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 Three women—Saraswati Baral from Pokhara, Shova Kumari Limbu from Damak and Geeta Devi Chaudhari from Udayapur— who were kept captive in Kuwait for months have been rescued by the International Rolpali Service Society. DB Budhathoki from the Service Society says that it has been rescuing helpless women who find themselves lost or are held captive abroad.

Brokers have been tak­ing young Nepali women to Kuwait via India for them to work as domestic help. The society informs that many of these women have to live like captives once they reach Kuwait. Baral was taken to Kuwait via India a year ago. In the one year that she was there, she worked in four households. She says they kept moving her from one household to another under false assurances that she’d receive better treatment in the next household.

Victims have confided in the officials of the society that they didn’t get their salary on time. Even though Baral worked in Kuwait for a year, she only received five months of salary. She also says that when the house owners went outside, they locked her in the house. Rescued women like Baral say they were treated more like captives than like domestic help.

According to Bal Bahadur GM, the vice-president of the Rolpali Service Society’s Kuwait branch, when Baral was rescued, she was physi­cally and mentally tortured. Someone who came to know Baral informed the society about her plight and asked for help in rescuing her.

After her rescue, Baral was handed over to the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait. Earlier, two women who were rescued from Kuwait were also sent to Nepal in coopera­tion with the embassy.

Brokers in Nepal take women to Kuwait, where another set of brokers charge a hefty sum to find humili­ating and pathetic jobs for them, informs the Rolpali Service Society. Women who go to Kuwait don’t know they are being taken there illegally, and only when they find themselves in captivity do they realize that they have been trapped.

Q. What is the most difficult part of your job?

A. Waking up early and work­ing long hours.

Q. Who was your most famous (or the most mem­orable) client?

A. Disha Patani.

Q. Which country do you like working in the most?

A. India.

Q. Who is your make-up icon?

A. Pat McGrath.

Q. Worst part about your job?

A. There’s nothing bad about my job as I don’t take it as a job. It’s something that I would love to do every day. I will never get tired of it.

Q. Favorite makeup brand?

A. I have a long list but Char­lotte Tilbury is on my top list.

Q. What is the biggest project you’ve been a part of?

A. Pantene campaign for billboard and ad, and Faces Canada.

Q. Your alternate career choice?

A. Something related to art, maybe a fine artist, painter or fashion designer.

Q. What are you proud of but never have an excuse to talk about?

A. How I struggled in Mumbai and then in Nepal when I started. I’m proud of myself for facing challenges and becoming the strong woman I am today.

‘Luka Chuppi’ is a mod­ern-day rom-com that revolves around the issue of live-in relationships. While the comedy stems from a blend of political satire and Bolly­wood stereotype of a weird joint family, the romance is pretty sim­plistic and at times feels rushed. If anything, this movie is a “brainless comedy” but nonetheless also a stellar entertainer.

The story follows Guddu Shuk­la (Kartik Aaryan), a reporter at a local TV station at Mathura who’s gotten himself quite a rep­utation for his quirky TV persona with his best friend and camera­man Abbas Sheikh (Aparshakti Khurana). Funded by Tripathi Ji (Vinay Pathak), the chief of a Hin­du nationalist party (that makes demonizing live-in relationships and PDA its political agenda), the TV station assigns Guddu the issue of live-in relationships. For his new assignment he gets partnered with Rashmi Trivedi (Kriti Sanon), daughter of Trivedi Ji. Their friend­ship quickly escalates into full blown romance in the course of their assignment.

 Who should watch it?

Fans of rom-coms should totally watch it. If you’re looking for a total entertainer to unwind this weekend, this is a good option. And most definitely if you’re a fan of Kartik and/or Kriti. They won’t disappoint.

Guddu then drops down on his knee and proposes Rashmi. Even though she freaks out at first—part confused, part curious—Rashmi proposes they first try a live-in rela­tionship to test their compatibility. The story follows their adventure as they experiment with a post-mod­ern concept in a conservative Hin­du society.

Both Aryan and Sanon are fully into their roles, almost intoxicating­ly so, with their amazing chemistry. While that can be said for most of the cast, the over-the-top character of Babulal (Pankaj Tripathi) feels a little out of place.

The comedy and the irresistible romance make up for an utter disregard for logic

With its political satire, situational comedy, and plot twists, the movie is sure to give the audience a good dose of laughter. The story also peddles a host of other socie­tal issues like misogyny, gender inequality, caste bias and moral policing, all of which get a funny treatment. And the story couldn’t be easier to follow.

The plot is a little predictable; the trailer makes it even more predictable and spoils important scenes. The plot also feels repet­itive at times. On the plus side, there a number of good political satires. (In a scene a journalist is seen asking “So you’re an anti-na­tionalist?” when an actor reveals he’s in a live-in relationship.) The subtle dig at the moral policing of the BJP-allied Bajrang Dal is also on the mark.

Again, while the movie dis­plays an utter disregard for logic, the comedy and the irresistible romance make up for it. If you’re willing to leave behind logic at the ticket counter and watch the movie for what it truly is, you’re surely to be entertained for the two-hour runtime. As a debutant, director Laxman Utekar does an amazing job of bringing it all together.

Movie: Luka Chuppi

Genre: Comedy/Romane

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Aparshakti Khurana, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Atul Srivastava, Alka Amin

Direction: Laxman Utekar

Rating: 3.5/5

The Indreni Foodland at Maharajgunj, Chakrapath, opened its premises at a time fine dining was still rare in the area.

 Located opposite of the Bhatbhateni Supermarket Maharajgunj, the Indreni Foodland is a multi-cuisine restaurant with a dedicated café as well. Don’t get fooled by its Nepali name though. The Indreni Foodland is a chain of lavish fine-dining restaurants that operate in various places around Kathmandu with the same name, under the broader Indreni group. It is an established brand in the hospitality industry of Nepal with almost a dozen entities under its portfolio.

 Coffee and cocktails, naan and sandwiches, palak paneer and pastries, Indreni Foodland has them all and you can enjoy your meal at its luxurious premises, which are almost secluded from the busy ring road by a bit of greenery.

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Tiger Chicken

- Jumbo Prawn

- Swiss Roll

- pastry

Opening hours: 8 am-10 pm

Location: Maharajgunj

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2,000

Reservations: 014720421

Film director and photographer Aneel Neupane’s journey in the world of visual arts began when, in 2010, he borrowed a digital camera from a friend to learn photography. Now the CEO of Jazz Productions, Neupane, 26, has over the past five years been directing local as well as international music videos and commercials. He is also writing his first feature film and assisting in the writing of acclaimed Nepali director Min Bahadur Bham’s second movie “A Cold Year”.

 The self-taught photographer, who credits the internet for his skills, prefers digital compositing in photography. His miniature photos have gone viral on the internet for their artistic presentation. For Neupane, “Miniature photography is a sub-genre in digital compositing where I imagine the subjects (usually myself ) as tiny beings interacting with regular stuff. I have always been fascinated with the tiny world of insects. As a kid I used to spend hours staring at ants and bugs, wondering what it’s like to see the world through their eyes. After I learnt photography and Photoshop, I could finally explore their world on my own.”

 Neupane believes having a different perspective can make the most mundane thing come alive. He has been approached by clients from as far afield as Singapore and Japan who want him to do their miniature pre-wedding photoshoots. “Besides this, miniature photography can play a vital role in Nepali advertising industry,” he adds.

‘The Steel Kiss’ is the twelfth book in the series by Jeffery Deaver featuring quadriplegic detective and forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme. Here, Rhyme and his partner (and lover) Amelia Sachs, New York police detective, try to hunt down a serial killer who uses smart technology to kill from afar. The enthralling tale begins with an exciting chase and what follows is a lot of twists and turns. You will never be able to guess the ending, even if you read a lot of murder mysteries and can sense a perpetrator halfway through the plot.

 The good thing is that not much has changed in Deaver’s writing style since Rhyme made his first appearance in ‘The Bone Collector’ in 1997. He still delivers the same fast paced narrative that has come to be the trademark of the Lincoln Rhyme series. The plot of The Steel Kiss begins with Sachs chasing a suspect through a busy mall when an escalator malfunctions and a mall employee is mangled to death. Though initially it seems the incident has no connection with the serial killer, it soon becomes apparent that he is hacking into home appliances and other gadgets to kill people, and used the escalator as a distraction to escape when he feared getting caught.

 A psychopathic hacker intent on turning ordinary things like a car, table saw, or microwave oven into lethal weapons is the stuff of nightmares but, besides this main storyline, there are many sub-plots in the book as well. There’s the relationship tension between Rhyme and Sachs, and Sach’s ex-boyfriend is also in the picture. He asks for her help in clearing his name after being released from prison. Then there’s officer Ron Pulaski who goes undercover to prove Rhyme wasn’t responsible for someone’s death during a case. Deaver also introduces a new character, Juliette Archer, who is a quadriplegic too. She lightens everyone’s mood with her humor and riddles.

Any other thriller writer and the labyrinth of plots and sub-plots would have made for one heck of a confusing read. But Deaver knows what he is doing and ties the different plot lines together brilliantly to come up with one engaging and engrossing story. He also manages to deliver a subtle warning about the dangers of letting electronic gadgets control our lives. Deaver is best known for complex plots and unpredictable endings and, in this cleverly crafted novel, he proves, yet again, that he is perhaps one of the very best thriller writers out there.

The Steel Kiss

Author: Jeffery Deaver

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Published: 2016

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 632, Paperback

For the food lovers of Kathmandu, the Academy of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management’s International Food Tasting event is the place to be. Hosted every Saturday, between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm, till April-end inside ACA premises in Lagankhel, the International Food Tasting event features food from Germany, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea and surprisingly from Brazil too.

 The brainchild of ACA chairman Ashesh Maharjan, the food festival intends to give first hand culinary and service experience to its students while also promoting various international cuisines.

 “This is our third year doing this event and we have had tremendous response from the visitors,” says Aushwin Gautam, business development and communications manager at ACA. “We are expecting a footfall of 6,000- 8,000 this year.” The visitors at the food tasting event comprise of students, professionals, parents and guardians as well as members of the expat communities and embassies.

The tickets for the International Food Tasting event are Rs 350 per person and one ticket entitles a visitor to taste one dish each from the five different cuisine options.

Salsa Dance Academy in Baluwatar is celebrating its 15th anniversary and on this occasion, head-in­structor Binayek Shrestha is offering different packages of salsa classes. If you wish to join, a partner or previous experience in Salsa dancing are not needed. But you need to pre-register. You can choose a salsa course spanning any­where between a month to eight months. Make sure you are dressed comfortably and have your dancing shoes on. If you want to just drop in, you pay Rs 500 for an hour of salsa.

Email info@ salsanepal.com or call +977-1-(4420564) for more information