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Surveen Chawla is one of the few Bollywood actresses who has always been vocal about the dark side of the profession, be it unrealistic beauty standards or casting couch. Recently on The Male Feminist podcast, the actress once again spoke up about yet another disturbing casting couch experience which she faced after she got married.

She spoke about meeting a director at his Mumbai office, who well aware that she was newly married, leaned in to allegedly kiss her after the meeting. Expressing her shock at his audacity, Surveen said she had to push him away and walk off.

Recalling a separate incident, the actor shared how a National Award-winning South film director asked a mutual acquaintance to tell Surveen that the filmmaker wanted her to sleep with him during the course of a film shoot.

What

• Surveen shared she has been subjected to many casting couch experiences, highlighting particularly one incident that happened after she got married.
• Surveen told The Male Feminist by Hauterrfly, “I will tell you a tale about Mumbai’s Veera Desai Road only. After the meeting at his office cabin, the director came to see me off at the gate, and this was after I got married. The strange thing was that we talked about this in the meeting also, he asked me how it was going and what my husband did, and it was just us speaking inside his cabin because he had a big office. So, when I came to the door to say bye, he leaned towards me trying to kiss me, and I had to push him back. I was startled and asked him what he was doing, and I just walked off.”
• Another occurrence was when a South film director relayed it to her through a mutual acquaintance that he wanted her to sleep with him during a film shoot.
• Speaking of how she was asked to gain weight for roles in the South film industry, the actress shared, “Yes, I was told you are too thin, slim because you won’t have bosoms. Kuch hilega nahi (Nothing will jiggle), nothing will bounce. Now it’s done a little more sophisticatedly. In my time, they were not so sophisticated. They told me to my face, so I gave it back to their face.”
• In an earlier conversation with RJ Siddharth Kanan, Surveen got candid about the body-shaming trend in the film business.
• She said, “It’s like they make it their job to make you feel insecure. Your weight, your waist size, your chest size – everything is questioned.”

Surveen Chawla’s Filmography

Before predominantly working in Hindi and Punjabi films, Surveen started her journey with the TV shows Kahin To Hoga in 2003. 

She made her Bollywood debut with Hate Story 2 in 2014. Her Kannada debut was Paramesha Panwala in 2008. She has also worked in the Tamil film Raju Maharaju and Telugu title Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal. Her Punjabi film credits include Dharti and Hero ‘Naam Yaad Rakhi’.

Whether you’re chasing stardust or simply switching your phone off, let 2025 be the year you travel with curiosity and a bit of cheeky new lingo to match.

So, you’ve packed your bags, triple-checked your flight timing and planned out your outfits. But wait, have you brushed up on your travel lingo?

If not, don’t worry. You’re not alone. As the world of travel gets quirkier, cleverer and, let’s face it, much more unpredictable, so does its vocabulary. 

Welcome to the Travel Dictionary 2025. From ‘townsizing’ (where you ‘size up’ a town), to ‘land snorkelling’ (no sharks involved here), here’s a handy guide on all the travel terms that are trending at the moment.

Let’s decode.

Detour Destinations

Forget the bucket-list usuals, 2025 is the year of the scenic sidekick. Call it the underdog glow-up, but detour destinations are all about pairing big-name cities with their lesser-known (and way less crowded) neighbours. 

If there’s one thing that annoys us the most while travelling on a plane (after a crying baby on board, of course), it has to be certain people… people who are in such a rush to bolt from the aircraft the moment it touches down.

Whether you’re a frequent flyer or not, you know what we mean. The moment the captain announces some garbled version of “we have landed”, there’s always that one person who springs up, opens the overhead bin, grabs their luggage, and plants themselves firmly in the aisle. This often leads to others doing the same thing, which ultimately leads to a cluster of people standing in the aisle while holding their luggage for no reason.

Taking it easy clearly isn’t part of their travel policy – regardless of whether they have a connecting flight or not. But what’s the point of clutching your bag and standing in a queue if you still have to wait for the crew to open the door for exiting? It’s a mystery. And somehow, this works like a domino effect – once one person gets up (whether it’s time or not), others follow suit as if it’s a race to nowhere.

Now, to tackle this mid-air impatience, it looks like the Turkish government has introduced some new in-flight regulations. The Indian civil aviation authorities – the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) – too might want to take a few notes.

What Does The New Law Say?

Turkey has rolled out strict new rules for airline passengers to improve safety and order during flights – particularly during landing and disembarkation. These regulations, effective from early May 2025, apply to all commercial airlines operating within Turkey, including Turkish Airlines.

Here’s the lowdown:

• Passengers must stay seated with seat belts fastened until the aircraft comes to a full stop at its designated parking spot and the seatbelt sign is switched off.
• Unbuckling seat belts, opening overhead compartments, or standing in the aisle before the plane has stopped taxiing is strictly prohibited.
• Airlines must revise their standard in-flight announcements to clearly instruct passengers to remain seated and warn that violations will be reported.
• Passengers are reminded to disembark in turn, without rushing forward – yes, your aisle seat doesn’t make you royalty.
• Breaking these rules is considered disruptive passenger behaviour and may attract an administrative fine of up to USD 70 (Rs 6,000), say Turkish media reports, although an amount hasn’t yet been specified by the Turkish government.
• Cabin crew are now responsible for enforcing these rules, delivering additional safety announcements after landing, and reporting any misbehaviour for possible legal or administrative action.

Nargis Fakhri has always been known for her fitness. The actress and model often shares glimpses of her journey through yoga, travel, and mindful living, inspiring fans to embrace a balanced lifestyle. The Housefull 5 actress recently posted a video of herself doing a yoga pose – the three-legged Downward-Facing Dog or Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana.

The three-legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose is a deep hip opening standing pose and is a variation of Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward-Facing Dog Pose. It helps improve hip and leg flexibility while also strengthening the upper body. 

How To Do The Three-legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose? 

1. Come onto your hands and knees on a yoga mat and place your hands shoulder-width apart and feet hip-width apart. 
2. Tuck your toes under and lift your hips toward the ceiling, forming an inverted “V” shape. 
3. Lengthen your spine and press your heels gently toward the floor while keeping your arms straight and fingers spread wide. 
4. Inhale deeply and slowly lift your right leg straight up behind you, keeping your hips square to the floor and extending your toes. 
5. Now, press firmly into both hands and draw your belly toward your spine. Don’t forget to breathe deeply and hold the pose for 3-5 breaths. 
6. Exhale and bring your right leg back down and return to Downward-Facing Dog. Repeat the same steps with your left leg. 

Benefits Of The Three-legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose

Three-legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose has several benefits for your physical and mental health, including: 

• Strengthens your legs and core muscles. 
• Helps open up your hips and shoulders more deeply, improving flexibility throughout the entire body. 
• May improve focus and be more aware of your surroundings. 
• Helps improve hip mobility. 
• Engages core muscles and helps tone and strengthen the muscles in your abdomen and lower back. 
• Promotes mindfulness and helps to reduce stress and anxiety. 

Fakhri’s yoga session is inspiring and one that focuses on building strength, flexibility, and balance. So the next time you hit the mat, try this pose but don’t forget to check with your healthcare provider. 

No one vouches for ‘little treats’ like Gen Z does. It is a term that they have coined for periodical – daily or weekly indulgences, such as their favourite matcha latte, fresh bakes, weekly manicures, a luxury lip treatment, a stuffed toy or a Labubu charm, or a trinket they always wanted to get their hands on. It might serve as a momentary dopamine hit, and more, as a form of practicing self-love and self-care.

What Is The ‘Little Treats Culture’?

Little treats culture is an on-trend lifestyle practice where Gen Z makes use of small delights and pleasurable experiences such as snacks or treats from time to time, to keep themselves motivated. This motivation is to keep up with their daily tasks while overcoming all the hiccups and hurdles that are part of daily life.

This trend, like all trends these days, is social media-fuelled.

Take, for example, the Labubu dolls and the cultural storm that they have caused. Labubu is part of a character group, The Monsters. These adorable plushies have become a must-have accessory for every Gen Z (and millennial) after celebrities K-pop star Lisa were spotted with them.

Or, swapping a mug of boring americano for a prettier looking matcha latte, for a premium, of course. All of these fit right in with the little treat culture, where people share how they literally bribe themselves with these small but significant treats to accomplish tasks and manage their responsibilities.

Radhika Apte candidly discusses the challenges of new motherhood.

She married British musician Benedict Taylor in 2012 and has a daughter.

Apte debuted her baby bump at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2024.

Like every new mother, Radhika Apte’s journey has been one filled with ups and downs. She is refreshingly candid about how there are no words to aptly describe this feeling, it’s “ridiculous” and “equally depressing” on some days because it is such a monumental change.

Radhika had gotten married to British violinist and composer Benedict Taylor in 2012. They welcomed their baby girl in December 2024. It was only at the BFI London Film Festival on October 16, 2024, during the UK premiere of her film Sister Midnight, that she debuted her baby bump.

Radhika Apte is back with her stylish red carpet moments, and how! The Andhadhun star made her first major appearance after giving birth, and obviously she dressed to impress. The star recently attended the 78th BAFTA Awards, and her look was too hot to miss. The star shared the pictures from her red carpet look on her social media and we can’t help but love her minimal look. Sharing the pictures, she wrote, “First big routine after birth… 2 months postpartum…2 hours of sleep.. I couldn’t have done without the fabulous people in the team.”

For the event, Radhika opted for a kaftan dress from the shelves of Worme. Her lilac chiffon cape kaftan dress featured a sheer finish, which she adorned with a matching bralette and pants made from sandwashed silk. The sheer kaftan was worth Rs 41,000, which was an ideal mix of comfort and elegance, reflecting the fine craftsmanship of the silk material. Letting her outfit talk, the star accessorised her look with minimal jewellery and went with just a thin bracelet and a pair of diamond studs. For her makeup, Radhika kept her signature subtle glam on with a seamless base, lots of blush and highlighter, neatly filled brows, mascara-coated eyes, soft lilac lids, and bold red lips. With her hair all open, she completed her red carpet look with utmost perfection. 

For the unversed, Radhika’s film Sister Midnight was nominated at the BAFTAs. The film directed by Karan Kandhari features Radhika as a woman caught in an unhappy arranged marriage.

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