This past weekend the stars of Bol Bachchan were in town. One of the reasons I love attending these promotional visits is to see what these icons look like in person. The camera has a way of adding inches horizontally and vertically - not to mention those crazy Bollywood avatars - and it's always interesting to see what they actually look like.
Abhishek Bachchan and Asin Thottumkal were no real surprises. They carried their stunning good looks with perfect poise.
It was Ajay Devgn who was the shocker. I've always put him in the John Travolta/Nicholas Cage category: great actor, but not particularly pretty. At least not in the conventional way. Meeting him in person changed my "if he's good enough for his wife Kajol, he's good enough for me" approach to him. I don't know if it was his strong but silent charisma, or the way he holds your gaze during a conversation, or his low baritone as he speaks … whatever it was, I saw it and I must say, bravo Kajol, good catch!
Another big surprise was Prachi Desai. The teeny-tiny starlet came teetering in on mile-high heels, though she still looked tiny, specially next to the towering Abhishek. She looked so cute and so minuscule that I just wanted to put her in my lap and feed her sweets.
But boy, does the girl know how to work the camera! She had the photographers mesmerised throughout the press conference. What caught my eye in between her poses (that alternated from coy to seductive) was that her hand never stopped moving. She was constantly doodling something on the piece of paper in front of her. And she wasn't the only one: Abhishek was doing it, too. She with a dainty right hand and he with a brawny left one … they just kept doodling.
I was possessed by an overwhelming urge to see what they were doodling. Of course, I realise that just like us regular folks, stars probably get bored during press conferences and doodle, but do they scribble grocery lists, their names or the words "This is so boring ... zzzzzz!" or do they have something more profound, more celebrity-like, to say? Doodles are said to give an insight into the doodler's psyche. What secrets about Prachi and Abhishek lay revealed by their scribbles?
With the press conference over, the crowd followed the stars as they descended from the stage and towards the exit. That was my cue. I stealthily made my way towards the stage, inched inconspicuously towards the head table and discreetly tore the doodled pieces of paper off the hotel-branded notepads.
While waiting for my one-on-one interview slot with the stars, I took stock of the doodles. I'm no psychologist, but I have my own layman's interpretation of them: Prachi, it would seem, still feels like an outsider, trying to fit in. She's emulating what she sees around her. Abhishek, despite being the huge star that he is, doesn't always put himself first. Of everyone from the Bol Bachchan team there that day, it's Ajay whom he looks up to the most.
This is just my own layman's interpretation of the doodles. Regardless of the merit of my deductions, I now have two pieces of paper which must be of some value to someone out there. Any takers?
View the doodles on our Arts&Life blog at www.thenational.ae/scene-heard
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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6027 - Dh100
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5