Indo-Pak co-production Virsa receives mixed response

Islamabad, May 8 (ANI): Virsa – the first international Punjabi film, which was premiered at CineStar this Thursday – has received mixed responses from audiences.

The story revolves around a rich, spoilt boy who falls in love with a conservative girl. Arya Babbar, an Indian actor, plays the boy while model-actress Mehreen Raheel plays the girl.

While Gulshan Grover’s powerful performance and Jawad’s songs received unanimous thumbs-up, many criticized Babbar’s amateurish acting. But many applauded Mehreen.

“I think she’s really pretty and should do an English movie that would match her persona,” said a youngster, Qadeer. “I came to see the movie only for her and I think she did a good job, although the story was weak,” The Daily Times quoted Qadeer, a movie buff.

“The people have been really generous in showering us with praising comments and I humbly thank all my fans for it,” said Mehreen.

“I respect what the audience have to say about the movie as they are the best critics. So far, the movie has been well-received, but I’ve also received a few critical points from close friends that I have considered,” said Jawad Ahmed.

The film has garnered an enthusiastic response from Australia and has been appreciated by India cinegoers. (ANI)

Miss Fresh Face of North East contest a major draw for youth

Guwahati, Sep.18 (ANI): With the growing number of fashion conscious youngsters present in the northeast region of the country, the fashion and beauty industry is gaining popularity here.

This was recently noticed when Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 contest was held in Guwahati and it received an enthusiastic response from people of the region.

Dabur Gulabari organized the Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 for which a model hunt was conducted across colleges and institutes in the region to discover fresh new faces from the northeast.

The organisers of the contest received an overwhelming response with over 700 entries of which 150 girls were short-listed for the auditions.

After extensive screening and audition, 18 participants were selected for the Grand Finale.

It was a unique way of spreading awareness among the beauty conscious women of the North East and provides them a platform to enter the world of mainstream modelling.

“Northeast is full of talent. We don’t get into big celebrities. We take fresh faces from the common public and make them a celebrity. We want to associate with fresh talents and bring them to the national platform so that they can grow,” said Dyas Anand, the organizer.

“It is gradually increasing and I believe that it will go on increasing and the reputation will also keep on going up as good upcoming models are also there. I feel it is very good,” said Bidisha Baruah, the winner.

Bidisha Baruah, a resident of Guwahati, was awarded one-year modelling contract with Dabur Gulabari and a cash prize of rupees 50,000.

The first and second runner-up, Wanda Mary of Shillong and Nabanita Sarma of Guwahati also received cash prize of rupees 30,000 and rupees 20,000 respectively. By Peter Alex Todd (ANI)

Kolkota hosts first-ever major fashion show

Kolkata, Apr 3 (ANI): Kolkata Fashion Week (KFW) kicked off with designer Bibi Russell’s latest collection here last evening.

The KFW showcased Russell’s superb collection whose every piece is purely handmade, from the clothes to the shoes to the jewellery.

“Every piece is handmade from the shoes to headgear. This year is a year of natural fibre. I worked for 15 years for the world to give this recognition,” Russel said.

The designer displayed 41 of her creations made from khadi (hand spun fabric), cotton, silk, jute yarn fabrics, tribal fabrics, natural fabrics and ‘jamdani’ (a fabric of fine cotton).

The first-ever major fashion show in the city received enthusiastic response.

“I am extremely proud and privileged that fashion show has come to Kolkata. It makes us proud. I am sure we will see some more designers and some more nice things,” said June Maliah, an actress.

The theme of the KFW is ‘Return to Roots’ in line with the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation declaring 2009 as the ” International Year of Natural Fibre.’

The KFW focuses on the cultural heritage of Bengal area, especially that of the weavers.

At least 35 of the country’s top models will sashay down the ram during the four-day show. (ANI)