Do you have erotic capital?

Erotic capital : The magic of beauty

Afsana Ahmed

So you thought that the most beautiful things in the world have no real use beyond pleasing the eye? Think again. A UK sociologist Dr. Catherine Hakim says that the secret weapon some women are born with lies in their demenour, their looks, their attitude , social skills, fitness and most importantly their sexual competence. And I strongly belive that it is 100% true.

In an era where 'looking like a million bucks' has become a national obsession, with everyone conforming to the global wave of cosmetic makeovers, I feel the power of looking good is slowly but surely being felt.

Be it the job market, on the home front or a college campus - looking good matters. Beauties who use this strength to their advantage are reigning today. "What's the harm in flaunting it, if you have it?" asks filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Experts suggest that in this time of competition, attractive people have an edge over others. "The power of beauty is incredible," observes Bhatt.

Rahul Joshi, an image consultant, corroborates, "Good looks create pleasing imageries in the mind. It feels good to see attractive features. The initial impression is important. That's why firms and hotels prefer to keep beautiful faces as they create a fantastic image of the company for a first time visitor."
Marketing manager Deepti Naandwani underwent tremendous mental stress when she saw her juniors racing past her. "The profile of my company also changed. They were increasingly focussing on the feel-good factor which they felt could be attained by looking glamourous. A senior of mine made me feel that I needed to look hot to be happening."
Deepika weighed 82 kg once. "I underwent a makeover to fit into their profile. I don't blame them anymore because I feel a never-seen before confidence. That itself is a boost. Today, that senior of mine gives me a second look!"
Britain's Exeter University psychologist Dr Alan Slater says that attractive people tend to do better in life than the less attractive ones.
"Nobody ever said evolution was fair," he observes. His premise was based on a recent study on newborns which showed an instinctive fascination for people who look like Hollywood stars and an in-built prejudice against ordinary looking adults.

According to Bhatt, even the common man is trying to conform to the definition of beauty. "Even if the person is not beautiful by normally accepted standards, she uses the cosmetic industry. It's inescapable."

Actress Sameera Reddy, who was plump once, says, "Beauty is grooming yourself to the best of your abilities. When I was weighty and non-glamourous, I was aware of my weakness. So I made the best of what I had. Anybody can be attractive if only you know how to use it."

She doesn't agree that you have to be beautiful to be successful. "Being beautiful is a stepping stone."

Dr Manisha Sen, psychologist, says that good looks is related to success in an indirect way. "More than beauty, it's how one presents oneself is what matters."

Salman Khan's interview.

I know what goes up also comes down: Salman

He’s riding the success wave. Salman Khan’s explosive box office dhamakas have the film industry in thrall.It's clear that nobody `Khan'stop Salman. In the US, after a successful surgery of his neurological disorder, Salman will return to shoot his next film, with a renewed energy.

Afsana Ahmed



You are Back with a bang?

Big bang alright. By God’s grace, my films are doing well now. But I am aware what goes up comes down so I will keep working harder.

High tide

It’s all because of my fans. I think they sense my genuine intent. I do films for them not for any intellectual reasons. My films are like a three-hour party, where everyone’s having a blast. My life has been mired in negativity. Despite what one goes through in personal life, the attempt is always to make people laugh.

No grudges

I don’t grudge anybody for not signing me when I was down. What’s wrong with that? If somebody is not focussed and not interested in his work, what’s the point? Filmmakers were always coming to me only I wasn’t focussed. If you are not doing well in any business then naturally people would run away from you. Even I would do the same. If tomorrow a particular person is not saleable, I would replace him. That’s business and I am fine with it.

Still making a ‘Preity’ pair with Zinta. :)

After whatever happened, (read: the tape controversy few years back) it was great fun to work with Preity again in New York. There wasn’t any awkwardness between us. She is a fine actor and nice co-star. I like her a lot.

Biggest achievement

None. Nothing is in my control. Because I know for a fact that somebody else is working ten times harder than I am. Even if you have everything right and give your best, finally the strings are pulled by somebody else up there.

Fun at 47

Earlier, life used to end at 40 but now life not only begins but rocks after 40, at least for me. I feel the same as ever. I am growing up, learning from my mistakes everyday. I have made too many mistakes. I feel more strong and responsible though. But its hardly an age to turn reflective.

What’s the secret of your looks?

I am not responsible for my looks. And I don’t think I am handsome.

Kareena calling

Initially, it was awkward working with Kareena but later it became fine. I have seen her grow up and I’ve treated her like a small child. You know her flaws and qualities because the association has been long. Now, we are comfortable. I feel both the sisters, Karisma and Kareena, are very alike workwise.

Hollywood ambitions

I can’t go to Hollywood to audition for a role. If they like me, they’ll come. If I like the subject and get the respect I deserve, I will take up the offer. Mujhe koi shauk nahin hai, subah 5 bajey jaakey set pe baithoon. I am happy with Hindi films. I will not do any film for the heck of it. I’ll do a film that will represent our Indian culture and make us proud of who we are. Entry into Hollywood for Indian cinema should be just like the way it’s done by the Chinese or Japanese film industries, who make their kind of movies with their culture and tradition intact and then enter the Hollywood market. I want our films or be something like that. We have tremendous overseas following and if somebody uses this opportunity little intelligently, we can make an inroad into Hollywood.

1.'Diwali and Eid are equally special'

As a child, actor Salman Khan had no reason to brood over baffling questions of life, especially religious ones. Growing up in a multi-religious household surrounded by his Hindu mother Salma's precious Ganesha idol, regular visits to the Hanuman temple, the namaz and the Quran readings by his Muslim father Salim Khan, the belief that every faith survives in harmony was ingrained in him. The actor, who is in the US currently for his surgery of a neurological disorder may have missed the celebration sof Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi but he says, "I did miss the celebration this time, but its ok. Next time hain na? We celebrate all festivals and I feel this is God's way of saying we should be together."
Salman recalls his childhood days when the Khan family celebrated both religious festivals with equal fanfare. "Holidays were the first thing that we would look forward to. Ganpati would be about modaks, and other sweets and of course bringing home the Ganpati. We would have pooja s at home too. My cousins would visit us and we would have a great time," he recalls fondly.Eid was equally special.

"We would wake up early, get dressed and go for namaz . Back home, we'd eagerly wait for idis (monetary gifts) from guests who'd come home. Mom would make excellent sheer kurma and biryani that were impossible to resist. And we kids would head straight for the food," he recalls with a laugh.

Salman had a successful surgery and by the grace of God and prayers from all his fans, Salman is fit and fine now. Wish him a speedy recovery.He can join in the celebrations of Bodyguard.

Bollywood star’s pet name..

They might be called glam dolls and macho men onscreen, but they have some rather funny pet names offscreen.

Isn't it amazing that in Bollywood, where most stars have screen names, several are still saddled with the pet names they picked up in childhood! For instance macho man Salman Khan is addressed by most everyone in the industry as Bhai, because his siblings and boyhood chums called him that. Salman is also known as Sallu, but this is a pet name he doesn't care to hear from everyone.

To continue, does Gullu suit former beauty queen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan? Perhaps not, but it goes well with Bollywood's bad man Gulshan Grover! That other beauty, Sushmita Sen, in the meanwhile, must live down the ignominy of being called Titu!

If you need to ryhme, consider Guddu and Duggu... Rakesh Roshan and son Hrithik respectively. And don't know what Bong bombshell Bipasha Basu's parents were thinking of when she was young and they adoringly called her Bonny. But clinical analyst Dr Pratikshay Dhole explains the trend, "A nickname is sometimes considered desirable, symbolising a form of acceptance, but can often be a form of ridicule. In most cases it eventually becomes a term of endearment."

Celina Jaitley is called as Chinki at home, and Mahima Chaudhary whose original name was Ritu Chaudhary, is known as Rits! Govind Arun Ahuja or Govinda, is known by everyone as Chi Chi, it is a name given by his mother Nirmala Devi. "In Punjabi, Chi Chi means little finger. Apparently, Lord Krishna lifted an entire mountain on his little finger so that his poor friends could take shelter. Chi Chi's a symbol of strength and unity," says Govinda. The Kapoor sisters Kareena and Karisma are Bebo and Lolo respectively . Karisma explains her pet name, "I got it from my dad because my mother liked the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigidia." Bebo's boyfriend Shahid Kapoor, meanwhile, is cute as Sasha. Aamir Khan's friends call him AK and Shah Rukh Khan's known as SRK. But Juhi Chawla calls him Lucky Ali, because she believes SRK's a fluke! Malaika Arora Khan is Malla and sister Amrita is Amu. Lanky Tabu is Tabassum, that's her real name, and Tabu her pet name! Akshay Kumar's real name is Rajiv Bhatia and he is called Raju by his friends. He adopted Akshay, aka Akki, as his screen name. Ajay Devgan was Vishal Devgan but friends call him VD. And not many know that Boney Kapoor's original name is Achal Kumar. Sunshine and Angel are Ameesha Patel's pet names. She adores them. "Both were given by an uncle who lives in Paris. He used to spoil me silly," recalls Ameesha. While Suniel Shetty is Anna to everybody , Sanjay Dutt's pet name given by his mother Nargis is Sanju, but the industry knows him as Baba. Abhishek Bachchan's pet name is Abhi and dad Amitabh is called Amit. But the funniest and most interesting name has to be Aftab Shivdasani's . He's called Faffy! And nobody can beat Priyanka Chopra whose pet name Piggy Chops was given to her by Abhishek Bachchan while shooting for Bluffmaster

. Actor Shah Rukh Khan on his career, his sexuality and his supposed fall-out with the Yash Chopra camp.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan does everything with panache. But the recent ad campaign for a beauty soap, which always used Bollywood heroines as models, has also led to a fresh round of rumours. And SRK is aware of the buzz that says that through this move he is epitomising 'the gay man's fantasy.'

Ask him this and he says, "I found it very strange. For me, when I signed the campaign there was no analysis attached in terms of sexuality.

I think it's an over-simplification of things, because I usually don't do anything overtly macho, so people think I am effeminate, which is OK by me."

He further adds, "I cannot sit down and rectify people's perceptions. Unlike earlier, when I used to get affected by such comments, today I don't react."

On why he did an ad that's been a woman's domain for years, SRK replies, "I don't agree soaps are the domain of women alone, and in my house, I don't have a special soap,"he grins.

The magic of beauty

So you thought that the most beautiful things in the world have no real use beyond pleasing the eye? Think again.

In an era where 'looking like a million bucks' has become a national obsession, with everyone conforming to the global wave of cosmetic makeovers, the power of looking good is slowly but surely being felt.

Be it the job market, on the home front or a college campus - looking good matters. Beauties who use this strength to their advantage are reigning today. "What's the harm in flaunting it, if you have it?" asks filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Experts suggest that in this time of competition, attractive people have an edge over others. "The power of beauty is incredible," observes Bhatt.

Rahul Joshi, an image consultant, corroborates, "Good looks create pleasing imageries in the mind. It feels good to see attractive features. The initial impression is important. That's why firms and hotels prefer to keep beautiful faces as they create a fantastic image of the company for a first time visitor."

Marketing manager Deepti Naandwani underwent tremendous mental stress when she saw her juniors racing past her.

"The profile of my company also changed. They were increasingly focussing on the feel-good factor which they felt could be attained by looking glamourous. A senior of mine made me feel that I needed to look hot to be happening."

Deepika weighed 82 kg once. "I underwent a makeover to fit into their profile. I don't blame them anymore because I feel a never-seen before confidence. That itself is a boost. Today, that senior of mine gives me a second look!"

Britain's Exeter University psychologist Dr Alan Slater says that attractive people tend to do better in life than the less attractive ones.

"Nobody ever said evolution was fair," he observes. His premise was based on a recent study on newborns which showed an instinctive fascination for people who look like Hollywood stars and an in-built prejudice against ordinary looking adults.

According to Bhatt, even the common man is trying to conform to the definition of beauty. "Even if the person is not beautiful by normally accepted standards, she uses the cosmetic industry. It's inescapable."

Actress Sameera Reddy, who was plump once, says, "Beauty is grooming yourself to the best of your abilities. When I was weighty and non-glamourous, I was aware of my weakness. So I made the best of what I had. Anybody can be attractive if only you know how to use it."

She doesn't agree that you have to be beautiful to be successful. "Being beautiful is a stepping stone."

Dr Manisha Sen, psychologist, says that good looks is related to success in an indirect way. "More than beauty, it's how one presents oneself is what matters."