The King and I

Next month, the Badshah of Bollywood, turns 50. And yes, he will continue to romance women half his age with panache. Enjoy our feature on him.

There are a lot of us who love Shah Rukh Khan; equally, there are many who don't. The lack of fondness for SRK is not an emotional quotient - it's not something like "you either love him or hate him" and that's it - but a clinical one. His detractors wonder why someone who's such a good actor chooses to star in "mindlessly entertaining" movies that belie his chops (he's not someone like, say, Salman Khan, who, critics say, cannot act, period, notwithstanding his huge popularity); and, of course, why Shah Rukh insists on hamming, going over the top, when (arguably) his finest performance till date - in Chak De! India - had him so incredibly understated. But just when you thought he's managed to fall into a rut, he will come back at you with something unprecedented. Like the Bollywood catchphrase "We're like that only", well, he's like that only, you can't pin him down. Is it his nervous energy? Maybe. He just cannot seem to sit still, cannot be content - not with films, not with his businesses, not with life. Next month, the Badshah of Bollywood, turns 50. No middle-aged tactics - like slowing down - for him. He continues to reinvent the wheel, and I, personally (an unabashed fan of his, even his hamming and his over-the-top delinquencies) am thrilled to learn that he's exploring the dark, edgier side with movies such as Raees and Fan. And yes, he will continue to romance women half his age with panache. Happy birthday King. In advance. Enjoy our feature on him.
In case you haven't noticed, fashion is creeping up on us. Earlier, there would be those who'd be "haute" and seemed to be in a league of their own. Today, fashion is the great leveller; everyone gets a shot at it. That's got largely to do with how high street has become SO big, and SO acceptable. When Michelle Obama was wearing high street, most of us thought she was being "careful" because there was a recession going on. I, however, believe, she likes high street. The lines have blurred. Celebrities are intermingling couture with retail brands, and people like us are getting a taste of couture because it's now on high street. Literally. Read about the evolution of fashion and how it changed the way an entire generation dressed.
In Travel, we go the way of capital cities, yet slightly off the beaten track, with the relatively unexplored Bratislava. Kitchen Classics gives you the taste of organic and vegan bites. Yet another brownie bakery opens its shutters in Dubai. Also, learn how to tackle that mother of all headaches: a migraine. All this and much more.
Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend!
 
Sushmita Bose, Editor