Escapism has its place. But cinema is much more than running around trees. Trendy picks the must-sees from 110 award-winning or nominated films from 40 countries showing at BIFF.

The Lives of Others (2006): A spy-thriller that won its German director Florian Donnersmarck the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2007.
Watch it for: Its momentum and the smart script.

Sex & Lucia (2002): This Spanish film wrestles with the difference between great sex and true intimacy.
Watch it for: A good-looking cast that can also act.

Blow-up (1966): Italian director-writer Michelangelo Antonioni’s provocative murder mystery.
Watch it for: Its treatment of reality, which continues to impact cinema — and even influenced the Bollywood cult movie Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.

Balkan Brothers (2005): Raw racism takes centrestage in this Yugoslavian film on the consequences of civil war.
Watch it for: The humour, the pathos, the emotional appeal.

A Letter of Fire (2005): An edgy Oedipal drama from Sri Lanka.
Watch it for: Its mix of Eastern and Western traditions with TV soap opera and experimental theatre.

Bangalore International Film Festival. January 3-10. Screenings at Vision Cinemas Complex, KH Patil Auditorium, KH Road and Suchitra auditorium, 9th Main Road, B V Karanth Road, Banashankari 2nd Stage. Delegate passes for Rs 500 available at Suchitra Film Society. Tel: 26711785. www.suchitrafest.in.

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He loves your leggy look. But wonders why you can’t glide along beside him forever. ‘Hush, puppy,’ you tell him as you sit down, looking enviously at his comfy footwear.

This New Year’s Eve, it’s a Choo in. Jimmy’s the word for comfort chic. The international shoe guru is celebrating its first winter season in India with a new Cruise Collection.

Try ’80s style patent leather ankle-strap peep toes in bold colours. Sharp, with a guillotine cut, but soft on your instep. Or sashay past green glances in your block-heeled platforms. Called Lexy, this stability-assuring style comes in one of this season’s hottest shades — emerald — and has an attention-grabbing heel in Perspex spliced with vertical strips of wood.

Play safe and steady with the black sandal embellished with gold ribbon. Or follow in the glam steps of our Trendy Party Hearty and dance from dusk to dawn in gold fish-heeled mules that narrow and then flare out at the base.

Keep him on his toes all night.

Jimmy Choo, The Galleria, Nariman Point, Mumbai; Tel: 30277070; Cruise Collection prices range between Rs 6,500 and Rs 31,000.

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You shared sunny sangrias in its stunning sit-out with the girls every other Sunday. The other weeks you brunched with the boyfriend. Ever since it closed, you’ve been looking for closure.

Abandon the search for a substitute. Celebrate the recent re-entry of Mediterranean eatery Olive in a new location — as Olive Beach, a la its Bangalore sister. Now, in addition to the familiar stucco walls and aqua cushions, open-air grill and wood-burning pizza oven, it has blond wood and bleached sheers.

The pizza remains perfect. The grills, especially the seafood ones, are as good — our Trendy Taster polished off half a dozen baby lobsters without coming up for air.

But to knock your socks off, make a second date — for dinner. Say ‘Si!’ to the refined new Italian menu, with its seared foie gras on raisin brioche, and astonishing green barley ‘risotto’ with surf-fresh langoustines. Sip a Roman Holiday — a brandy-laced, lavender-infused martini-style red wine cocktail. See if you can coax them into serving the cheese platter ‘appetizer’, with the most amazing chestnut honey, in lieu of dessert.

Psst, celebrate outdoors in the New Year; those legendary Sunday brunches are scheduled to return soon.

Reclaim your sweet spot in the sun.

Olive Beach, 9 Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi; ph: 46040404. Dinner for two, Rs 3,750.

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He splashes on the same old cologne, and he’s ready to go. Your new year resolve: you want him smelling different.

Our Trendy Tester scouted store shelves for this season’s newest fragrances that will blow your olfactory senses away. Gift him one for every mood.

Bvlgari Aqva Pour Homme (50 ml): Rs 3,300
Notes: Fruity, tangy, with orange , tangerine, lavender and posidonia
Trendy Tip: Just right for a day out in the sun

Lancome Hypnose Homme (50 ml): Rs 2,750
Notes: Warm, spicy oriental fragrance with black cardamom, lavender, amber and musk.
Trendy Tip: For a night on the tiles

Nautica Voyage (50 ml): Rs 1,750
Notes: Aqua with crisp apple, water lotus, damp moss and woody amber blended with a unique sailcloth smell
Trendy Tip: Pack a punch for a lake-side picnic

Ralph Lauren Romance Men (70 ml): Rs 2,700
Notes: Exotic spices and woodsy smells make a crisp floral fragrance
Trendy Tip: For that special evening out

Canali Men (100 ml): Rs 2,700
Notes: Elegant, refined blend of orange, apple, pineapple, cardamom, jasmine, leather, cedar and oak
Trendy Tip: Board meeting best

L’Eau De Issey Miyake Pour Homme Intense (100 ml): Rs 3,250
Notes: Spicy, woody blend of bergamot, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, saffron with sandalwood, and papyrus wood
Trendy Tip: Dinner for two

Available at all Shoppers’s Stop stores.

You first went along, clutching the tussar pallu of your mother’s saree. By the time you carried a college ID, you knew the potter who came every year by name. And the last few years, it’s a race against the girls at work — who gets to the bazaar first, for first dibs on its hand-crafted goodies.

It’s a long daisy chain of reminiscence — one even lohar Haji would be proud of. You’ll find him beating out his brass at the workshop that showcases artisans in action every winter at Dilli Haat, at Dastkaar Nature Bazaar. And it’s in honour of such long memories that 25-year-old Dastkaar has the elephant for its mascot at this year’s Nature Bazaar.

Inspired, you go on to jostle through the crowds, to fill your bags. With beaten brass and woven beads. Butterflied kites and bottlegourd spoons. Softly space-dyed stoles in the many colours of the Indian earth.

In the central court, the elephant looms in every cast. Curling a coir trunk. Nodding a dokra-domed forehead. Winking little eyes out of a potter’s lamp. Tusks slashing across Orissan palm-leaf sheets in patachitra art. Tail a-twitch as toy and trinket.

Gather yourself a herd of handicrafts.

Dastkaar Bazaar, Dilli Haat, Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi; tel: 4629365, 6119055. On till Dec 31. Prices from Rs 35 up.

How do you want to greet the New Year?
a) Getting jostled in the buffet line while your man rubbernecks to glimpse Mallika Sherawat onstage.
b) Nimbly side-stepping the results of teenyboppers bingeing on unlimited alcohol.
c) Sharing a fabulous meal with your significant other in a sophisticated restaurant with an intensely romantic moment for dessert.

If it’s c) you’re looking for, Trendy’s got just the place. Thai Pavilion, after delighting you for 10 years, had taken some time off to reinvent itself. You’ll be surprised how Exec Chef Ananada Solomon has managed to improve on perfection in the new avatar, from designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu’s décor to the little white pill that magically grows into a refreshing towel when they pour water over it. And the food, of course. He takes Thai cuisine from the pedestrian to the palace-like, drawing from the king’s kitchens, with authentic ingredients, complex flavours and harmony in the various dishes that makes the meal not just nourishing for the body, but also for the soul.

Pick anything from the opulent purple silk menu and you’re likely to like it. Our Trendy Taster loved the delicate Vegetable Soufflé with Lotus Roots and the textures of the Raw Mango Salad with Water Chestnuts. For romance, share some excellent Satay or save the best for last as you spoon custard for each other from an imported baby pumpkin.

2008 looks promising.

Thai Pavilion, Taj President, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai; Tel: 66650808; Meal for two, without alcohol, starts at Rs 2,000.

Second-skin kurtas, bangs on the forehead and mini skirts. The ’70s are back, having thankfully lost the bouffants, bellbottoms and Bobby pins along the way.

Heralding the comeback are Astara boutique owners Anu Nagappa, a socialite and fashion grad, and Susan Fernandes, a photographer. Astara — the Persian word for light — shows the way back to a future that’s layered on polka dots, platform shoes and peasant prints. With a touch of the Goth, just to keep it edgy and contemporary.

Impeccably cut shift dresses, figure-flattering empire lines and, oh yes, the maxi. Drawstring neckline blouses with voluminous sleeves and ruched at the waist. A-line cocktail dresses in Russian peasant prints. Choose one in blue with turquoise gemstones and spirals of golden threads. Or play safe, go black.

Our Trendy Fashionista loved a moss green georgette smock held at the yoke with a vibrant band of Indian silk brocade. Team it with wedges and a flowing ribbon in a matching green to stage an entrance at the New Year party.

And pick up one of Astara’s signature tapestry handbags, combined with leather and embellished with Gothic and Celtic crosses, embroidered in rhinestones, beads and glimmer threads.

Let your appearance sing: Om Shanti Om.

Astara, Ulsoor Lake Junction, behind Fotoflash, 38 Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, Bangalore 560042. Tel: 2555 3819. Apparel starts at Rs 750, handbags at Rs 900.

See you back with our next e-newsletter on Wednesday December 26. Merry Christmas from all of us at Trendy.in!

Sanjana Kapoor’s strict theatre etiquette may intimidate you. After all, entertainment shouldn’t seem like so much work, you say. But each time you’ve reached Prithvi Theatre late and had to sit out Act I, your tardiness has been rewarded by something that could even surpass the drama on stage.

The open-air Prithvi Café — laidback arty hangout and quirky Irish Coffee purveyor — has played centre-stage in many a theatre lover’s life. And although its brilliance had dimmed for a while, it’s now back in the klieg lights.

In its new avatar, created by the Impresario group (the same guys that gave you Mocha and Salt Water Grill), it encapsulates Mumbai’s street eat beat. Grab a log stool and take your pick of pop-snacks. Samosas from Guru Kripa, vada-pao and bhurji-pao from the best street vendors, Lucknowi kebabs from the famous Noor Mohammedi, freshly churned fruit ice-cream from Bohri Mohalla, khaari biscuits from American Express Bakery and bun-maska from Irani restaurants. Top it off with dessert from Mocha, Brownie Point or Potpourri.

Luckily, they’ve recognised that certain things should never be messed with. So, don’t fret — you can still meet your girlfriends there for your favourite Irish coffee, like our Trendy Taster did.

It still deserves a standing ovation.

Prithvi Café: 20 Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Mumbai; Tel: 2614 9546; Prices: Range from Rs 12 to Rs 150.

See you back with our next e-newsletter on Wednesday December 26. Merry Christmas from all of us at Trendy.in!

Gifts and carols, reindeer and Santa hats, midnight mass and stars of Bethlehem. The Christmas spirit sneaks in long before December 25.

To join in the good cheer, Trendy picks the best festive tables in town.

The Only Place: Turkey, stuffing, gravy, sautéed vegetables, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and plum pudding.
Trendy pick: Sirloin steak with the works, for those who nix the bird.
13, Museum Road, Bangalore 1. Tel: 32718989. From December 24 through the New Year at Rs 400 plus taxes per person.

Koshy’s: Spare ribs with baked beans and mashed potatoes, turkey ham and duck. And plum pudding heavy with rum-soaked dry fruits and nuts.
Trendy pick: Smoked leg of ham and whole roast turkey, available on order.
39, St Mark’s Road, Bangalore 1. Tel: 22213793, 22915840, 22228341. Till January 15 at Rs 500 plus taxes person.

Bouquet, F&B Restaurant and Lounge: Moet and a 13-course meal on Christmas Day. Roast turkey with the works and Christmas pudding off the menu.
Trendy pick: The tasting platter of bitter chocolate cylinders with Bailey’s cream and Christmas pudding with white chocolate ice-cream.
8, Excellency, Papanna Street, off St Mark’s Road, Bangalore 1. Tel: 40333888. Till December 30 at Rs 1000 onwards plus taxes per person. Reservations necessary for Christmas Day; 13-course meal costs Rs 2500 per person.

See you back with our next e-newsletter on Wednesday December 26. Merry Christmas from all of us at Trendy.in!

You crossed the threshold of your college canteen and left behind your tatty loafers in the same step up. Now, charpoy-seating doesn’t suit your Chloe coat.

So what do you do on the days you crave comfort, dished up hot and home-style? Wake up and smell the seasonal saag in a new eatery, that’s what.

Rustic is the new buzzword in chic — as with tweed, so with tikka. The just-opened Earthen Flavours is pure nostalgia — maa ki dal, rotis pillowing in the tandoor, murgh turning teekha in its tango with tomatoes and chilli. No bowdlerised kebab with cardamom cream. No concessions to a septuagenarian Lucknavi nawab’s delicate palate nor the global gourmet’s predilection for fusion. Just earthy Punjabi –unabashedly spicy, tangy, earthy.

Ease in with stuffed mushroom tikka or the unusual ‘dorukh’ seekh — dark mutton keema layered over paler chicken mince skewers. After that, restrict the flourishes to lashings of asli ghee, handfuls of coriander and the smoky undertones of charcoal-heated clay. Let makka palak play creamy foil to the chef’s special — chicken bhayankar, kebabs bathed in fire-red gravy lent extra heft by mince. Signal the halt only with steaming gulab jamuns.

You’ll need the napkin. This is food for the soul. Deliciously, slurpingly, finger-lickingly lavish.

Say ‘Waheguru’, and dig in.

Earthen Flavours, HS-13 Kailash Colony Market, New Delhi; ph 41731313/3111. Meal for two: Rs 1000.