Some of my favorites from this past Sunday!

Angelina Jolie looking radiant in a structured velvet Atelier Versace gown with a high slit.

She proves that you can never go wrong with black.

Michelle Williams in a vintage-feeling peplum Louis Vuitton frock, accessorized with a 19th century Fred Leighton bow brooch at her waist.

Michelle is one of the few modern-day Hollywood actresses that do “vintage-right.”

Penelope Cruz in custom lavender Giorgio Armani gown. In this Armani number, she looks dazzling and regal.

Viola Davis in emerald Vera Wang gown. Viola who was nominated for the “Best leading actress,” also shows that when it comes to fashion, she can do no wrong.

Stacy Kiebler in liquid-gold lamé Marchesa gown. She looks like a walking goddess. The gown is dramatic but very red-carpet worthy!

I don’t usually get crazy nervous when I interview sources for stories but tonight, my nerves took a crazy rollercoaster ride. I felt like a 10-year-old girl at a Spice Girls concert. I had the privilege of speaking with one of my favorite up and coming South Asian artists, Arjun. His debut single ‘Remember Tonight’, gained him the title as ‘Best Newcomer‘ at the Brit Asia Music Awards 2011. I was first introduced to Arjun’s music from one of my best friends and now I cannot stop listening. If you haven’t checked him out, you need to. He has gained whopping 3,696,331 views thus far for his version of the famous, “Why This Kolaveri Di” Tamil hit. Here’s how the Skype interview went:

BG: Some may say that you’re the next Jay Sean or Lomaticc, what do you think about the accuracy of that statement?

 A: I get that a lot really, I do love both artists and their work. Jay Sean has paved the way for Asian artists so thanks to him for that. I just don’t think our sound is the same since my work is guitar based and I also compose all of my own music. All three of us have our own kind of sound, which makes us unique.

BG: Of all the places you’ve performed at so far, which has been your favorite venue or audience?

A: I’ve done some big gigs in England recently, Diwali on the square at Trafalgar Square with an audience of about 30,000 people.  I’ve performed on beaches in Sri Lanka. However, my all time favorite has to be supporting Jagged Edge and Blackstreet at a club in London.

BG: Speaking of performances, are there any plans of you coming to the U.S…more optimistically, Texas?

A: I’m hoping to come to at least 4/5 cities in the US right now like L.A or New York. I’d love to come to Texas if something comes up so give me a shout out if something comes up!

BG: Not that anyone’s counting, but the last time I checked, your “Why This Kolaveri Di English R&B Mix” had a grand total of 3,313,830 views. How do you feel about that?

A: One day, for fun I was humming the tune and ended up adding English to it and then decided to produce it. I got online the next morning and saw the number of views it had and was shocked. I’m really glad I did it. I think it’s also in due part to Facebook and Twitter and becoming so viral online.

 BG: Who are some of your mentors or inspiration for your music?

 A: Craig David. He has a very similar guitar sound and in the late 90’s he was such a great inspiration to me. 112, Genuwine, Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. I love all kinds of music and I hope that reflects in my own tracks.

 BG: If someone asked you what your favorite song on the radio is, what would your answer be?

 A: I like that Jay-Z and Kanye track, I can’t say the name but you know, “N” word in Paris.

 BG: When you’re not making music, what do you enjoy doing?

 A: I really enjoy playing cricket and just sports in general. I’m also into architecture and artsy things. Normal things, chilling with my mates and going clubbing.

 BG: If you could do a collaboration with any artist, who would it be and why?

A: From an R&B perspective obviously I’d love to do one with a rapper…so Jay-Z would be a privilege. Ryan Leslie would be great too. I really look up to him and respect what he does so one day hopefully I will get to work with him.

 Friend him, Tweet him,Youtube him!

I don’t know about any of you but I’ve been having terrible withdrawals because of the lack of Indian men on TV this summer. Only one show on TV right now has an Indian guy on it – and he’s got OCD and agoraphobia. That would be Pindar Singh from TNT’s Franklin & Bash in case you’re into that kind of thing.

Sure Bollywood keeps churning out films with new actors that have hot-guy potential, but what do we really have to tie us over until the big wigs start releasing their films? An image of a bruised up and unwashed Imran Khan from his new movie Delhi Belly.

So in honor of yet another incredibly hot summer, we at Brown Girl would like to present our very own hot Brown Boy guide for 2011.

Now this is also going to be an interactive piece. We have pictures of our top hot Indian men and we encourage you all to post who you think should be added to the coveted list. These men don’t have to just be actors by the way. We’re talking any cute Indian guy you’ve ever heard of… preferably someone who can be found via Google (or Bing depending on preference). Trust me, it’s been a hot summer, and we’d love new suggestions of men to gawk at. It also gives us a reason to sift through more photos of attractive men that most Indian mothers would thank Krishna for.

I’m going to start this list off with some Men of the Screen:

Abhishek Bachchan

This movie royalty has had a semi-tough year in film. His first release of 2011 was not received well by critics and his second one was not received well by audiences. Thankfully, Lil ‘B has at least one more release this year so there’s more of him to look forward to.

Hrithik Roshan

This choice is obvious. He is the reigning champion of hot men (arguably of course). With an eagerly anticipated release, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Hrithik shows he’s not going anywhere for a while.

Farhan Akhtar

Speaking of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, there are three main guys in the film and they are all quite attractive. Farhan Akhtar is known for his directorial skills (see Dil Chahta Hai), but after his acting debut, he can’t be stopped in Bollywood (see Rock On! and Luck By Chance). Looks like he’ll head back to the director’s chair for a Don sequel. Good looks and multi-talented? Definitely worth a spot on our Summer Hotness List.

Abhay Deol

Now we can’t leave out the third man in our Zindagi film trio. Abhay is the cousin to both Sunny and Bobby Deol and, no offense to them, but he is the best looking Deol of the bunch. Abhay’s not lacking in the acting department either. His films and performances have reached universal acclaim like DevD and Road, Movie. Deol has at least three more films coming up in the next year- he’s unstoppable.

Shahid Kapoor

The man with the looks of a pretty boy and the muscles of a juiced-up body builder is having a quiet year; he’s been silently filming a new movie directed by his father called Mausam. While Shahid has had his film ups (Jab We Met, Kaminey) and his film downs (Chance Pe Dance, Milenge Milenge), it always seems as though he’s the shining star on the screen.

Prateik Babbar

He started as the anti-social, artsy brother in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and now he’s one of the hottest and most requested actor in Bollywood (He’ll end the year with at least four releases). Who knew the weird-looking kid from Imran Khan’s first movie would turn out to be so good looking?

Imran Khan

The nephew of Aamir Khan. I’m sure that’s not his favorite way of being introduced but that’s exactly how he became famous. But luckily for us, his acting is almost as good as his boyish good looks. Never fear, he’ll be around for a while.

Ranbir Kapoor

I always thought Ranbir Kapoor looked weird. But after seeing him in some great films (Wake Up Sid, Rajneeti, etc.) I’m starting to get the appeal. Yes he has a great body, but he’s got an air about him that makes him seem humble, kind, and funny. I’d give him a spot on the list just for one of those qualities.

Next, I have the American/European Indian Men. Everyone has their favorites so we decided to add a couple of ours.

Sendhil Ramamurthy

This guy is the epitome of someone who can bounce back. After Heroes tanked in it’s third and fourth seasons, Sendhil switched networks to USA and joined Covert Affairs. The show turned out to be a giant success, Sendhil is now a regular on the show and yet he still found the time to do a Bollywood movie that was actually pretty well received (see Shor in the City). Not a bad job for the guy who played one of the only characters on Heroes who didn’t start out with a power.

Naveen Andrews

He was in Lost. Just having that credit alone should be enough. But Naveen Andrews was not just on Lost- he was one of the emotional centers on Lost. Naveen has two new projects for 2012 so thankfully, Lost won’t mark an end to his career- though he may always be Sayid Jarrah to me.

Dev Patel

Yes, starring in a terrible M. Night Shyamalan movie definitely brings him several steps closer to being kicked off this list, but I like to hold on to the good times of Slumdog Millionaire and hope that Dev can find more projects like the Oscar-winning film that made him a star. He’s still got youthful charm which will never go away with a bad movie.

Sacha Dhawan

Here’s one that’s less recognizable. Sacha was just on the recently- cancelled show Outsourced on NBC. While the show may not have been all that funny, Sacha was and he also brought a nerdy yet sexy charm to his character. His talent is undeniable as well; he was in the Tony-award winning play The History Boys. Let’s hope we get to see much more of this British newbie.

On that note, we’ll turn it over to you guys.  Who would you like to see on our hottie Brown Guy list? We hope this gives you a suitable reason to look at pictures of attractive Indian men if anyone asks. Happy hunting!

by Farah Mithani –

Back in the 90s, I rocked out to George Michael and Prince, watched soaps like All My Children and Beverly Hills, 90210.   I fell in love with whatever my mom enjoyed. Nothing has really changed since then.  Mama and I still jam to George and watch the new 90210 show that was given an extreme makeover.

If you go back and watch old episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210, the problems the rich kids had in high school seemed kind of… well, cheesy.  Now the new and modern 90210, is just dramatically wild, from one extreme to the next.  To be honest, I think I prefer the cheesy, lame episodes.  I’ll admit, when the new season started, I was pretty excited, but now that we have seen what the new rich kids are capable of, it’s just overwhelming.  From bipolar disorders, overdosing/drug abuse, coming out of the closet, stealing, cheating, and so much more I cannot even get into right now, it makes me realize how much things have changed since the 90s.

Okay, I know, your probably thinking…then why the hell are you still watching it?  I can’t help it! I guess it’s become a guilty pleasure. Plus, there’s a new hot desi guy, Manish Dayal.  Oh boy, is he dreamy.  They recently added him to the show some episodes back.  His name is Raj, (so typical, right?) and he’s dating the hippie surfer chick named Ivy.

Source

Manish Dayal, was born June 17 1983, in South Carolina. He graduated from George Washington University then moved to New York to pursue an acting career.  Currently he lives in Los Angeles, and is the character in 90210 that pushes one to start a bucket list.  He has leukemia, (in the show of course), and it’s not getting any better.  Now, if you haven’t seen the latest episode, do not read the next sentence!  Since he’s about to die and wants to spend the rest of his life with the girlfriend, he asks Ivy to marry him, and she says yes!

Source

He has been a guest star in one of the newest desi comedies, Outsourced, which coincidentally also had a wedding in this week’s episode.  He appeared in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Rubicon, which I personally have never seen and probably never will.  Manish has been in some movies, but the only one that sounds familiar to me is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In my opinion, he is an up and coming desi star.  So far, I like him.

Side image from Tumblr

Feeling the weather outside? Temperatures are dropping, colors are changing, and we’re gearing up for the fall. And the best part about October? Halloween, yes, but it’s also Brown Girl’s Birthday!

October’s cover girl, Barkha Naik, helps us bring in the fall and the birthday festivities!

Hometown: Longview, TX

Age: 27 will be 28 Oct 13th!

What you do: I’m a Montessori teacher.

Your dream/goals in life: My dream is to live on a tropical island (haha) and my goal in life is to open up a Montessori school or a Private Preschool.

Hobbies/Talents: I love to shop, paint when I have time, and decorate.  Talents are painting. I’m an outdoor person, I like trying new things and new foods.

A Brown Girl you admire:  Madhuri Dixit

What you love about being a Brown Girl: I love our culture/food/music, and that our culture imbibes the purest meaning of respect.

Inspirational Brown Girl quote: My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.- Indira Gandhi

You can see the complete Fall shoot on our flickr page or facebook fan page!

Age: 22

Height: 5′ 10″

Hometown: Bolton, England

Occupation: Olympic Boxer

No, ladies we’re not talking about Lagaan star Aamir Khan. We’re talking about Amir Khan, and English-boy with a fighter’s attitude. This real-life ‘Rocky’ catapulted himself into the international arena in 2004′s Athens Summer Olympic games, winning the silver medal. He rose to fame again, during last summer’s Olympics, fighting for the gold-medal. Though he may not have won the gold, he’ll sure win your heart.

Not only is he a talented athlete, he’s also heavily involved in charitable organizations. He’s spent much time in the English communities coaching students and raising money for the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake.

What else can we expect from this brawny beauty? Keep your eyes open!

Meet Kal Parekh. Currently residing in Los Angles, Kal is a working actor with a passion for dancing and art. In his current gig, Kal works as a stand-in and double for Sendhil Ramamurthy (the Indian geneticist Mohinder Suresh) on the hit NBC show Heroes.

BG: What are you career aspirations?

Kal: Well, I guess for any actor, there is a desire to win an academy award one day. That would be amazing, but I will settle with just being a working actor on a hit TV show or do a couple of movies every year. What ever it is I just want to do good work. I would also love to work with some of the great actors and directors of our time. There are way too many to list here. I have some wonderful story ideas that I would love to see come to fruition.

BG: When did you decide you wanted to go into acting?

Kal: It wasn’t that long ago and it was quite an abrupt decision. I was looking into taking film making classes one summer and changed to acting a week before I started and never looked back. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. We all have those life changing moments, and for me that was it.

BG: What were some of your favorite gigs?

Kal: I haven’t been doing this for that long. In the four years that I’ve been acting I’ve done a lot of short films and one feature called Khel Shuru (the game is on). It was a huge learning experience for me as an actor on and off the set from rehearsals, to learning Hindi, to doing TV and radio interviews. “Ek ladki do chappu” (translation), a short I did when I moved to L.A., was a different kind of experience for me. It was entirely improved. There was no real script, just an idea. It came out great. I was really able to explore my comedic side. The entire film is available online to watch. My current gig is working on NBC’s “Heroes” as a double and stand-in. It is amazing to be on a set of a popular T.V. show every week and just absorb everything. I love watching the actors work and everything that goes on behind the scenes. It’s a huge learning experience.

BG: What do you like to do on your free time?

Kal: I love movies, naturally! I watch a lot of movies. I like to write as well, poems, short stories, that kind of thing. I love reading, but not for entertainment (I have movies for that). Books I can learn from and be inspired. I draw and dance as well. I used to perform on the east coast all the time, but after moving to L.A. I had to cut back and concentrate on acting.

BG: Any future gigs we can keep a lookout for?

Kal: Any updates and gigs will be listed on my website kalparekh.com. You can check that from time to time.

Kal Stats:

Age: 26

Height: 5’9″

Turn Ons: honest, free spirited , positive, passionate, blonde!

Turn Offs: dishonest, ego-centric, flaky, stand offish, negative.

Best Joke: I really don’t have a best joke. I’m quite terrible at telling them, but here is some humorous advice for you. Never play leapfrog with a unicorn, ouch! If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you. There are two theories to arguing with women, neither one works! (You know this last one is so true!)

If you know a Brown Boy perfect for our next issue, please contact us at brownboy@browngirlmagazine.com!

“It took me a long while to “come in to my own.” While high school for most was one of the most amazing times, it was for me a long three years of not knowing who I was nor what I want to become. I was always scared of socializing because of my insanely low self-esteem and so I just found refuge in books! As I graduated high school (with honors!), I still felt like something was missing…

The missing puzzle was someone telling me that for good things to come you, you have to love yourself first. From then on, it took getting closer to my family, salvaging friendships from high school, making new friends and going out there to find new opportunities on my own, for me to become who I am today. I starting loving and believing in myself and now I am a Public Relations major at the University of Houston, a Fashion Expert at Express, and an intern at a local radio station. My life is so busy, but it is moving in a positive direction with so many wonderful people rooting for me. Life couldn’t be better…(Oh how I wish I had foreseen this when I was 16!)” -Anonymous

“Growing up in a very white school system, I don’t think I EVER felt comfortable in my skin. At Indian gatherings, where I thought I was suppose to be accepted, I also got criticized for not being fair or tall enough. The European image of beauty of being tall, fair, and skinny was an image I was compared to in both cultures I lived in. It was bad enough that I was going through my awkward stage, but not having support from the people around me affected the way I saw myself. It was not until college where I saw other South Asian women I could relate to that I started believing that I was beautiful as well. I am now growing to love the skin I’m in and appreciate my Indian-ness so much more now! I feel like I’ve come a long way from that girl who use to buy “beige” foundation thinking it would make her lighter and help her fit in.” - Shradha Motwani, Austin, TX

“Today, I am very down to earth and can sometimes be very critical. I am not perfect, but I am very wise about what I want out of life. I have made some mistakes in my life, but I have learned to embrace them and move forward. I am complicated, interesting & very passionate in my beliefs!” -Sana Din, Houston, TX

“As I looked through my rather thin collection of photos I had for this segment, I realized just how much I have progressed since those days. Believe me, these were years I didn’t want to remember, let alone share with anyone else. I didn’t necessarily think the world of myself then, in fact I pretty much went as far down the self-esteem pole as you could go ( I avoided taking pictures and looking in mirrors). But, I think what helped me the most was surrounding myself with good friends and developing a pretty healthy sense of humor. This awkward stage has lasted a large part of my life, but I think I’m finally emerging from it. I think I ‘grew into myself,’ in that I’m so much more comfortable with who I am as a person, and I think that this comes with time. I’ve learned to appreciate what I see in the mirror (yes! I can actually look at myself). The glasses, braces and baby weight may have gone, but I’m left with a happier, funnier me.” - Pooja Patel (BG Contributing Editor), Dallas, TX

“This year was the most eventful year, thus far, of my life. From graduating college to starting my career, it seems like I grew up overnight and have many responsibilities all of a sudden. But, with the responsibilities has also come the freedom and opportunity to do things I did not have time to do when I was in school – be it focus on my job, read books, re-socialize, or write for this magazine. Though I am 22 years old, I still feel 16 and know I will always have the wild, crazy Asma in me no matter how old I am. At the rate things are going in my life, looks like every year from now on will be more eventful, bigger and better than the last one!”- Asma Hassan (BG Contributing Editor), Houston, TX

“I honestly do not think my battle with the mirror has ended completely. Sometimes, I can still find myself nit-picking at every flaw. But when I take a step back and see how far I’ve come from my days as that awkward teenager with extremely low self-esteem, I can actually start to be proud of myself. I came out of my shell in college, made some amazing friends, and started inching closer to making my dreams reality. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but as long as I am true to myself and remind myself that I can do it, I think I’ll be just fine!”- Aditi Mehta (BG Founder), Houston, TX