gemini Circus to learn more

about the people who make it tick

Whats your wordof the year 2008and why?

Ergo, in association with RadioOne, provides you the opportu-nity to nominate your word ofthe year 2008. Just send us anemail to [email protected] the subject line: Word ofthe Year.

It could be anything from Nak-ka Mukka to NSG, the only condi-

tion is that you must have astrong reason or maybe even acreative reason to back it.

If we find your nomination in-teresting, you will get the oppor-tunity to be on air on theDecember 31 morning show ofRadio One. Just let those creativejuices flow and send in your

emails.

PAGE 04

Vol. 2 No. 246

FREE CIRCULATION


2/16

Pirates of theCaribbeanDecember 29, 30, 31; 9 p.m.Star MoviesCatch all the three films of the mostpopular trilogy The Curse of the BlackPearl, Dead Mans Chest and At WorldsEnd. With Johnny Depp, Keira Knightleyand Orlando Bloom as the main star cast,the action-packed and surreal adventuresof Captain Jack Sparrow are a must-watch.

ERGO Friday, December 26, 2008

Namma Chennai

02

Singh is KinngDecember 28; 8 p.m.SonyLakhan Singh a.k.a. Lucky (Javed Jafferi) isthe Kinng of the Australian underworld,who has seven other associates fromPunjab as company. Far away in Punjab,villagers want to get rid of Happy Singh(Akshay Kumar) so they send him out ofthe village to bring back Lucky.The movie is filled with a series of comicmisadventures in Australia. A must-watchmovie of 2008.

Hindi

Grab this irresistibleoffer from @Home,where it is offering upto 50 per cent off onfurniture, furnishings,accessories, lighting andkitchen ware.Shop at: NelsonManickam Road,Aminjikarai. Ph: 23741532

Discount Alert

Shop winter wear atWestside for Rs. 1000and get a gift voucher

worth Rs. 200. TheChristmas fiesta is ontill December 28.Shop at: Spencer Plaza,Anna Salai

KangarooDecember 27; 5 p.m.SuryaPrithviraj plays an auto driver. The filmtells about the life and endeavours ofJosootty (Prithviraj), a Masters degreeholder hailing from the famous Palakunniltharavaadu. But his economic situation isbad and he is forced to become an autorickshaw driver to look after his family. Agood family entertainer this weekend.

Malayalam

Get up to 20 to 30 percent discount by buy-ing Classic Polo andother brands at Globusoutlet.Shop at: T. Nagar

Ghajini (Hindi), King (Telugu), Jumbo(Hindi) there are a couple more new re-leases this weekend at cinema halls acrossthe city. All promise to be a great watch,provided you get yourself tickets to theshow this weekend.

Now Showing

English

The Christmas carnivalis on at Home Centretill January 4, whereyou get flat 20 percent off on purchaseof furniture.Shop at: No 81, TTKRoad, Alwarpet


3/16

Friday, December 26, 2008

Sathyam Cinemas Blur was in aflurry of activity as game en-thusiasts from all over the citythronged the fourth floor

lounge in teams of four to take partin the citys first ever gaming chal-lenge. The tournament saw partici-pants at war, playing the popular

PC game Call of Duty 4. Call ofDuty because the organisers claim itis the most popular game at Blur.

Call of Duty 4 is a first-personshooter game and for the tourna-ment teams of four played againsteach other in the Knockout multi-player format. In tune with Christ-mas, they battled it out in the win-

ter crash map. Two matches wereheld at a time, with each person at aseparate computer linked to hisother team members through a net-

work. The winners walk away withprizes worth Rs. 50,000 (Nvidia9800GT 512MB graphics card and acopy of Call of Duty 5).

Twenty-five teams were regis-tered to battle it out and the entire

area was pulsating with activity;players shouting out instructions totheir team members engrossed inthe computer screen, others helpingthem out or looking on, waitingtheir turn. The preliminaries earnedeach winning team 4 points, after

which the top two would wage waragainst each other in the final.

This is the first time a majorgaming tournament is happening inthe city and its brilliant. The entireconcept and bringing gamers to-gether is super and Im happytheyve started it here. I never knewthere were so many gamers inChennai. Ive, in fact, made somegaming friends today, Abhi, a par-ticipant in the tournament,

commented.Following the success of this

event, Blur plans to have one majortournament every month, touchingon different gaming genres to reacha wide section of gamers. In Janu-ary, they will hold a tournament forSpin Top 3, a popular tennis Wiigame.

Blur at Sathyam Cinemas played host tothe citys first gaming tournament

ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY

Game on at Blur. PHOTO:S.S. KUMAR

Imagine swing, layered dresses and opaque printecapes that bring out the complex link between th

past and the present! Well, designer Sonam Dubal

collection is about all the above. Her mixed culturabackground instrumental in creating her signaturstyle is a fusion of the Eastern traditions with western aesthetics.

Tribal embroidery in gold thread and colourebeads in long raw silk coats and waist coats adevening elegance to her collections.

Check out Sonams collection at Amethyst, Sundar Mahal, Jeypore Colony.

Mass appeal

ActressTrisha (right)arrives forChristmasmass at St.AndrewsChurch,Choolai.PHOTO:

B.VELANKANNI

RAJ

WWaarr oonn PPCC

Fashion fusion


4/16


Big Story04

spect he made right decision.Probably not, he says. Maybe I

would have been better off in myvillage. This is hard life.

The average salaries for the art-ists range from Rs. 4,000 to Rs.8,000. The support staff, includ-ing the animal handlers, earneven less. The circus itself is apretty heavy unit with morethan 300 people, including 120artists. The manager claims thatthe operational costs alone run toRs. 80,000 a day. After havingforced to shut down some of its

The Noon show has just start-ed and the stands are mostlyempty. N.K.Vijayendran isdressed in his tacky white

costume with a jarring red shortsa la Superman. The 50-year-oldgoes through some stretching ex-ercises and presses his right palmto his neck and closes his eyes abit. Still not 100 per cent but Iam good, he mutters.

A seasoned trapeze artist, Vi-jayendran has learnt to go abouthis business even if he is not acent per cent fit. He has been do-

ing his act for nearly four decadesnow and though the fall two yearsback hurt his neck, it does notkeep him from his job. Its mylivelihood after all, he says.

As we caught up with some ofthe artists of the Gemini Circusbackstage on Saturday at theS.I.A.A. grounds near the ChennaiCentral Station, it becomes clearthat most of the artists joined thecircus when the profession itselfhad a degree of romance at-tached to it. A majority of themare from the smaller towns andvillages and the touring circuswas their ticket to a lifetime of

travel and adventure. But theyears have sapped their energiesand have left them more disillu-sioned than content.

I just wanted good clothes andto see the world, recalls Vijayen-dran. At the age of 7, he left hishome in Kannur district of Keralato join the circus. He was greatlyinspired by his neighbour Shan-karan, who was a trainer in atouring circus. Over the past fourdecades, he has travelled aroundthe country, entertained thecrowds and is finally in the lastleg of his journey as a circus art-ist. Another two or three yearsand I will be through, he smiles.

We question him if in retro-

popular acts, including the onesfeaturing the wild cats, circuseshave become less profitable.

The artists also seem to suffercoming to terms with the waningaudience interest but their senseof brotherhood keeps themtogether.

Rakesh Saxena, elephant han-dler, who has worked for 35 years

with Gemini Circus, was inspiredto join the circus by a number ofmovies that were made centredaround the circus. This has beenmy life and I will spend the rest of

my life here. When I joined itnot about money and its still I come from a middle class fain Delhi and I fled from home

worked as a daily wage laboonly to be a part of the showsays. The elephants are my fily now and I cant just lthem.

K.Das, one of the youngerists of the circus, an acrobat fSiliguri also ran away from hoFour years down he has his show and says: I was alwaytracted to the circus and I lite

begged and steal to have enomoney to see most of the shof every travelling circus. then I thought why not becompart of it. Then I dont havpay. The initial years were harsh but fortunately I shosome talent and two years bagot my own show. He is

young and doesnt know long he will continue. The pa concern but its not all that The fear and thrill before during performances keepsgoing.

As we left the premisescould only think that some oartists seemed closeted in

world of circus. While somepeared in denial, most apperesigned to their fate.

LIFECircusAyon Sengupta and KarthikSubramanian go behind the

scenes of Gemini Circus tofind out about the peoplewho risk their limbs for whatappears to be a dying art

PHOTOS: R.RAVINDRAN


5/16


He doesnt seem funnyanymore. The white-clowns, dandily dressedand full of antics, got

etched in your memory whenyou made your first trip to theever-noisy, colourful circus tent.But a visit back to relive thosememories as an adult now mayfill you with disappointment.Gone are the grandeur androaring animals. And even theever-pleasant clowns seem tohave lost their charm. Theirtricks look amateurish at bestand most times come across as aforced attempt to make youlaugh and seem more deplora-ble than the million comedyshows running on television.

The circus clowns have losttheir class and have been out-lined as another freak sidesh-ow. Days are not as simple asbefore. We used to be the cyno-sure of all eyes and now we arejust there to fill space between

acts, says Rangga, a clownworking for 21 years in GeminiCircus, the countrys most well-known circus. It was an artform when I started and weused to constantly innovate andimprovise. We had a guru whowould sit with us after everydays show and critically ana-lyse our work. There also usedto be a fair exchange of ideas.But now you just need to go outthere and do some slapstick ordegrade yourself and your jobis done.

After 21 years of merrymak-ing, Rangga seems disillu-sioned. There was a charmassociated with the circus when

I joined. I dont even rememberhow old I was at that point oftime but all the glamour andpomp attracted me. But I dontsee any of it now. Its probablythe only job I know, so I still tryto survive though many of mycontemporaries have left theprofession, he adds.

AYON [email protected]

Me

raNaamJok

er

Days arenot assimple asbefore.We usedto be thecynosureof all eyes

and nowwe are

just thereto fillspacebetweenacts.


6/16


Sport06

My life will begin now:GangulyAdmitting that cricket has taught him howhard life is, Sourav Ganguly said its time togive something back to the game as heembarks on a new innings in life. My lifewill begin now. I dont miss cricket anymore.There are lots of things to do in life. I come from abusiness family and probably I may take up business, hesaid.Ganguly retired from international cricket last month andplayed his final first class game last week for Bengal in theRanji Trophy Plate semi-final match against Goa in NewDelhi. The former India captain said he would now givesomething back to the game and teach kids of Kolkatawhatever he has learnt in his long career. I want to set upthings in Kolkata which is a special place for me. I want tohelp kids of Kolkata learn the game, he said. Cricket hasmade me grow as a person. I come from a well to dofamily and I would not have been the same person had Inot been a cricketer. The sport has not only given me fameit has also taught me how hard life is.

PTI

Indian owner set tooffload CSKA SofiaIndian businessman Pramod Mittalis on the verge of selling topBulgarian football club CSKA Sofia,the club announced on its websiteWednesday. Mittal, the brother ofsteel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, isreported to have agreed terms ofthe sale with Bulgarian companyTitan.No financial details of the deal,which is set to be finalised in thenext two months, were madeavailable. Pramod Mittal boughtthe club two years ago but hisspell as club owner was markedprincipally by a series of financialproblems. CSKA, 31-times andcurrent Bulgarian champions, wereforced to sell several players lastyear in a bid to cushion debts.

AFP

Pujara wants to taketips from DravidSaurashtras middle order battingmainstay Cheteshwar Pujara wantsto utilise the chance when he playsagainst Rahul Dravids Karnatakateam in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal in Mumbai from December 26to pick the batting greats brainsand get useful tips. I am lookingforward to have a chat with Rahul

Dravid whenever I get the opportunity. I have afew questions up my sleeve to ask him, thatincludes a query about the major differencebetween domestic and international cricket,Pujara said.Pujara, whose exploits of scoring two triplehundreds in the C K Nayudu under 22 tournamentand another in the Ranji Trophy tie against Orissathis season have drawn national attention, saidwhat he admired most about Dravid was his iron-clad technique and determination.

PTI

Pakistans IPLplayers may beput on sale

Rajasthan Royals team members pose with the trophy afterwinning the first edition of the DLF Indian Premier League.PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

IPLbearsthe

brunt

Pakistan players taking partin the Indian Premierleague have been asked tosign consent forms that

would enable franchisees to putthem on sale in the transfer mar-

ket. Some of these players havebeen told by their IPL team man-agement that it would be unlikelythey would be able to get clea-rance to play the next season, asource close to the players said.Some players have been toldthey would need to sign consentforms which would allow theteams to make them available on

the transfer market, the sourceadded. With the current tensionin India-Pakistan ties, it washighly unlikely any team wouldbid for them and sign them oncethey are released by their original

teams. The source said the con-sent form would be needed be-cause players usually hadthree-year contracts with the IPLand were unlikely to suffer majorfinancial setbacks even if theydont play in the Twenty20 tour-nament. But given the circum-stances in India it would bediplomatically and politically a

problem for Indians to have Pa-kistan players in the IPL next sea-son until the situation improves,the source said.

Top stars

Top Pakistan players have con-tracts with the IPL including cap-tain Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar,Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Mo-hammad Asif, Kamran Akmal, So-hail Tanvir, Younis Khan, SalmanButt and others. Sources said Pa-kistan players were also aware ofthe situation and some of themhad even started exploring the

possibility of playing for Englishcounty teams this summer. Pa-kistan is due to host Australia in

April for five one-dayers, a seriesthat is yet to be confirmed by

Australia due to the security sit-

uation. Pakistan next goes to theTwenty20 World Cup in Englandand their next assignment is theChampions Trophy in Septemberand October and then a tour to

Australia later in the year, an-other source said.

Eyeing EnglandSo they are now trying to seek

contracts with county teamssaid. Sources also said players having contracts withIndian Cricket League had binformed that if they dont gesas to travel to India for the

maining ICL season from Athe ICL might consider moits tournament to some neuvenue. Unlike the IPL, the pence of Pakistan players is necessary for the ICL as it hasteam from Lahore and is

working in having one team fKarachi in the league.

Ronaldinhos robbedThieves broke into Ronaldinhos house and made off with thousands of dollars wortof goods but left behind the football stars Golden Ball trophy, Italian media reportssaid on Thursday. Ronaldinho was at home in Brazil when the burglary took place eWednesday morning,


7/16


Ive got into a habit of not asking too many questions when it comes to selec-tors over the years. Youd have to ask them what their plans are. If Im

putting up the performances then its just a matter of how long I want to play.Matthew Hayden

It was legendary Liverpool managerBill Shankly who said the race for theEnglish league title is a marathonnot a sprint. But lasting the dis-

tance has proved a problem in recentseasons for the club the Scot mouldedinto one of the giants of the Englishgame. Liverpool head into the busy fes-tive period, which sees them welcomeLancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers toAnfield on Friday, with a one-point leadat the top of the table.

However, not since 1990 have Liver-pool, whove won the title a record 18times, been able to call themselveschampions of England. Sammy Lee, nowback at Anfield as assistant manager toRafael Benitez following an ill-fatedspell in charge of Bolton, said: Peopleask and expect more, and they are entit-led to want that. We are stronger, get-ting stronger, added Lee, anex-England midfielder who won severalEnglish titles with hometown club Liver-

pool as a player.

Building on the leadLiverpool, who could have star striker

Fernando Torres back in their side forFridays Boxing Day clash, havent lost totop-10 team Bolton at Anfield since1954. Twice in successive games havesecond-placed Chelsea failed to take ad-vantage of Liverpool draws to go topthemselves. But should Benitezs side,held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal last timeout, drop more points it is hard to seeChelsea being quite so generous athome to bottom-of-the-table WestBrom, even though the Baggies comeinto the game on the back of a win overfellow strugglers Manchester City.

Chelsea will, however, be without in-spirational captain John Terry after theEngland centre-half was sent off for adangerous tackle on Leon Osman dur-ing Mondays goalless stalemate againstEverton. Manchester United, buoyed by

winning the Club World Cup in Japan,return to domestic action away to Stoke.

Man U still in contention

Sir Alex Fergusons English and Euro-pean champions are seven points off topspot but with two games in hand. Stokeare one of several clubs above the bot-tom three who, even now, are involvedin a scrap for survival in the lucrative toptier of English football. We expectStoke to fight for everything becauseyou look at how tight the league is,said United manager Ferguson. It is thetightest I can remember. It may needover 40 points for a team to be guaran-teed safety, maybe even 43.

Aston Villa, currently third, are doingtheir best to edge Arsenal out of the topfour. They will be looking to complete adouble over the Londoners, who arewithout injured captain Cesc Fabregasand suspended striker Emmanuel Ade-bayor. It is a big game, said Arsenal

manager Arsene Wenger. We are threepoints behind and have a good opportu-nity to come back on them.

Moneybags Manchester Citys descent

into the bottom three contrasts sharplywith the position of Hull, Fridays visitorsto Eastlands. A club of modest means,Hull sit an impressive sixth in the table intheir first top-flight season. City may bebankrolled by the Abu Dhabi Unitedgroup but their league position meanseven a fantastic salary offer may not beenough to persuade the worlds bestplayers to join the club during the Janu-ary transfer window. But they do al-ready have Robinho and the Brazil star isnow fit again after an ankle problem.Portsmouth, in danger of being drawninto the relegation dogfight, are athome to West Ham. This will be FA Cupholders Pompeys first match since Las-sana Diarras transfer to Spanish giantsReal Madrid.

AFP

Liverpool facing Premier endurance test

Fernando Torres ofLiverpool celebrates

with Robbie Keaneafter scoring a goalat the BarclaysPremier League.PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

EPL battle hot up


8/16


Portfolio

08

Alittle twist is always

nice, says ManishMalhotra. The twist isthe fact that the de-

signer wasnt in namma Chennaias part of any fashion-relatedevent but to announce his con-tribution to Influence, the soon-to-be-opened vegetarian highcuisine restaurant by EvolutionLifestyle Homes.

The man responsible for manya Bollywood makeover (re-member what Rangeela didfor Urmila?) should be anauthority on change.

Ask him about themuch-noticed revamp hes

given to some of todaysleading ladies in films andManish says, It was never aconscious decision. When Icame into films, costumeswerent considered fashion.People never even narratedscripts to designers.

Even today, my enthusiasmlevel hasnt gone down. Recent-ly, Konkana (Sen Sharma) toldme, You are so excited! Its al-most as if youre a newcom-er. A bad garment al-ways upsets me.Look at Dostana its a youngpersonswork.

On thesuddenspurt in

the number of fashion weeksheld in the country, he fumes,

Its an absolute overdose! Justone couture week works wellfor me. Otherwise its such anexhaustion; for the designers aswell as the media. The fashionweek people should really waterit down.

He adds, There are so manyfields in fashion nowadays.Theres fashion merchandising,retail, fashion display manage-

ment. If I were entering the fash-ion industry now, a fashion

designer is the last thing I wouldwant to become.

Influence will be Manishsthird foray into restaurant de-sign, the previous two being theChinese lounge bar Soy in Mum-bai and Earth in New Yorksmeatpacking district. For Influ-ence, Manish will be collaborat-ing with Chennai-based interiordesigner Vikram Phadke. The5,000 sqft restaurant, with aseating capacity of 125 peopleand featuring an 18-ft-high ceil-ing, would be coming up in Eg-more near Poonamallee HighRoad. The beige-and-goldthemed interiors and black-and-gold staff uniforms would be

Manishs doing.On his personal favourites

among restaurants, Manish listsBuddha Bar in New York and Du-bai and Dolce & Gabbanas Goldin Milan, the latter widely famedfor its Midas Touch.

Going back to clothes, all eyesnow await the Rajinikanth-Aish-

warya Rai starrer Endhiran.

Bollywoods favourite stylist lends histouch to a restaurant, his third

SHALINI [email protected]

Rangeela (1995): Urmilahas much to thankManish Malhotra for. Tillthen best known as thechild artiste in Masoom, the lady made the industrsit up and take notice and got Manish Malhotra theFilmfare Award for Best Costume Design.

Rakshak (1996): Bet youve neverheard of the film. Raveena Tandoin Shaher ki Ladki oozed oomphand made the song the films onlyclaim to fame. Also, Karismas neavatar made a brief appearance iSundara sundara.

Raja Hindustani (1997): Karisma Kapoor of the frizzhair, bad makeup andunthreaded eyebrows

suddenly looked glamorous(Rakshak largely wentunnoticed) and got asmuch attention as theover-hyped Aamir-Karisma

liplock.Dil To Pagal Hai (1997): Despite athe Whos the better dancer talkKarismas sportswear-centricwardrobe stayed unbeatable. AlsoMadhuris clothes brought back thchuridaar in fashion.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998):After the forgettable Rajaki Aayege Baraat, Rani

Mukherjeegotcatapultedto the bigleague.Dhadkan(2001): Anyone who saw ShilpaShetty in Baazigarwouldnt haveimaginedthis. Till

date, shes never lookedmore understated andelegant.Main Hoon Na (2004):Sushmita Sen madeChemistry teachers the stuffdreams were made of.

THE HIT LIST

MMaanniisshh aanndd aa lliittttlleemmiisshhmmaasshhPHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN


9/16

Anand Jon convictedOn November 14, Anand Jon, theIndian-born fashion designer based inthe US, was convicted by the jury atthe Los Angeles Superior Court forsexually assaulting seven women. Hewas found guilty of 16 of 23 counts,which includes forcible rape andcommitting a lewd act on a child. Hewas acquitted of four counts. Jonsclient list included the likes of ParisHilton and Janet Jackson.


Sole searchingThe attention at Pradaswomens Spring/Summer 2009ready-to-wear collection atMilan Fashion Week stayedfirmly on the models, whokept tripping on the runwayone after another due to

a footwearmalfunction.

Tom Ford turnsdirectorTom Ford, the former creativehead of Gucci, turns directorwith the movie adaptation ofChristopher Isherwoods 1964novel, A Single Man. The filmwill star Colin Firth andJulianne Moore.

New pair at Valentinos

helmIn October, Alessandra Facchinettisreplacement as creative director atValentino turned ugly when Facchinettiannounced that she came to know abouther ouster through the Press. MariaGrazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, thein-house accessories designers, werechosen as her replacements.

Sex and the City: The MovieThe much-hyped movie version of Sex and the Cityreleased and the controversy over choosing Londonover New York as the venue for the first screeningfailed to dampen the return of Carrie Bradshaw andfriends.

Yves Saint Laurent is deadOn June 1, the fashion fraternity mourned the death of the legendaryYves Saint Laurent. The 71-year-old designer who introduced the LeSmoking suit in 1967 and advocated the participation of black modelson the runways died due to a tumour in the brain.

First LadiesThe political scene saw theentry of two extremelyfashion-conscious First Ladies Frances Carla Bruni and USAsMichelle Obama. Bruni, aformer supermodel, hasinvited comparisonswith JackieOKennedy and herDior-loaded

wardrobe during thecouples official visitto England has beenthe most impressive ofthe lot. Michelle Obama,on the other hand, hasdrawn praise forpopularising lesser-knowndesigners besides the regulars;her Narciso Rodriguez electionnight dress being the only oneto elicit mixed response.

The year that was


10/16


Flick

10

Naakka Mukka, the racy number from Kaadhalil Viz-hundhen, has been on top of the charts and so is Vijay

Antony. The song became an instant hit with the au-

dience across all age groups and gave Vijay Antony muchpopularity.However, though he is known for giving out mass

numbers, he prefers melodies. Even though NaakkaMukka was a craze among the public, my personal

favourite is the song Thozhiya En Kadhaliya andreally hoped that would become popular. However,

the audience have delivered their verdict, he says.Vijay Antony, who was originally a sound engi-

neer, took the plunge into music direction withthe movie Dishum. It was only in 1998, when I

joined Loyola College to do my Visual Communi-cation, that I got interested in sound engineering andpursued it seriously. After finishing college, I started myown studio called Audiophiles and composed for jingles,documentaries and TV. Thats when Aascar Ravichan-dran gave me my first break, Dishum. However, Sukranreleased first, says Antony.

A lesser-known aspect about Vijay Antony is that he

not only composes music but also writes the lyrics for hissongs. He has coined words like Dialamo and NaakkaMukka, which has become his USP. I write lyrics andcoin peculiar words, as we have to sugar-coat the mes-sage you are giving out to the audience. It also helps increating an identity for yourself, he says.

Another turning point in his career this year has beenthe launch of his own music label, Vijay Antony Music.Naakka Mukka has landed him several projects that areall due to release soon. Some of the films in the pipelineare Mariyadhai, Angadi Theru, Kanagavel Kakka, Ni-naithale Inikkum and Aval Peyar Tamilarasi.

With many offers in his kitty, the composer is highlyoptimistic about all his future releases. I can guaranteethat Im working on making each project different. Ex-pect a lot of different music in all my forthcoming films,he signs off.

Ergoc

augh

tupwit

hVijay

Anton

y,the

musi

cian

behin

dthe

supe

rhitsongo

fthe

year,

athis

studio

fora

freew

heelingc

hat

KALPAGAM SARMA

Naakka MukkaAntony

Pamelas giftFormer Baywatch actress PamelaAnderson is planning to gift outgoiUS President George W. Bush and hsuccessor Barack Obama a copy of hfavourite book - Ingrid Newkirks OCan Make A Difference.


11/16

Anushka, Tammana

in Vijays nextFinally, the lead ladies of Vijays next flick,Vettaikaran, have been are finalised. If Internetbuzz is to be believed, the movie could have twoheroines Anushka and Tamanna. Anushka hasalready paired up with Madhavan in Rendu, whileTamanna of Kalloorifame is slowly catching up on

the big league with her upcoming movie Ayan,where she is cast opposite Suriya. Vettaikaran isproduced by AVM Balasubramanian and directed byBabu Sivan. The movie is slated to go on floorsafter Vijays commitments with Villu are over.

He set pulse racing

with his suave andcharismatic ap-proach as Prem in

Maine Pyar Kiya. Twodecades and more than

70 films later, SalmanKhan, who turns 43 thisSaturday, is still amongBollywoods most soughtafter stars and hottestbachelors.

At a time when fresh facesare entering the film industry,Salman, who is considered apart of the formidable Khantrio - Shah Rukh Khan, AamirKhan and Salman Khan - stillmakes girls go weak in the kneesnot only because of his body

which is close to absolute perfec-tion, but also because of his allur-ing charm.

Miss World first runner-up anda Salman fan Parvathy Omana-

kuttan has said: I would love todo a movie opposite SalmanKhan, as I have a big time crushon him.

He might be infamous for hisline of controversies, but industryinsiders say that the actor is boy-ishly likeable.

I must say that Salman has aheart of gold, filmmaker Sub-hash Ghai, who directed Salmanin recently released film Yuvv-raaj, told IANS.

When I was working with himon my film, not even once did Ifeel that Im working with a star. Ifelt Im working with a familymember, a younger brother, headded. Echoing the same, Priyan-ka Chopra, who played his lead-

ing lady in MujhseShaadi Karogiand GodTussi Great Ho, hadsaid: Salman is al-ways fun on the sets.

Born to renowned

scriptwriter Salim,Salman made his act-

ing debut as a support-ing actor with the film

Biwi Ho To Aisi in 1988.He had his first commer-

cial success as the leadwith the blockbusterMainePyar Kiya.

After this he went on todo commercially and crit-ically rewarding films such

as Saajan, Hum Aapke HainKaun, Biwi No.1, Kuch Kuch HotaHai, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,Tere Naam and Partner, amongothers.

The actor has also won twoFilmfare Awards including Best

Debut for Maine Pyar Kiya andBest Supporting Actor for KuchKuch Hota Hai.

Salmans penchant for a fitbody is no secret. He was one ofthe first actors to take a plungeinto bodybuilding and since thenhas given tips for that fab look tomany including Hritik Roshan.

Salman is the fourth Indianactor to have been a wax statue inthe Madame Tussauds museumin London.

Though box office successeluded the actor this year withduds like God Tussi Great Ho,Hello, Heroes, and Yuvvraaj, hecan keep his hopes up, as he has anew release on the horizon, Lon-don Dream.

IANS

Bollywoodshottest bachelor

Salman Khan, whoturns 43 tomorrow,is still amongBollywoods most

sought after stars


Paiyya kick-startsWith Aayirathil Oruvan almost complete, Karthi isready to shoot for Lingusamys directorial venture,Paiyya. Tamanna plays the lead lady. MilindSoman, who acted as baddie in Sarath Kumarstarrer Pachaikili Muthucharam, will be playing theantagonist in Paiyya. Yuvan Shankar Raja scoresmusic for the lyrics by Na Muthukumar andYugabharathi.

Im just like Britney SpearsHollywood actress Lindsay Lohan has posteda message on her blog comparing herself totroubled singer Britney Spears.

Cine City


12/16


Wednesdays Query:

According to rumoursthe Hindi Ghajini has adifferent ending. Whatending would you havegiven it? Ill kill Nayantaras character for herirritating role.

S Balaji, TCS

Aamir Khan will wake up from hisdeep sleep and realise that the last 3hour story was a dream.

Selva, Inautix

Asin should not die; Aamir shouldget cured from short term memory lossand should hold her hand tightly.

Satish, Ramco Systems

Asin would stay alive and she getstreatment in hospital for amnesia.Climax will be at the hospital.

Siva, PSBPS

Aamir dies before and Asin takes

revenge on those criminals. Twist is shereveals her 6 pack to audience and sheproves even heroine can have 6 pack.

Vijay Shankar, Wipro

Asin is alive with short term memoryloss only remembering Amir.

Sravan, Wipro

Ill end the film by giving awards forthe heroine for her concern towardssociety and her social responsibilityshould be rewarded.

Minusuresh, Sutherland

While taking bath all theinformation Amir wrote on his bodygot washed out and he forgetseverything forever.

Subhransu, Hexaware

After the villains death Aamir wouldrecover from his memory loss syndromeand marry Ziah Khan.

Asath Kani, TCS

Todays Query:If your blind dateturned out to be theperson with whom youjust broke up with,what would you do?

Ezhilvelchezheyan C from Infosys has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clickedat Ooty

Sathish from Perot Systems has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked atMount Road.

Vijayapandian R from FSS has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked atMumbai.


13/16


Daddy ennai paarthar. Ithai ore vaarthai il eppadi solluve?Appasamy..

SivanandamWipro

A boss to the employees in a meeting:The concern is concerned about you.But how much you are concerned about the concern

is a matter of great concern to the concern and all concerned.Deepavali anraikku pongal thinna mudiyum, Pongal anraikku deepavaliyai thinna

mudiyuma?Dheepa,Infosys

Hey Leo Valan (ShiningStar)Another Candle on yourcake? Well, thats no causeto pout. Be glad that youhave strength enough 2blow the damm thing out.May your Bday bring loadsand loads of happiness.

Shashi,IBM India Pvt Ltd

Dear Kavi ,I wanted to say it with a

bunch of flowers, a cardwould have sufficed.....I wanted to say it with apack of sweets, a HI wouldhave sufficed....I thought to send a poeticwish.....DOES A POEM NEED APOEM FOR A WISH?Theres no-one nicer thanyouOr anyone dearerTo wish Happy Birthdayto.HAPPY BIRTHDAYKAVITHA !

With Loads of Luv,

AnushaSify Technologies Limited

Dear Sandhya,When u were born theworld rejoiced and u werecrying ,but since ur birth u rspreading joy & happiness tothe world through ur smile:)U have been the mosttreasured one for all of us.Wishing u a day full ofpleasant surprises....HappyBirthday!!! May god showerhis blessings on uthroughout ur life.

With lots of luv,

Nithya,Rajesh,Susmita,Kaushik,

Maha

Hi KK,May this day be thebeginning of another specialyear in your cap. Let thisbirthday bring you a lot of

joy and happiness in yourlife. Lots of advance birthdaywishes

from Team GIT Cognizant

Dear MATHAN RAJ (Mr.Criminology),You Grace us with yourpresenceWhen you entered into thisworldAnd like a burning candleYou truly glisten in the nightWith the warmest of wishesHAPPY BIRTHDAY.

We Simply wishThe very best for you.

Hearty wishes from

Hafiz Kha

VetHCL Technologies Lt

Dear Srineevasan B R,You are very specialand you deserve the best.We wish you a wonderfullifefilled with love andhappiness.

We hope others bring youjoy, just as youve brought joy tthee.

With lu ATG and E&A Rocke

Gershom and Kevi

Allsec te

Hey Muthu pandi,We are waiting for yourbirthday treat machanwishing u many more happreturns of ur 26th bdaymama

Best compliments fro

Saravana (sagunRoger (kozhanda

mattrum pal

Dear Kavitha,Wishing u many many morehappy returns of the day...May god shower you withhappiness and success. Havea blast!!!! Happy Birthday"

Shabb

Calso

Dear Gap Suresh,Your birthday is a specialtime to celebrate the gift o"YOU" to the world.Wish u a very "HappyBirthday".We hope this year bringsyou all thehappiness,peace,joy,Contentment and love thatyou so deserve!!!Wish you an awesomebirthday as you are...God bless you dear.

Happy Birthday

Best Regar

dotOPaL FrienScope Internationa

My Dear Raghu,On this Special day i justwanted to tell you that i wbe there for you,with youNow & Forever,Many More Happy Returnsof the Day!!

Love you lot Pollu

You

Mit

Venkat ofInfosys has been nominated as Office Angelby his friend Harish.

Venkat is a very polite, calm, peace-loving, helpful,

supportive, and caring person. He is a real angel in

helping people in times of trouble. "VENKAT is a realANGEL".The only difference is, he goes to the extent of

creating troubles just for the sake of solving them :)

Ramya Jayaraman ofWipro has doodled this


14/16


Traffic Jam

14

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf ofKASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik(Editor responsible for selection of news underthe PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

TEAMEditor: Karthik [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem KumarDy Chief Designer: R. Ravi KannanIllustrator: R. Venugopal

Technical Support:V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. GurumurthyN. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:Contact: 2857 5757

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.goergo.in

Head of Circulation:M.G.M. [email protected]

SNAIL MAIL

859/860, Anna Salai,Chennai - 600 002mail your feedback [email protected]

FAX 2857 6691

sudoku

KAKURO

Banned for being untidyPolice in Germany have banned a womandrivers car from the road - because theVauxhall Astra motor is too untidy.

So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had theplatform? Mail us your best work and well publish it in this space, with credit.E-mail: [email protected]

Anoop Bhaskaranof MindTree Ltdclicked thispicture nearCochin with hisCanon 1100.Hobbies:Travelling


15/16


B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pa

On the professional front, work calls for yourconsideration. If you do not pay heed now, you end up trailing behind. Ganesha asks you to unwand take things as they come. On the romanticfront , things will be smooth.

Haste makes waste. Actions made in haste maylead to future regrets. Ganesha advices you to pthorough attention to all details before arriving aconclusion. The ideal solution is to prioritise. Latyou will have a pleasant time with you loved on

Some problems at hand may seem to be taking

longer than usual to be resolved. Ganesha asks to not dwell on them and look forward to thepositive things. Be vigilant about circumstancessurrounding you. Love life may be without incide

You may end up devoting more time to futilenegotiations. Ganesha observes that things will ta turn for the good after the lunch. Ganeshacautions to watch your actions and not beimpatient. Pay attention to your partners emotio

The day will make you its slave. You may be unto change the situation however work will take most of your time. Ganesha sees a lot of action your love life today. You may spend some romanmoments with your lover.

Ganesha sees you communicating extensively andgiving suggestions to everyone at the workplace

You will give sufficient consideration to your tasand will be able to meet deadlines. Make sure tcritical words do not hurt your loved ones.

Try to unwind before you begin your work routinApart from professional responsibilities, you will have to manage interpersonal communication alsHowever by then, your beloved will have come uwith different ways to cheer you up!

Zeal and vitality will be the flavour of the day.Ganesha observes that you will feel like succeedin everything. Your personal life may call for notand impatience may not warrantee positive resuCreativity on the personal front will add spice.

Ganesha envisions an uneventful day for you. Yowill be able to strike a balance personally as weprofessionally. In such state of affairs, Ganesha s

this as an ideal time to spend with family. You arrange a small gathering for near ones.

You maybe unable to do justice to your domestiand professional life. This mental struggle maybaffle you at first but rationality will reduce yourtroubles. The day will be constructive for you. Layou will enjoy special moments with your belove

Ganesha feels that this will be an enriching day you. Growth and achievement will be yours todaLove life will bring a lot of joy and you will beunable to decide whether personal or professionlife is better. Take pleasure in this day.

Ganesha observes that adaptation to innovativethings come naturally to you today. On the persfront, you may feel the need to build up novel sto enhance your domestic life. Ganesha finds yoa buoyant mood throughout the day.

Words worth"Zenocratically" (zee-nuh-krat-ik-lee) with theauthority of Zeus or Jove.

Paying for plate smashingStressed Japanese workers are paying for thechance to smash plates against a wall to helpease their credit crunch worries.


16/16

ERGO Friday, December 26, 2008!16

Ajay Devgan with hischildren during thespecial screening ofhis animation filmJumbo in Mumbaion Wednesday. PTIPHOTO

SandartistSudarsanPattnaikcreatesasandimageof

SantaClausontheeveof

ChristmasDayattheGolden

beachofPuri,OrissaonWednesday.

PTIPHOTO

PopeBenedictX

VIcelebratesCh

ristmasnighth

olymass

attheVaticano

nWednesday.

AFPPHOTO

A Christmas tree made by 615 empty beer cans being displayne

look

isall

ittakes

Newsan

dnews

makesi

npictu

res

Documents

Ergo December 26