TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016

Bollywood cannot do away with senior actors: Boman Irani

COMMUNITY | 6 LIFESTYLE | 10 BOLLYWOOD | 11Japanese mudballs prized for beauty,

calming effect

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

tior ni

11

SOCIAL MEDIA ‘INFLUENCERS’

What was once a hobby can now morph into an all-consuming job - and a quirky lifestyle.

P | 4-5

COMNorth Indians’

Association celebrates Deepotsava 2016

CAMPUSTUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 03

MES Indian School celebrates 42nd annual day

MES Indian School commemorated its 42nd Annual Day Celebrations, Mes-merise 2016, a

two-day cultural extravaganza, in a glittering and spectacular man-ner at the open-air auditorium of the school on November 3 and 4. A galaxy of distinguished personali-ties besides thousands of spectators witnessed this magnificent and splendid fiesta that showcased exquisite performances of students, who performed elegantly in their youthful exuberance.

P Kumaran, Ambassador of India to Qatar, was the chief guest of the first day, while Dinesh Ude-nia, First Secretary (Press & Education) and Mission’s Commer-cial Representative Embassy of India to Qatar was the chief guest for the second day programme. In his keynote address, Kumaran remarked that the school annual day events provide a glimpse on the vibrant performances and multi-faceted talents of young students. He suggested that the students should imbibe the spirit of enquiry as it is essential to unlock the door of success. Students should also exercise honesty and integrity in their work, he added.

K Abdul Karim, President offi-ciating MES Governing Board, in his

address complemented the school for playing a crucial role in instill-ing knowledge and impart cutting edge technology in the ever chang-ing educational patterns and the needs of young minds.

The guest of honour, Hamad Ali Hassan Al Sulaiti, Former Director, Private Schools, Ministry of Educa-tion & Higher Education, in his felicitation, lauded the efforts taken by the school in striving for the holistic development of its students. He also congratulated the school for maintaining a good track record in school academics.

M P Saleem, Director, Cultural and Co-curricular Activities, MES Governing Board appreciated the participants of the school annual

day celebrations for their level of enthusiasm in perfecting skills in the areas of interest and artistically demonstrating in a function of grand scale as this. He also assured that the school will take every nec-essary step to preserve and promote their interest on the co-scholastic domain.

The school principal, Dr MH Khan presented the school annual report, which highlighted the sig-nificant growth and achievements of students in the curricular and co-curricular domains during the academic year 2015-16.

Kumaran honoured the toppers and the meritorious students at the national level in Class XII board examination with gold medals, cash

awards and trophies, and also con-gratulated them for their success. P K Mohamed, General Secretary and M P Saleem Director, Cultural & Co-curricular Activities, and A P Khaleel, Director Academics, MES Governing Board honoured the members of the staff, who put in long years of service in the institu-tion with gold medals, mementoes and certificates on the occasion.

Congratulating the school on the celebration of its 42nd Annual Day, Dinesh Udenia, First Secretary (Press & Education) and Mission’s Commercial Representative Embassy of India to Qatar and the Chief Guest on the closing day remarked that the vibrant partici-pation of these young talents set a model for other students to emu-late, as the world outside demands them to be more accomplished in terms of their development in inter-personal skills.

Hameeda Kader, Vice-Princi-pal and Head of Girls’ Section, Kalpana Barla, Vice-Principal and Head of Boys’ Section, Nageswara Rao Indana, Vice-Principal and Head of CBSEi announced the names of the academic achievers of their respective section for the academic year 2014-15.

Akbar Ali, Head, Department of Physical Education announced the names of gold medal winners of the CBSE National Athletic Meet 2015. Rosy Johnson, in charge of Scouts and Guides announced the best out-going scouts and guides. These achievers were honoured by the distinguished dignitaries on the occasion.

Akhil Uday, Head Boy and Fathima Nida Jamal, Head Girl wel-comed the august gathering, while Onaisa Rashid, Head Girl, Junior Section, Aiswarya Merin Santhosh, Cultural Secretary, Girls’ Section, Noofa Abdul Latheef, Cultural Sec-retary CBSE-i and Jestin Thomas Cultural Secretary, Boys’ Section proposed votes of thanks for vari-ous segments of the programme on both days. Anver K, Cultural Con-vener along with his team of officials coordinated Mesmerize 2016.

COVER STORY TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 201604

Meet social media ‘influencers’

Sarah Halzack The Washington Post

As soon as Lauren Mid-dledorf starts striking poses, you can tell that she’s done this more than a few times before.

Smile. Look at the camera. Look away. Reposition the leopard-print purse. Tousle hair. Cross legs. Add sunglasses. Repeat.

The photographer — snapping away at her subject on a shadow-bathed outdoor plaza — occasionally chimes in with bits of advice. “Teeth,” she offers at one point, prompting Middledorf to give a broader grin.

“Let me take some more of your shoes against that,” she says, betting the sleek black stilettos will pop against a beige block of concrete.

Middledorf is not a model: She has a full-time job as a corporate event coordinator. The photogra-pher is her mom. And Middledorf put on this ensemble in the bath-room of a nearby restaurant.

It’s all part of her effort to gain a modest slice of the mushrooming marketing budgets that retailers and megabrands are funnelling to

everyday women and men who have amassed large followings for their blogs, Instagram feeds or Snapchat stories.

Brands regard these social media “influencers” as relatable messengers for their goods. Com-panies pay them in fees or free products, resulting in sponsored posts in which, say, a millennial gal-about-town, working mom or fitness buff might talk up a pair of high heels from Kohl’s, show off a recipe made with Progresso bread crumbs or flash a smile that’s been treated

with Crest White Strips.What was an experimental mar-

keting practice only a short time ago has morphed into a mini-economy with dizzying financial stakes. The social-media analytics firm Captiv8 estimates that big brands are spend-ing a collective $255m per month for sponsored posts on Instagram alone. Captiv8 says Instagram influ-encers who have more than 7 million followers command an average rate of more than $150,000 per spon-sored post.

Some have even signed with

agents, who help them get con-nected for a cut of the earnings. Others have banded into informal syndicates to help promote one another’s posts, making them attrac-tive to more brands.

As the business takes shape, and more people rush to join, some won-der whether the new form of marketing can hang onto the sheen of authenticity that made it success-ful in the first place. Already, regulators and consumer watchdogs have begun clamoring for more dis-closure of the paid relationships. And already, some influencers are feel-ing the strain of their always-on lifestyle, where the product they’re selling is their own personality and taste.

Theirs is a world where happy hour with friends becomes a moment to trumpet one’s enviable taste in cocktails to followers. Fam-ily vacations become paid photo ops. Pleasure becomes business.

In other words, while influencer marketing rose to prominence as a raw, credible antidote to the slick world of television and glossy mag-azines, it has metastasised into something every bit as calculated.

COVER STORYTUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 05Alicia Chew, a style and food

influencer, figured out how to rep-licate the marble countertops she lacked to showcase beauty prod-ucts. Her solution: She bought some marble-printed contact paper and slapped it on a piece of cardboard.

“I have to make my life a little - well, actually a lot — more glamorous than it actually is,” Chew said.

Getting the photos to look entic-ing is just part of the process.

Influencers say they often log hours each day trying simply to expand their following so that they can command larger fees: They’ll respond one-by-one to comment-ers, post content across channels including Pinterest and Twitter, and they “like” other people’s social posts. For some, all that effort can become, well, work. Elizabeth LaBau, who has more than 8,000 Instagram followers on her desserts site SugarHero, said she used to enjoy posting on Pinterest. “Now I schedule my Pinterest time every week, and I just sit down and do it like a kid eating broccoli.”

At the upper echelons of the influencer hierarchy, there is evi-dence of just how lucrative this new world can be. Aimee Song, whose Song of Style feed on Instagram has 4 million followers, has signed an endorsement deal with

Laura Mercier cosmetics that is reportedly worth more than $500,000. Emily Schuman, who founded Cupcakes & Cashmere and has racked up more than 300,000 Instagram followers, now has a clothing collection that is sold at Nordstrom and ShopBop. Logan Paul, an influencer who is known for quirky, comedic videos, recently said he was paid $200,000 for a single day’s work.

But even with fewer followers, you can do quite well. LaBau, the desserts blogger, said she charged $200 for her first sponsored post years ago, and now can command up to 10 times that per post.

Some of the proposed arrange-ments do not involve money at all.

“I had a company that was going to send me hair extensions - but not

pay me for it - but wanted a blog post, three Instagram posts, two Twitter posts and a Facebook post spaced out over a three-month period,” said Anna Dille Cobbs, a Dallas-based speech therapist who runs a fashion and recipe site called Fleur Dille. “That’s crazy.”

Cobbs charges $250 to $400 for a sponsorship package that includes a blog post and one related post each on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Sponsored posts are not the only way for influencers to monetize their work. They also can join affiliate networks that allow them to make a few pennies on each click they drive to retailers’ websites or that pay them commis-sions on the sales they drive to retailers’ websites.

But, overall, it’s an uncertain

landscape. Regulators have begun insisting that sponsorships be more transparent, with greater disclo-sures. And the technological landscape keeps changing. For example, Instagram moved recently from a chronological feed to an algorithm-driven feed. This has some influencers worried that it will become hard to enlarge their fol-lowings and get as many “likes” as they need to keep brands happy.

Such changes have made some skeptical that the influencer mar-keting boom can be sustained.

Chew, for one, said she has no plan to abandon her day job work-ing full-time for a media group in Tysons Corner, Virginia. “I’m a lit-tle hesitant right now,” Chew said,

“because I’m not exactly sure when the blogger bubble is going to burst.”

Enjoy The Exotic Asian Cuisine...

... At Retaj Al Rayyan Hotel

Contact www.retaj-hotels.com, click on Special Deals and reserve @Retajhotels retajhotelsRetajHH

@Retajhotels Retaj Hotels & Hospitality

for only QR 90.00/person

Retaj AL RAYYANDafna, Diplomatic District

P.O. Box 25556, Doha, Qatar

Tel: +974 6602 5326

E-mail: reservations@retaj-alrayyan.con

www.retajalrayyan.com

Sharpen your chopsticks, get ready for Retaj Al Rayyan Asian Night and be in the heart of Asia every Tuesday from 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM.

Call 66025326 (for reservations and information)

COMMUNITY TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 201606

North Indians’ Association celebrates Deepotsava 2016

North Indians’ Associa-tion celebrated its annual family get together ‘Deepotsava 2016’ recently at Hotel

Radisson Blu organised by Trans Media International.

More than 250 family members attended the event. Members appre-ciated homely and family atmosphere created by untiring efforts of the managing committee.

The star attraction of the show was melodious performance by singer Diljaan, runner up of famous music reality show Sur Kshetra, who was invited specially from India for the event. He enthralled the audience with his melodious and energetic songs dance numbers, with chants of once more, once more. Later event followed by the performances of NIA’s young talented kids on clas-sical and bollywood dance themes.

All the NIA members received goody bags, gift and sweets as a token of love. It was a fantastic evening for all members who all left complimenting the great fun-filled evening.

The main sponsors for the event was JP Infra and Prime Wealth Cre-ators while gold sponsors were Gulf Light Electrical Engineering, Sho-prite & Mega Mart Supermarket and support sponsors were Al Maya

International, LTC Distribution, Homes r us, Al Muftah Group, Qatari Canadian Trading Contracting Serv-ices, Zaffran Café and Golden Ocean Hotel.

The event was coordinated by managing committee members Har-ish Kanjani, M K Singh, Praveen Sharma, Sanjay Arora, Durgesh Gupta, Kuldeep Kaur Bahl, Abhijit Sarkar, Anil Mehta, Punit Jain, Chan-dra Gururani and Shivani Mishra.

Meet on women empowerment heldAmna Pervaiz Rao The Peninsula

A panel discussion on women empowerment and their evolving role in society was

held in which Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar & Elisabeth Reis were the panel members. This women empowerment event was hosted by an expatriate Indian family.

The mission of the discussion was to highlight key areas of wom-en’s role around the world. The transition from suppressed woman to an independent woman has been a long walk.

Addressing the event Shabana Azmi, leading Indian film actress and human rights activist, said:“I think it is very important that women get empowered. It’s

important to get a critical number of women empowered whether in politics or in corporate world. When a woman gets empowered she transfers the notion of the power and when she gets empowered she also shares the power.”

There was an almost consen-sus among panelists and audience that women empowerment also leads to more economic benefits not to the individuals but to the society as well.

Shabana Azmi observed that role reversal between men and women was not the solution. She said:“Having a shared ecosystem is what will bring equality between the battle of the genders.”

To a question from audience, Javed Akhtar said: “Technology is progressing so far that a woman

who earlier would take a career break for 3 or 4 years upon having a child, no longer needs it. A mod-ern woman can get back to her career within 3 to 4 months and work from home if needed.”

Azmi expressed her thoughts by saying: “I think women are differ-ent, this difference needs to be celebrated, the way they think, the way they perform. The different solutions to problems are endorsed by men. Whereas I think we make a different view and this difference makes change. This change should be celebrated.”

Taking part in the discussion,

Reis said: “I started it by home, I want everyone to start empower-ing girls at home. I don’t differentiate in between my daugh-ter and son I always encourage them in the same way,” she said.

Saima Bukhari, co-host of the event and Chief Commercial Officer of Crunch said: “Today I am inde-pendent and empowered, there are several challenges I face every day, this discussion helped me finding solutions to the problems. Society should understand that it is not the woman who should always be the one making sacrifices, these sacri-fices should be shared.”

MARKET PLACETUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 07

THE One unveils Vintage collections

Bring a laid-back, tropical feel to your home with this rustic Vintage style from THE One’s Autumn/Winter col-lection. This effortlessly ‘thrown

together’ lived-in look blends a neutral palette of off-white, taupe and beige with multi-col-oured accents and a riot of mix and match

patterns ranging from feminine florals and damask to bold stripes and circles.

Natural fabrics and painted woods sit com-fortably alongside mirror finishes and matte gold metal pieces, while lots of lush faux green-ery picks up on this season’s popular nature trend. Creative wall decorations like a collage

of fun signs in the living room and a mirror wall in the dining room make great talking points and give the look a younger feel, with coral, palm trees, parrots and pineapples adding a relaxed tropical vibe. Give your decor the Vin-tage treatment this winter for a cozy, inviting home full of charm and character.

BoConcept introduces luxury products

TOP: Hampton corner sofa with adjustable back and storage on left side with

stone grey Napoli fabric 8255/matt dark grey metal finish. ABOVE: Cenova sofa,

forest green Napoli fabric 8256/black lacquered.

Athena chair with reclining back function and

swivelbase with light grey Salto leather 0967/brushed

steel. Athena footstool in light grey Salto leather 0967/

brushed steel.

FOOD TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 201608

Cool steamed eggplant with garlicky dressingFuchsia Dunlop The Washington Post

Steaming brings out eggplant’s tender side, and the simple sea-soning here is terrific. You’ll need a large

steamer basket. This is designed to be served as one of a number of dishes, but it can also be a light lunch, over rice.

Adapted from “Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes From the Culinary Heart of China,” by Fuchsia Dunlop (W.W. Norton, 2016).

Ingredients(4 servings)

1 large eggplant (1 pound; may substitute the same total weight of slender Asian eggplants)2 tablespoons light soy sauce1 teaspoon Chinkiang (black) vinegar1/4 teaspoon sugar1 tablespoon minced garlic1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger root1 1/2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion (green parts only)2 tablespoons vegetable or pea-nut oil

MethodFill a wok or saute pan with

several inches of water, then place your steamer basket inside and heat over

medium-high heat. Meanwhile, cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices, then cut the slices into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut the strips into bite-size pieces and place them in a heatproof bowl, then seat that bowl in the steamer basket once the water has just begun boiling. Cover tightly and steam for 20 minutes, monitoring the water level as needed, until the eggplant is tender.

Whisk together the light soy sauce, black vinegar and sugar in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.

Just before serving, pile the steamed eggplant in a serving dish. Top with the garlic, gin-

ger and scallion.Heat the oil in a wok or

saute pan over high heat. Once the oil is very hot (shimmering for a few minutes), remove it from the heat and carefully pour it over the dish, which should produce a dramatic sizzle.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the top. Gently stir it in, then serve.

Nutrition | Per serving (using vegetable oil): 100 calo-ries, 2 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 1 g sat-urated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 580 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar

HEALTHTUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 09

IANS

Women with vitamin B12 defi-ciency during pregnancy may predispose their chil-dren to metabolic diseases such as Type-2 diabetes, a

team of researchers led by one of Indian ori-gin has warned. The vitamin is found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs and milk. Its deficiency are more likely to occur in pregnant women, who follow a vegetarian diet, the study said.

“The nutritional environment provided by the mother can permanently programme the baby’s health,” said Ponusammy Saravanan, Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Warwick in Britain.

In this study, researchers hypothesised that the changes associated with B12 deficiency may be the result of abnormal levels of leptin - the hormone that tells us we are full after eating.

“Maternal B12 deficiency may affect fat metabolism and contribute to this risk. This is why we decided to investigate leptin, the fat cell hormone,” Saravanan added.

Leptin is produced by human body’s fat

cells and its levels rise in response to eating food.

While lean diets are associated with nor-mal levels of leptin, obesity causes levels to rise and remain consistently higher than normal.

This can eventually lead to leptin resist-ance, continued overeating, and an increased risk of insulin resistance, which leads to Type-2 diabetes, the researchers observed, adding that leptin can provide an effective ‘marker’ for body fat.

The study showed that babies born to moth-ers with B12 deficiency had higher than normal leptin levels.

This suggests that maternal B12 deficiency can adversely programme the leptin gene, changing the levels at which the hormone is produced while the foetus grows.

“The leptin can increase for two reasons. Either low B12 drives fat accumulation in the foetus, and this leads to increased leptin, or the low B12 actually causes chemical changes in the placental genes that produce leptin, mak-ing more of the hormone,” explained Adaikala Antonysunil from University of Warwick.

The study was presented at the Society for Endocrinology’s annual Conference in Brighton.

Maternal B12 deficiency may up diabetes risk in babies

IANS

Music therapy may help to reduce depression in children and adolescents with behav-

ioural and emotional problems, finds a study.

The researchers involved 251 chil-dren and young people for the study and found that children and young per-sons, aged 8-16 years, who received music therapy had significantly improved self-esteem and significantly reduced depression compared with those who received treatment without music therapy.

The study published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry also found that young people aged 13 and over who received music therapy had improved communicative and inter-active skills, compared to those who received usual care options alone. Music therapy also improved social functioning over time in all age groups.

For the study, the children were divided into two groups -- 128 under-went the usual care options, while 123 were assigned to music therapy in addition to usual care. All were being treated for emotional, developmental or behavioural problems.

“This study is hugely significant in terms of determining effective treat-ments for children and young people with behavioural problems and men-tal health needs,” said Sam Porter, Professor at the Bournemouth Univer-sity, Britain.

“The findings contained in our report should be considered by health-care providers and commissioners when making decisions about the sort of care for young people that they wish to support,” he said.

“Music therapy has often been used with children and young people with particular mental health needs, but this is the first time its effectiveness has been shown by a definitive randomised controlled trail in a clinical setting,” said Ciara Reilly, Chief Executive of Every Day Harmony.

Music therapy may

reduce depression

in children

LIFESTYLE TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 201610Tamotsu SaitoThe Japan News/Yomiuri

In many countries, mudballs are not con-sidered elegant. But dorodango mudballs are beautiful and fun to make. The smooth balls are made by rolling a soil-based mix by hand. Making dorodango can be very

calming, but it is also difficult to make perfectly shaped balls as they are fragile and often crack. It can also be challenging to achieve the desired sheen.

Dorodango made by Kiyoko Miki have the appearance of beautiful jewels. They come in various sizes, and some maintain their earthy texture while others are intricately painted.

“I made improvements to the traditional dor-odango-making method to give people more chances to feel the texture of soil,” said Miki, 62.

Since 2007, Miki has served as the head of a jury at an annual dorodango tournament in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture.

Miki, from Yokohama, studied under plas-terer Shinkichi Enomoto and makes soil paintings using mud and trowels instead of paint and brushes.

She organises dorodango classes in which she teaches a traditional plastering technique used on earthen walls.

The first step when making dorodango is to prepare the base material by mixing clay-based soil, straw and silica sand.

“The mudballs won’t get hard unless you use a clay-based soil,” Miki said.

Silica sand prevents the globes from crack-ing, while straw helps bind the soil and sand together, Miki said.

Rolled mudballs are sun-dried for a couple of days and recoated with soil mix several times until their desired form is achieved. When the process is completed, the final shape should be a little larger than you plan as it is rubbed and polished later.

The key to perfect dorodango is to coat the balls with thin layers of soil mix - the same proc-ess used when plastering earthen walls. Rolling a large-sized ball from the beginning causes cracks, as the exterior dries quicker than the core.

You don’t have to make a perfect globe shape in the early stages. Miki uses a glass jar with an opening slightly smaller than the diameter of a dried rolled ball, allowing the dorodango to sit comfortably on the jar. The ball is rolled on the jar mouth, which lightly rubs the ball’s surface until it rotates smoothly with no resistance.

“The dorodango obtains its spherical shape as the exterior is shaved on the edge of the jar mouth,” she said.

Loose straw sticking out from the ball should be burned away by holding the ball with tongs over a stove.

The ball should be coated further with a sand-based plaster, a material often used on white

walls in Japanese castles.Balls are colored using other types of soil, or

paints. Color pastes can be made by mixing paints with lime and white clay. Miki demonstrates by applying two coats of paste to a ball. It becomes

whitish when it dries, but is not shiny yet.Polishing for dramatic changeTo polish the ball, Miki spread olive oil over

the ball’s surface and pressed it on the opening of a small jar, rotating it softly at first and grad-ually applying pressure on the jar to bring out the shine.

“The surface begins to shine as you polish it. It’s amazing when you can eventually see your face reflecting on the ball’s surface” she said.

Miki recommends polishing the finished balls regularly with a cloth to maintain the sheen.

Clay-based soil is available at do-it-yourself stores, and hemp rope can be used in place of straw.

“Use whatever you can find instead of buy-ing all the materials at a store,” Miki said. “It’s relaxing to touch round objects. You will prob-ably get attached to dorodango that took days to make.”

A finished dorodango can be used as a vase for a single flower. They are suited to be gifts, too, Miki said.

She drilled a hole in a dorodango ball and placed a test tube inside to hold the flowers. You should be careful not to crack the ball when using the drill.

Make a stable base on the dorodango using a file. Try to choose a spot that will tilt the vase opening slightly to enhance the aesthetic appearance.

“Dorodango flower vases in earthlike colors complement wild flowers,” Miki said.

Japanese mudballs prized

for beauty, calming effect

BOLLYWOODTUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 11

IANS

Actor Boman Irani finds the portrait of Indian cinema ever-changing and says that senior actors might

not be seen in abundance but they are a permanent fixture in Bollywood.

“See, there are phases. There are ups and downs. There will be a year where there will be female-oriented films, and then there will be a year when there will be more action films. These things happen. But yes, you cannot do away with the senior actors,” Boman told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

“Just the way you cannot do away with important character actors or the supporting actors. At the moment, there are some won-derful roles, but not as many and there are some waiting to be made,” he added.

After exploring the world of

theatre -- with over 40 plays to his credit, Boman forayed into Bol-

lywood in 2001 with “Everybody Says I’m Fine!”.

But he got onto the spiral of fame as J.C. Asthana in Rajkumar Hirani’s 2003 hit comedy

“Munnabhai M.B.B.S”. He followed it up with “Being Cyrus”, “Lage

Raho Munna Bhai”, “Khosla Ka Ghosla”, “Don - The Chase Begins Again”, “3 Idiots” and “Happy New Year”.

The 56-year-old said he

gravitated towards the film world due to powerful stories like

“Saaransh” and “Hera Pheri”.“There have been a few char-

acters that stood out. When I was very young and saw Anupam Kher in ‘Saaransh’, it hit me. And 1990s was not a great time for cinema. And then years later, a wonder-fully played comic character by Paresh Rawal in ‘Hera Pheri’ made everyone sit up and notice - that these are not top characters but form the backbone of the film,” Boman said.

“I saw ‘Hera Pheri’ when I was doing theatre and knew that it is a time to start working in cinema because that really kind of pumped me,” added the actor, who is the brand ambassador for Ambi Pur India.

Boman thinks he was lucky to get “Munnabhai M.B.B.S” -- which was a huge success and was fol-lowed by its sequel “Lage Raho Munna Bhai”. The third part in the instalment is already in the works.

He feels that senior actors may not necessarily be an antagonist or protagonist, but some movies allow them to be a catalyst to the story.

Bollywood cannot do away with senior actors: Boman Irani

Aamir Khan celebrates wife’s birthday in Meghalaya

IANS

Superstar Aamir Khan, who is currently spending some quality time with his family in the northeast, is celebrat-ing his wife Kiran Rao’s 43rd birthday in Meghalaya.

Aamir yesterday shared some photographs of his vacation. In one photograph, he is seen with Kiran and their son Azad, who was born in 2011 through surrogacy.

“Bringing in Kiran’s birthday in beautiful Meghalaya,” Aamir captioned the image, which features lush green scenery.

The couple and their four-year-old son had also visited Arunachal Pradesh recently.

On the work front, Aamir is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film “Dangal”, a biographical sports drama film directed by Nitesh Tiwari, who previously helmed popular films like “Chillar Party” and “Bhootnath Returns”.

The film features Aamir portraying the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Babita Kumari and Geeta Phogat. He will be seen playing both younger and older characters of Phogat in the film, and he had put on weight up to 95 kg to play the older part.

HOLLYWOOD TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 201612

By Toby Sterling Reuters

Justin Bieber edged out Lady Gaga as biggest winner on Sunday at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Rotter-dam, taking home three

awards on the strength of sup-port from his fans - the

“Beliebers”.Bieber, who was nominated

in five categories, won for “Big-gest (Most) Fans”, “Best Canadian Act”, and “Best Song” for “Sorry”.

Gaga, who is on tour in

Japan, won for “Best Female” and “Best Look”.

American funk revivalist Bruno Mars kicked off the show with his first big-stage perform-ance of 24K Magic, the follow-up to his smash 2014 hit Uptown Funk.

“Show time! Show time! Guess who’s back again?” Mars sang, showing off disco moves that were synched with lights on the stage floor.

Veteran U.S. act Green Day gave the night a political tinge, closing it out with their signa-ture 2004 song “American

Idiot”, their protest against the Bush administration, calling for people to ignore propaganda and think for themselves.

On the red carpet before the show, lead singer Billy Joe Arm-strong said U.S. politics were

“an American heart attack right now”, and that “the big thing is to get the right kind of liberal brain inside the Supreme Court”.

Green Day also performed “Bang Bang” from their new album “Never Too Old”, and were honored with a “Global Icon” - career achievement

- award.

They had been nominated in the “Best Live” category but were edged out by rising U.S. stars Twenty One Pilots, who also won in the “Best Alterna-tive” category.

Other big names who won but did not perform on Sunday included Coldplay for “Best Rock” and Drake for “Best Hip Hop”.

Beyoncé, who, along with Bieber had been nominated in five categories, won nothing.

Canadian R&B star The Weeknd won for “Best Video” with “Starboy”, featuring Daft Punk, and he performed the gloomy, pulsing number live, emerging from a star-covered dome on center stage.

Canadian Shawn Mendes, a favorite with the many teenage girls in the audience, won in the

“Best Male” category and played a piano rendition of his ballad

“Mercy”. He dedicated the win to his mother, saying it was her birthday.

European artists featured heavily in the performances, with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix performing “In the Name of Love” together with the show’s American host, Bebe Rexha.

Rexha, who went through 15 different outfits during the evening, also performed the live debut of her single, “I’ve Got U”.

Garrix won in the “Best Electronic” and “Best World Stage”, or past MTV perform-ance, categories.

Honored as “Best New Act,” Swedish teen Zara Larsson per-formed a medley of her biggest hits, “Lush Life” and “Ain’t My Fault” in an all-white suit with thigh-high boots reminiscent of ABBA.

Other winners included U.S. disco-dance group DNCE for

“Best Push”, or breakthrough act, and girl band “Fifth Harmony” for “Best Pop”.

The awards themselves were colored purple, in honor of Prince, who died in April.

Bieber, Gaga win at MTV Europe Music awards

Bruno Mars performs on stage at the 2016

MTV Europe Music Awards at the Ahoy Arena

in Rotterdam, Netherlands, November 6, 2016.

TECHNOLOGYTUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 13Emily Chang, Dina BassBloomberg

Steve Ballmer (pictured) said his decision to push Microsoft into the hardware business contributed to the breakdown of his relation-ship with longtime friend and

company co-founder Bill Gates. Ballmer’s only regret: not doing it sooner.

Ballmer, who was chief executive officer of Microsoft for 14 years, told Bloomberg Television that if he could do it all again, he would have entered the mobile device market years earlier. When he finally did, Gates and other members of the board disagreed, he said.

Ballmer, now owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, told Bloomberg Televi-sion’s Emily Chang, that he and Gates have

“drifted apart” partly due to a disagreement over whether Microsoft should make its own handsets and tablets.

“It was definitely not a simple thing for either one of us,” he said. There was a “lit-tle bit of a difference in opinion on the strategic direction of the company.”

Ballmer said they had a “brotherly rela-tionship in the good parts and the bad parts.”

“Towards the end, that was a bit more difficult than not, particularly with the stra-

tegic direction change and you know, the stock price isn’t going anywhere, so the rest of the board felt pressure -- despite the fact that profits were going up -- so I think you had kind of a combustible situ-ation,” he recalled.

“There was a fundamental disagreement

about how important it was to be in the hardware business,” Ballmer said. “I had pushed Surface. The board had been a lit-tle -- little reluctant in supporting it. And then things came to a climax around what to do about the phone business.”

Microsoft entered the market in 2012 with the Surface RT, a tablet that sold poorly and required Microsoft to take a $900 million charge to write down the value of inventory. Now, the rejiggered Sur-face business is profitable and generated more than $4 billion in sales for the most recent year. Microsoft’s foray was a mess almost from the start, with Microsoft’s board rejecting Ballmer’s initial plan to acquire Nokia’s handset unit. By the time the $9.5 billion deal closed, Ballmer had handed the reins over to Satya Nadella and the Nokia business was in tatters. Micro-soft has now written down almost the entire value of the deal and laid off most of the workers.

Ballmer said the mistake was getting into handsets and tablets too late.

“I would have moved into the hardware business faster and recognized that what we had in the PC, where there was a sep-aration of chips, systems and software, wasn’t largely gonna reproduce itself in the mobile world,” he said.

What about that famous quote where Ballmer said Apple Inc.’s iPhone would never sell because it cost too much? He now wishes he’d realized how Apple was going to make it work -- through mobile carrier subsidies.

“I wish I’d thought about the model of subsidizing phones through the operators,” he said. “You know, people like to point to this quote where I said iPhones will never sell, because the price at $600 or $700 was too high. And there was business model innovation by Apple to get it essentially built into the monthly cell phone bill.”

The Washington Post Hayley Tsukayama

Hitman Go is a mobile interpretation of the popular assassin video game series Hitman. Like its source material, it

requires players to use wit and skill to take out their targets without getting caught. Unlike the original game, players don’t inhabit the body of the assassin protagonist - instead, they move pieces around on a board-game-like mapIt literally gives you a different perspec-tive on the situation. When you successfully take out a target, it moves to the side of the

board. Players can also pick up tools from their environment, such as rocks, to aid in distract-ing their enemies and accomplishing their goals.

The puzzles are engaging and can require quite a bit of thought. The app itself is not ter-ribly violent, but parents should know it’s based on a more violent game and does sim-ulate killing people - even if you “kill” them by essentially knocking over their game piece. Overall, though, the game provides a nice puz-zling challenge and repurposes this franchise to stellar effect.

Free, for iOS and Android.

Smartphones broke relationship with Bill Gates: Steve Ballmer

App review:Hitman Go

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Shivaay is a Himalayan mountaineer who is an innocent and yet is capable of transforming into a mean destroyer when he needs to protect his family.

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

SHIVAAY

NOVO ROYAL PLAZA

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

MALL

LANDMARK

The Accountant (2D/Action) 11:00am, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm Doctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 10:00, 11:30am, 12:35, 2:00, 3:10, 3:45, 4:30, 7:00, 8:20, 9:30, 11:00, 11:50pm & 12:15amTrolls (Animation) 2D 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm 3D 12:00noon, 4:00 & 8:00pmBoo! A Madea Halloween (2D/Horror) 10:20am, 2:50, 7:25pm & 12:10amJack Reacher: Never Go Back (2D/Action) 12:30, 5:00 & 9:45pmBouget Faqarah (2D/Arabic) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pmThe Perfect Weapon (2D/Action) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00pm & 12:00midnightThe 9th Life of Louis Drax (2D/Thriller) 10:15am, 2:45, 7:15 & 11:45pmAmerican Pastoral (2D/Crime) 12:30, 5:00 & 9:30pmPuli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 10:20am, 1:30, 4:40, 7:50 & 11:00pmAe Dil Hai Mushkil (2D/Hindi) 10:15am, 1:15 & 4:15pm Ouija: Origin of Evil (2D/Horror) 7:00, 9:15 & 11:15pmDoctor Strange (3DIMAX/Adventure) 10:00am, 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40pm & 12:00midnight

Puli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 2:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Trolls (2D/Animation) 2:00, 3:45 & 5:30pmThe Accountant (2D/Action) 3:00pmAe Dil Hai Mushkil (2D/Hindi) 5:00pmAmerican Pastoral (2D/Crime) 5:30pmDoctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 7:15, 9:30 & 11:30pm The 9th Life of Louis Drax (2D/Thriller) 7:30pm Bouget Faqarah (2D/Arabic) 9:30pmThe Perfect Weapon (2D/Action) 11:30pm

Puli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 2:00, 8:30 & 10:45pm American Pastoral (2D/Crime) 2:00 & 9:00pmTrolls (2D/Animation) 2:15, 4:00 & 5:45pmThe Perfect Weapon (2D/Action) 4:15 & 11:30pmDoctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30pm The Accountant (2D/Action) 6:00pmThe 9th Life of Louis Drax (2D/Thriller) 7:00pm Shivaay(2D/Hindi) 11:00pm The Perfect Weapon (2D/Action) 11:30pm

Trolls (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:15 & 5:15pmPuli Murugan (2D/Malayalam) 2:15, 6:00 & 11:15pm American Pastoral (2D/Crime) 3:00 & 7:00pm The 9th Life of Louis Drax (2D/Thriller) 5:00pm Doctor Strange (2D/Adventure) 7:00, 9:15 & 11:30pm The Accountant (2D/Action) 9:00pmThe Perfect Weapon (2D/Action) 9:00 & 11:15pm

Puli Murugan (3D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pmTrolls (3D/Animation) 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00pm

Doctor Strange (3D/Adventure) 11:00am, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm

Puli Murugan (Malayalam) 4:30, 6:30, 7:30, 9:30 & 10:30pmKodi (Tamil) 4:00pmKaashmora (Tamil) 7:00pm Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (Hindi) 10:00pm

TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

08:00 News08:30 Counting the

Cost09:00 Al Jazeera World10:30 Inside Story11:00 News11:30 The Stream12:00 News12:30 Rewind13:00 NEWSHOUR14:00 News14:30 Inside Story15:00 Hissene Habre:

Dictator On Trial 16:00 NEWSHOUR17:00 News17:30 The Stream18:00 NEWSHOUR19:30 TechKnow20:30 Inside Story21:00 NEWSHOUR22:00 News22:30 The Stream23:00 Al Jazeera World

13:05 Ax Men14:45 Aussie

Pickers15:35 Pawn

Stars16:00 American

Pickers16:50 Storage

Wars17:15 Storage

Wars Texas18:30 Billion

Dollar Wreck

20:35 Pawn Stars

21:00 Mountain Men

21:50 Forged In Fire

22:40 Barbarians Rising

23:30 Alone

13:50 My Cat From Hell

14:45 Gator Boys15:40 Weird

Creatures With Nick Baker

16:35 Tanked17:30 Untamed &

Uncut18:25 River

Monsters19:20 Lone Star

Law20:15 Tanked22:05 Weird

Creatures With Nick Baker

23:00 Lone Star Law

23:55 Gator Boys

13:05 How It’s Made: Dream Cars

13:30 Storage Hunters

13:55 Extreme Collectors

15:10 Gold Divers

16:00 Deadliest Catch

16:50 Fast N’ Loud

19:20 Gold Divers

20:35 Extreme Collectors

21:50 American Tarzan

22:40 Running Wild With Bear Grylls

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSTUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2016 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku is

a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number only

once.

BEFOG, BLOCK, BROWSE,

BURY, CAMOUFLAGE,

CONCEAL, DISGUISE,

DREDGE, ENCLOSE, ENFOLD,

ENQUIRE, ENSHROUD,

ENVELOP, EXAMINE,

EXPLORE, GATHER, HIDE,

HUNT, INVESTIGATE, LOOK,

OBFUSCATE, OBLITERATE,

OBSCURE, PROBE, PURSUE,

QUEST, SCAN, SCOUR,

SEARCH, SECRETE, SEEK,

SHIELD, STRIVE, SURF,

VEIL, WRAP.

Yesterday’s answer