Like Assorted Hersheys :)

This post is going to be about the most random things because, well, I think I'm coming down with a virus, and do not have the energy to put deep thought into what I write. Yet, I really want to write! So here we go.....

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Sunny Deol is making a movie called 'The Man'. How innovative! He'll probably come up with a sequel to it a couple of years down the line, called 'The Woman'....followed by 'The Children'. There you go - 3 movies & 'The Man' doesn't even have to worry about naming his films!

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Vicco Turmeric has come out with a face wash! Just when you start to believe that the brands you grew up watching advertized on Doordarshan - such as Vicco Turmeric, Emami, Nirma etc. - have faded into oblivion, they spring back to life. I thought Emami was a dead company but apparently, they're doing really well in small towns.

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IKEA, the Scandinavian furniture & home products store, has scrapped its plans to enter India citing unfriendly Indian investment rules.

Foreign companies can enter the retail space in India only through a Joint Venture with an Indian partner & cannot hold more than 51% stake in the holding. IKEA's showrooms are like malls in themselves, requiring huge investments. and they were unable to find an Indian partner with such deep pockets.

Trust me, their decision to stay out of India for the time being is purely the loss of the Indian consumer. They have all the furniture in the world under one roof & everything is 'assemble-it-yourself'. They'll ship your furniture to you & give you assembling instructions, so there's no need to keep running to the carpenter.

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There's a new cellular service provider in India - MTS. I find their brand positioning to ve very absurd & self-destructive. Their logo is an egg. I'm not kidding! How is an egg related to cellular services? Go figure!

To make things worse for themselves, they have chosen red & white as their colors. Now, the telecom industry in India is dominated by red & white (Vodafone & Airtel). Why would you choose colors identical to those of the industry giants? Shouldn't your strategy be to stand out rather than to become part of the clutter? Is this the kind of brand management b-schools are teaching these days?

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Recently there was a Tube strike in London. To help passengers commute smoothly, the London Transport Authority (or its equivalent) organized taxi sharing service at all Tube stations, along with free river (Thames) services & guided cycle tours. Contrast this with what happens in India when there is a train/bus strike....people panic, get into fistfights & trample over each other to get into cabs!!

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I read an interview of this wannabe actress Sherlyn Chopra in The Times. This woman claims to have had many breast implant surgeries & wants a butt enhancement now! Read this...it's hilarious read but brings forth a very sad issue affecting many women today - dissatisfaction with their natural bodies & desire for breast/butt augmentation.

What brings you to Hyderabad?

Well, I come here regularly. Not because it’s my home town, but because I have to make regular visits to my doctor. All my breast implant surgeries have been done in the city, so I make sure to visit my doctor frequently. But these days he’s telling me that I shouldn’t be making such recurring trips.

Why is that?

He thinks I’m getting addicted to the surgeries. Even my friends think so. They think I’ve lost it and don’t know where to stop! But I always wanted to have bigger assets and I don’t think it’s wrong to go under the knife. I mean how much can you achieve by working out in a gym? At the end of the day you have to visit your doctor for body sculpting. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.

How has your family and the industry reacted to your obsession for a perfect body?

Before I got to Hyderabad I called my mom. She didn’t seem too happy when she got to know I was coming down to see my doc. She tells me that I have lost my marbles. Even my so-called friends think so. I don’t really care if they don’t support me. As far as the industry is concerned, once I was made to feel like an outcast. I make no bones about accepting the fact that I’ve gone under the knife. But honesty is not a virtue in the film industry. The industry treated me as if I was nothing but a bimbo with tangible assets. However, that mindset is beginning to change with the movies that I’m doing and people that I’m associated with.

You’re doing a Yash Raj production with Rani Mukerji and Shahid Kapoor.

Yes. In Hadippa I play a supermodel. My character is in love with Shahid Kapoor, who plays a cricketer in the film. In the film I also have a bikini scene. The bikini is designed by Manish Malhotra, but it’s too modest. While shooting for the scene, Raniji sent her assistant over and asked me to adjust my bikini top so that my assets could be showcased well.

I didn't know how to feel after reading this interview. There are so many teenagers that look upto Bollywood actresses for inspiration & get influenced by their lifestyle. The only solace is that this woman is a wannabe actress & is most probably doing all this to get noticed. I hope teenagers who read this interview also know as much.