Kerala State Film Development Corporation has been reconstituted with veteran actor Madhu as its new vice-chairman.

Film personalities Sreekumaran Thampi, I V Sasi, T S Suresh Babu and well-known actress Sarada are among the 10 member committee.

Government had earlier appointed Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan as the new Chairman of the Corporation.

At size 24, Los Angeles-based model Tess Munster is the largest plus-size model to be signed with a mainstream agency. A strident “body-positive activist”, who has appeared in Vogue Italia and been photographed by David LaChappelle since being scouted on Instagram, the 29-year-old has now been signed up with the Curves division of Milk Model Management, and will star in adverts for plus-size clothing retailers Yours and Simply Be.

You’re the first woman of your size to be signed to an agency. Congratulations. Does it bother you that most of the focus is on your size?

I don’t mind talking about my size. What’s frustrating is that we haven’t been focusing on making history in an industry that had a set look. Still, people talking about it – good or bad – is good.

How did you first get into modelling?

I went to a casting when I was 15 but I was told I was too short and too big. I was a US size 16 (UK 18/20) and I’m 5ft 4in. It was a little discouraging – I stopped trying to pursue modelling and it was only when I retrained as a makeup artist, working at fashion shows, that I started getting interested again. The truth is, I didn’t want to do anything else.

You have always been what is considered plus-size. Did that ever deter you?

Everyone said I had a pretty face, so it seemed possible. I just didn’t know there was such a thing as a plus-size model. It was only when I saw a picture of Mia Tyler [one of the first plus-size models in the 1990s] that I realised I could. I am lucky that I have a supportive family, partner and friends. That I got signed? Well, the reaction has been overwhelming.

How so?

I got a lot of comments on Twitter, Instagram, even some letters. Some people were excited, some people called me fat and said I was too big to be a model. I spent a long time fielding through the reactions. Ultimately, in my eyes, my being signed is changing an industry that needed to be changed.

Are you surprised that you are the first model of your size to be signed?

It does seem ridiculous that it was considered news. But it’s one of the best things that has happened to my career. It has given me the opportunity to work in a different playing field. Overall, companies think that consumers want to see one skin colour and one size – which is why we tend to see a lot of the same sizes.

After your experience as a teenager, were you ever tempted to diet ?

I was never tempted to lose weight. Everyone around me was on Weight Watchers, but it never appealed to me. I have never been one for changing yourself to make someone happy.

Has your size ever bothered you?

I think we all struggle with body image. Everyone has an issue with some part of their body. It’s hard when you’re a teenager to see people who don’t look like you succeeding. In mainstream magazines – even now – no one looks like me.

Looking at some of the spring/summer 2015 trends – take bohemian or the 1970s influence – do you think there’s a place for bigger women in mainstream fashion?

We do have a place in fashion, but not many designers are willing to give us the opportunities. But certainly with the 70s trend, there were plus-size fashionable women during that period – Mama Cass, for one. I own a great 70s dress. A big change for me was when one of my friends – Denise Bidot – was the first plus-size model to walk New York fashion week and London fashion week. It’s a good sign. Seeing her do that, it feels like we do have a place and people are listening.

It’s true: fashion seems to be taking baby-steps to embrace diversity – look at Serena Williams on the April cover of US Vogue.

The reason it’s socially acceptable to show Williams is because she is considered fit. For a long time, someone like Rebel Wilson was considered unfit. That said, she’s on the May cover of Elle, full body. It made waves.

Before Rebel, plus-size stars had always been close-cropped. Look at Adele on the October 2011 Vogue cover or Lena Dunham on the February 2014 cover of US Vogue.

I have no idea why they choose to crop, but it doesn’t seem like a coincidence to portray them that way.

There was a big hoo-ha here about the #droptheplus campaign, asking that we drop the term when describing bigger models. Where do you stand on it?

To me, we’re debating a term that has never been used in a hateful context. I’ve always been called plus-size. It’s not a negative thing. It’s what I am. It’s like saying I should be offended at being called a redhead. It is just a fact. I understand I have quite a progressive viewpoint on this. We could do more with our time than debating that word. But no one is calling me a fat model.

Do you think fat is a negative word?

I don’t think it’s negative – but I know that 80% of the world would disagree.

(the guardian)

Drake may have planned to perform his song entitled ‘Madonna’ during his headline set at Coachella with the Queen of Pop herself, but he clearly had no idea about what the star had in store for him.

Drake, sat on a chair with his hands on his lap, had his head tilted backwards by the ‘Like a Prayer’ singer as she moved to stand behind him. Madonna then bent over Drake and proceeded to kiss him and rub his chest, while the audience cheered.
Drake Addresses His Madonna Kiss Reaction

While Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera’s mid-performance kiss with Madonna at the VMAs over a decade ago seemed staged, the prolonged kiss she planted on Drake’s lips appeared to take the rapper completely by surprise. And his face showed it.

“What the f*** just happened?” the rapper asked his audience as Madonna stalked off-stage, having just added another person to her list of musicians she has publicly kissed in front of a camera.

Unfortunately for Madonna, onlookers have focused on Drake’s immediate reaction to being kissed out of the blue.

As the singer triumphantly pulled away from Drake, saying, “I’m Madonna!” into her microphone before swiftly exiting, Drake projected himself forward and bent double, screwing up his eyes while pulling his hand over his mouth, and looked extremely uncomfortable.

Amazon India Fashion Week autumn/winter ’15 ended on Sunday night in New Delhi with a bang. 25 designers, from Anamika Khanna to Manish Malhotra, celebrated the 25th anniversary of India Fashion Week with a sentimental showcase of specially-created looks inspired by the crafts of India. Plus, we’ve got next season’s AIFW dates already: October 14 to 18 is when we’ll see spring/summer 2016 looks taking to the runway.

The song that’s stuck in your head right now?
“Money on my mind” by Sam Smith.

2. Who brings out the best in you?
Me!

3. Who is your childhood hero?
Shah Rukh Khan.

4. What’s in your bag?
Sunglasses and perfume.

5. A scent you swear by?
Bleu de Chanel. I like mens’ fragrances.

6. Favourite item of clothing?
Pyjamas.

7. Favourite labels?
Topshop and River Island.

8. A fashion secret you’ve picked up over the years?
Less is more.

9.Favorite food?
Fish! (Except shellfish, I’m allergic to it!)

10.Favourite restaurant in Mumbai?
Ellipsis.

11. Last book you read?
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

12. All time favourite movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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Kareena Kapoor had made the dialogue ‘Main apni favourite hoon‘ a rage post Jab We Met. People who weren’t too much in love with themselves became a fan of their lives, thanks to Kareena. But it seems there is one other person who’s taken it seriously and he is none other than Shahid Kapoor, Kareena’s ex and Jab We Met co-star! Shahid has been uploading many of his experimental pictures which are making us gush, gape and gawk. Here are some of the images we couldn’t take our eyes off since a few days.

Shahid has been sporting this pony-tail avatar for a few days now and we totally dig it. It makes him look mature, rugged and so damn hot! Rumours are abound that this is his Udta Punjab look….and we are glad!

Actor Amitabh Bachchan and Shia leader Prince Karim Aga Khan were among the 50 people conferred awards at a civil investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Wednesday.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers, BJP patriarch L K Advani and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among those present at the function. While Bachchan, Khan and nuclear scientist Ramaswamy Srinivasan were given Padma Vibhushan, another awardee, veteran actor Dilip Kumar could not attend the function because of his poor health. Cheered by actor son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya, wife Jaya and daughter Shweta Nanda, her son Agastye and daughter Navya Naveli, 72-year-old Amitabh, dressed in a black bandhgala suit, received the award from the President to thunderous applause.

Among others who received the Padma awards were senior lawyer K K Venugopal, Dharmadhikari of Karnataka’s Shri Manjunatha Swamy temple Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade, 12-time national award winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua, Canada-born mathematician Manjul Bhargava, internationally acclaimed computer scientist Vijay Bhatkar, spiritual guru Swami Satyamitranand Giri, constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap, Niti Ayog member Vivek Debroy and eminent endocrinologist Ambrish Mithal. Two awardees were not present at the ceremony.

Shilpa Shetty and Akshay Kumar are all set to collaborate on a new home shopping channel called Best Deal TV. The partnership comes as a huge surprise to fans who loved the couple in films like Dhadkan but were unsure that they would ever see them in the same room after their alleged breakup. According to DNA, the stars will be working as partners on this project which involves some other celebrities like Sonakshi Sinha as well in different capacities.
In an interview Shilpa explained this new working relationship by saying, “I can’t take any credit for this as it’s my husband Raj’s brainchild. We needed someone who people believe in and over the years, Akshay has earned people’s respect through movies. So have I. So we wanted to associate with someone credible and it was very nice of Akshay to come on board. Raj went and met him and when he discussed the idea, Akshay liked it so much that he said he wanted to partner with us. We have a lot of other actors who are on board as well but in different capacities.”
Shilpa and her husband who gave up their stake in Rajasthan Royals are now working on supporting other sports like boxing through their concept, Super Fight League or SFL. The actress is very eager to return to films and television as well. Apparently, there are rumours that Shilpa has quit Nach Baliye as a judge and moved on to a similar show called Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa on a rival channel. Shilpa explained the move and cited her inability to travel due to her little son as the reason for her exit but buzz is that she was offered a whopping Rs14 crore, which is double the amount she received for Nach Baliye. Whatever she does decide to do, we can’t wait to see Shilpa lighting up our screens with the magic of her dance moves all over again.

The newest heartthrob of the nation, Tiger Shroff, was a big hit at the Bachchan Diwali bash with the kids. It seems all the star sons and daughters surrounded him as the newcomer taught them a few cool dance moves. Among the kids present were Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim, Sonali Bendre’s son, Ranveer and Shristhi Arya’s son, Veer Arya.