Dacoits remotely close to the character of Gabbar and Sambha do not share the same equation in the real jungle. Nor are there any dancers to entertain the gang. And there are no horses either.

Indian cinema needs to concentrate on original scripts, commented actor Anupam Kher recently. “We are a very young country in terms of entertainment, it’s only now the audience is getting more open to newer kind of cinema. We need to compete with ourself and also the bigger question is how many original movies are we making? We are suffering from Tarantino disease,” Kher said referring to directors inspired by the American filmmaker.

Delhi-based designer Namrata Joshipura says she is playing Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde these days.

Subodh Gupta is a man of many acquired tastes, and it won’t be an exaggeration if we call him a magician of the art world. Considered one of the best artists in India today, Subodh was recently honoured with Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French government. This honour comes as a recognition of his work, which has been inspired by the daily life of India on the move.

All prepared to impress the fashion moguls at the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013, Delhi-based designer Ragini Ahuja and accessories designers Kaabia and Sasha are beaming with confidence. After months of hard work, the designers chosen in Gen Next category of the contest are prepared to test the waters.

Music binds the entire world. Despite the language and cultural barriers, music is a common language that we all understand. The packed halls at the 3rd International Sufi Festival, which was held at Kamani Auditorium recently, were enough to support this.

“Freedom of speech is a big lie in our country,” said director Karan Johar referring to controversy around movie Vishwaroopam. Sociologist Ashis Nandy is still fighting for the remarks he made at the Jaipur Literary Festival. The latest blow has come in the form of attack on an exhibition that featured works of some legends of Indian art as certain sections of the society found them to be ‘provocative’ and ‘insulting’ to women.

Beach lovers, get ready for a first-of-its-kind sport and music festival. The Barefoot Festival, which started today and is on till February 10 at Calangute beach in Goa, is a rare combination of sports and music, where sport lovers will get to play beach soccer during the day and cool it with music during the evenings.

Imagine Barfi without Ranbir Kapoor, or somebody other than Kareena Kapoor doing the “chipkaale saiyan Fevicol se” move and a Dabangg without Sonakshi Sinha. Will the audience accept Bollywood without star kids, who are expected to take forward their parents’ popularity and prowess?

He ruled the stage and held the audience spellbound. And even when he neared the end of his performance, his fans kept asking more. Such is the charm of Toshanbor Nongbet, the fourth runner-up in the recently concluded reality show India’s Got Talent —Season 4.