Your Weekend Planner March 5: Distressing week for denims?

Between the Saina poster controversy and the Taapsee-Anurag I-T raids, we've completely overlooked the fact that this week has been particularly distressing for the humble jeans!

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New Delhi
March 5, 2021
UPDATED: March 5, 2021 18:51 IST
What's in your jeans?

Dear Reader,

Bollywood has again taken over the news cycle, either ruffling the feathers of a shuttlecock or being raided by the Income Tax department for tax evasion. The former is, of course, a reference to Parineeti Chopra's Saina biopic poster. The shuttlecock that was tossed in the air had a hand right beneath it in serve position - except it wasn't a badminton serve at all. Twitter never misses these things. And it didn't this time either. To be fair, who can really miss a 'Saina doing a Sania'? Geddit? Director Amole Gupte, in a now-deleted Facebook post, defended the poster calling it 'high concept' and said something about the 'Indian Girl Child aspiring to reach Saina’s height'. More on that here. We wonder why he deleted the post, though.

The I-T raids at the offices of Taapsee Pannu and Anurag Kashyap took over the rest of the week. Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl were also not spared. 22 locations across Pune and Mumbai were searched. A discrepancy worth Rs 650 crore was found. And a lot was discussed on Twitter again. Everyone knew exactly what was happening and why. Exactly. Phantom Films, right? Right. Reasons weren't phantom, after all.

But put all that aside, and take a moment to notice just how distressing this week has been for the humble jeans. Twitter queen Kangana Ranaut made headlines this week when she spoke ill about a particularly favourite fashion item - distressed denims. Her words, of course, left us more distressed than our denims. We'll explain that here. Speaking of denims, Levi's and Deepika Padukone had a distressing week too. Yup, not a good week at all.

But no matter how distressed you are, golgappe will help. We promise. We tell you how to make them at home, in case your golgappe wale bhaiyya isn't giving you the complementary one at the end. We don't need him. We have our own.

We're going to end the week one a sweet note. Who wants some politically correct sandesh? Bengal election hai bhai.

WHAT’S TRENDING?

This week started on a rather “lazy” note, all thanks to cricketer Rohit Sharma’s cheeky post on Instagram that triggered a meme fest online. Amid the discussion over the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that was subjected to intense criticism after the Pink-ball Test ended within two days, Rohit posted a picture of himself, dressed in training gear, and that served as proper meme fodder for social media users. Check out the memes here.

In the meantime, Deepika Padukone’s Levi's ad was accused of plagiarism as Yeh Ballet director Sooni Taraporevala called out the “copycat culture in India”. Apart from the commercial, social media users also discussed the pros and cons of using a body wash containing volcanic ash. Will you use it? Decide for yourself.

A video of a bride and groom dancing during their pheras also caused enough pandemonium on Twitter after Vedant Birla posted the clip. Several quarters slammed the couple for “disrespecting traditions” while a few users didn’t mind it all. What do you think? Read more here.

Unsurprisingly, Kangana Ranaut trended this week as well after she trolled women for wearing 'torn jeans'. Well, but the internet wasn’t far behind as social media users found pictures of Kangana wearing distressed denims herself, and flooded the internet with her pictures. Well, well.

Now, here’s some good news. A delivery man from Vietnam garnered a big round of applause after he saved the life of a two-year-old girl, who fell from the balcony of her residence on the twelfth floor. The video is scary but you must watch it.

As for news regarding the Covid vaccine, India kickstarted the second phase of the inoculation drive this week. Home Minister Amit Shah received his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was administered a shot of Covaxin at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, on Monday.

SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU SMILE

Did you see Anand Mahindra’s “ele-pant” post earlier this week? The Mahindra Group chairman shared a picture of an elephant wearing a shirt and pants, and the image went crazy viral.

Canadian dancer Gurdeep Pandher did the bhangra on the frozen lake in Yukon after receiving his Covid vaccine. His video delighted the internet and we are sure you will enjoy it as well.

As for dog lovers, here’s an adorable picture of Smriti Irani with her pet Sheru. Don’t miss the caption because it is epic.

DON'T FORGET TO WORK OUT

This week, take cues from Malaika Arora and relax by practising Anulom Vilom, a simple form of pranayama. The star shared a video of herself doing the breathing exercise on Instagram recently. She talked about how our breathing affects our overall wellness, thus stressing the importance of doing breathing exercises. She even gave step by step details of the procedure.

Take a look at the video:

ON OUR PLATTER

This week, during a work trip to Varanasi, Smriti Irani visited a stall and relished Banarasi Golgappas. Now we know that going to Varanasi is not possible for us. So, why not make some Golgappas at home and relish the deliciousness of this street snack without any worries.

To make the puris, you will need one cup of sooji, two tablespoons of maida, a pinch of baking soda, a dash of salt and water. Knead the ingredients into a dough. Rest the dough for 20 minutes. Make small round balls with the dough and flatten them into discs with a rolling pin. Deep fry the puris in oil.

To make the filling, boil a potato and add ingredients such as chopped onion, coriander leaves and green chillies along with chaat masala, salt and red chilli powder to this mixture. To make the tangy water, mix mint chutney and tamarind paste in water.

Stuff the mixture in the puris and enjoy Golgappe with the tangy water.

FROM OUR BOOKSHELF

For those who love to dive into the mystical world of Haruki Murakami, this book comes as a treat. The recurring theme in most of Haruki Murakami's writing is that of loneliness and Killing Commendatore isn't any different. The book focuses on a portrait painter in Tokyo, who is temporarily living in a mountain home of a famous artist. He has been abandoned by his wife and the tiny house is his safe place, where he enjoys his solitude. However, a circle of mysterious circumstances begins after he discovers an unseen painting in the attic of the house.

FASHIONABLY YOURS

Janhvi Kapoor can pull off absolutely any outfit - be it dresses or traditional attire. But most of all, she dazzles like a diva in ethnic outfits lehenga cholis, sarees, kurtas, the works! Janhvi turns 24 on March 6 and ahead of her birthday, we list her top five ethnic outfits that are pure love. So, if you are planning your outfits for an event in the near future, take cues from Janhvi’s style, in our Fashion Friday section this week.

MOVIES AND MAGIC

Movie celebrities and sports celebrities have crossed paths several times but when it comes to sports biopics, things have always, always been a bit hazy. From Priyanka Chopra's Mary Kom to Farhan Akhtar's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, sports fans on several occasions have pointed out how Bollywood just doesn't get it right, and then ends up glorifying a human being to god-levels. But seldom have we seen a sports biopic poster get the sport itself wrong. Parineeti Chopra's Saina, based on badminton star Saina Nehwal, did.

'Saina doing a Sania'. That's what trended on social media the day the first poster of the ambitious project was released. Reason? The poster featured a hand tossing a shuttlecock in the air in serve posture. Well hello. That's not a badminton serve, but a tennis one. Thus, Saina Nehwal doing a Sania Mirza. Twitter trolled the makers up to high heavens and back. And a day or two after the severe trolling, Amole Gupte, director, spoke up! Only to explain to us, plebians, the 'high concept' poster. He said something-something about "If Saina is the flying shuttle, then clearly, the girl’s hand with the National colours wristband is the hand of the Indian Girl Child aspiring to reach Saina’s height (sic)." Yeah we didn't quite get the high concept either.

Moving on from goof-ups, after the Maldives, Bollywood has discovered a new keep-me-busy. Launching production houses! Alia Bhatt recently launched hers, and on Thursday, Ali Fazal-Richa Chaddha too made an announcement. So what will Karan Johar do? Especially now that KJo announced 14 new directors joining his Dharma creative team?

Speaking of new announcements, Netflix hit it out of the park this week by announcing 41 new projects. With so much content, there's no time to chill at all. Here's the list BTW.

Now, back to the old stuff. Monday Masala was about why Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is still a hit with the fans. On Tuesday Trivia, which happened to coincide with Baaghi Tiger Shroff's birthday, we revealed how being rejected by a girl in school changed our action hero forever. On Wahiyat Wednesday, we looked back at Kiara Advani's Guilty and how it was guilty of pretty much mocking the MeToo movement. And on Throwback Thursday, we wondered why Ajay Devgn and Paresh Rawal's Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge worked at the box office.

Now, over to the OTT section for new releases.

ON YOUR OTT SCREENS

ON NETFLIX

What to watch: Moxie

You will like it if you liked: The Edge of Seventeen

If you like teen drama and loved watching films based on high school life, then you cannot miss Moxie. Based on Jennifer Mathieu's book of the same name, Moxie is directed by Amy Poehler, who also features in the film in a supporting role. The film follows the aftermath of her onscreen teenage daughter’s anonymously published zine that sparks a school-wide revolution to do away with sexist norms. The film is streaming on Netflix.

What to watch: Murder Among The Mormons

You will like it if you liked: Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

Murder Among the Mormons is a three-part documentary series directed by Jared Hess and Tyler Measom. The series examines a trio of bombings in 1985 that killed two people and shocked Salt Lake City. It's the latest case to join Netflix's growing catalogue of crimes revisited.

What to watch: Sentinelle

You will like it if you liked: The Beast

Sentinelle is an action thriller. It is about a highly trained French soldier, who has been transferred home after a traumatising combat mission. She uses her lethal skills to hunt down the man who hurt her sister. The film is written and directed by Julien Leclercq.

What to watch: Biggie: I got a story to tell

You will like it if you liked: Tiger King

The documentary traces the life of American rapper The Notorious BIG. It has unseen footage and interviews of his close friends and family, giving a close insight into his life. The documentary started streaming on March 1.

ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

What to watch: Coming 2 America

You will like it if you liked: Coming to America

Eddie Murphy is back as King Akeem for the sequel of the 1988 film Coming to America. In the sequel, the African monarch gets to know about a long-lost son in the USA and he decides to bring him home. However, things don't go according to his plan. It will be released on Amazon Prime Video on March 5.

ON ZEEPLEX

What to watch: Sita On The Road

You will like it if you liked: What Are The Odds

Five women from different backgrounds take a road trip which changes their lives. Some journeys are more than just fun and frolic, they lead you back to you. Sita on the Road stars Kalpika Ganesh, Khatera Hakimi, Gayatri Gupta, Nesa Farhadi, and Uma Lingaiah. It is directed by Praneeth Yaron and started streaming today, March 5.

WHAT ARE WE WATCHING ON TV?

What to watch: Indian Idol 12

Where to watch: Sony TV, 8 pm

Indian Idol 12 will welcome veteran Bollywood star, Hema Malini, this weekend. The actress will be seen performing to her iconic song Dream Girl and will also share interesting anecdotes from her life. The show will be graced by music composer duo Ajay Atul on Saturday where the contestants will be seen singing their compositions.

What to watch: Dance Deewane 3

Where to watch: Colors TV, 9 pm (Saturday and Sunday)

The reality dance show premiered last week and has contestants from three generations. The selected contestants will be performing a dance battle this weekend. The show is hosted by Raghav Juyal. The judges this time are Madhuri Dixit, Dharmesh Yelande, and Tushar Kalia and the trio will be performing on the stage as well this weekend.

What to watch: Indian Pro Music League (IPML)

Where to watch: Zee TV, 8 pm (Saturday and Sunday)

The big musical extravaganza will have a competition between several teams, each representing a different part of India. The show doesn't have judges but teams of Shaan, Javed Ali, Sajid Khan, Kailash Kher, Mika Singh and Ankit Tiwari who compete with each other for the winning title. Mika Singh will be seen performing this weekend along with Asees Kaur.

What to watch: MTV Splitsvilla X3

Where to watch: MTV, 7 pm, Saturday (March 6)

Splitsvilla Season 13 premieres this weekend on MTV. Sunny Leone and Rannvijay Singh are back on the show as hosts with a new theme. This time, the show has been shot in the exotic locales of Poovar Islands, Kerala. Splitsvilla X3 will have 9 boys and 12 girls embark upon their journey to search for love but in two different villas, gold and silver.

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Posted byNairita Mukherjee