What women want in men?

Tall, dark, handsome, rich with a good sense of humour - this indeed forms the perfect package when it comes to choosing a potential male partner.

However, women at times, expect a little too in terms of what they want in a man. Be it physical appearance, behavioural traits or personality attributes, women can't stop asking for more!

Several studies in the past have shed light on the qualities that women look forward to in their Prince Charming and most girls tend to stick to these parameters when it comes to making their choice. Be it a man's intelligence, his voice tone, romantic nature, pricey possessions, dancing skills etc, women tend to relate to these qualities and pick the best out of the lot.

Relationship and marriage counsellor Dr. Gitanjali Sharma explains, "The evolution theory states that women seem to seek signs of resource acquisition in men to maximise prospects for their kids. They prefer older men who tend to be more advanced in their careers, or of higher status in society and are therefore likely to be a better bet in terms of providing resources."

Here's the complete guide for men to know what exactly it takes to impress a woman...

Be intelligent : Intelligence is a sure shot way to woo a woman, not only while talking to her, but also during lovemaking moments. A study confirmed that when it comes to picking a bed-mate, both for one-night stands and long-term relationships, women prefer intelligent men to dumb jocks.

Expert say : Marriage counsellor Dr. Kamal Khurana opines, "No matter how financially liberal a man is, intelligence still remains a quintessential quality. When it comes to taking decisions in emotional and physical matters, women expect men to be in the driving seat. Having an intelligent mate also brings women a certain reassurance that their needs and demands will be well satisfied with better communication and understanding."

Deep baritone : Masculinity comes alive in your voice, so if you have a softer pitch, which sounds feminine, isn't really a great thing to rely on. Women usually look out for men who can be assertive, tough and equally passionate using their voice. A research suggested that women prefer men with deep voices because it signals strength, dominance and good genes.

Expert say : Dr. Gitanjali Sharma says, "Women are approximately seven times more attracted towards a man who has a deeper voice and a superior position and a dominating work style. High-pitch voices hint towards a pro-social behaviour, so women find such men more reliable."

Be romantic not a rich : A simple recipe to win a woman's heart is to give her loads of love and keep up the romance. It's not always the case that a girl chases a guy for materialistic reasons, rather women seek romantic mates. A recent survey revealed that most women believe that their perfect man needs to be romantic and not rich.

Expert say : Dr. Khurana states, "The concept of nuclear family has off late become quite popular, so the love, care and affection that were missing earlier, a woman wants that feeling of fulfillment from her life partner. Romance enhances love and emotions, whereas money or wealth is only for materialistic comfort. Men may shower their female partners with money, but the luxuries of no use unless your mate is not there with you to enjoy the good times."

Drive a cool car : Women are keen to hang out with a self-made man with a secured future. Whether that stature comes from your bank balance or an expensive car - make the most of your dream wheels to flatter women. A study confirmed that driving a flashy car really does make a person more attractive to women.

Expert say : Dr. Gitanjali asserts, "Materialistic needs are priorities, depending on the woman's lifestyle Women are naturally drawn to men who can provide for them and ensure the survival of their children. Thus they are attracted to strong and vigorous men who exhibit behaviour that indicate high status."

Look sexy with more hair : A clean shaven body or a half bald look can be a turn-off for your female partner. A research found that ladies looking for love on dating websites are more likely to contact men with a full head than those who are thinning on top.

Expert say : Dr. Khurana adds, "In the past, men were never into makeovers and beauty treatments and they were simply crude. And women have grown up seeing their dads and brothers in a typical macho man look, so this orientation of preferring men with more hair has been there with them since childhood."

Dance like Travolta : It's not always that women get attracted to men who can do sensuous salsa or romantic ball dance, so let your flamboyance do the talking. According to a research, John Travolta's flamboyant dance style in the cult film 'Saturday Night Fever' is of the kind that is the most attractive to women.

Expert say : "Highly-coordinated, complex movements are attractive to women as they see dancing to be a co-ordination between a healthy body and a controlled mind. So a man who is able to dance in a flambouyant style is judged as a person who has control over his mind and likes to work on his mind. Your dancing style may reflect what is going on inside a person's head. If they are self-conscious, it will be reflected in the way they dance," explains Gitanjali.

Darsheel's my superhero: Aamir

After giving Darsheel Safary a dream launchpad with " Taare Zameen Par", actor-producer-director Aamir Khan has now praised and extended support to the child actor and his movie "Zokkomon".

Aamir showered praise and extended good wishes to Darsheel when the "Zokkomon" team, including director Satyajit Bhatkal and actress Manjari Phadnis, visited his Bandra house to invite him for a special screening of the movie.

"I am very excited to watch this action adventure by Disney which is known for quality films, and especially since it has Darsheel in a brand new superhero avatar. He will always be my superhero in real life too," said Aamir.

The actor also wished good luck to the director, and hopes the film gets a good reception at the box office.

"Satyajit has been a close childhood friend and I have known him since years. I was proud to have produced his National Award winning documentary and I wish him all the best for his debut! This is a very different kind of film and will be a special treat for kids in summer vacations and family audiences as well," added Aamir.

"Zokkomon" is an action adventure film full of special effects.

Salman's 'Character Dheela' in Ready

Remember the song ' Kabhi Tu Chhalia Lagta Hain ' from Patthar Ke Phool where Salman Khan and Raveena Tandon paid a tribute to Raj Kapoor and Nargis. It seems like history is going to repeat itself with Salman paying another tribute to Raj Kapoor. And why just Raj Kapoor, there's more in store this time.

Insiders have been raving about a particular song called ' Character Dheela ' from Salman's forthcoming film Ready , which has more than one attraction to look forward to! "The groovy song has a special guest appearance by Zarine Khan who will be seen shaking a leg with Salman. Also the song will see Salman and Zarine playing different hit Hindi movie jodis of the past", says a source associated with the film.

"Salman will be seen playing ' Shahzada Saleem ' along with Zarine playing the beautiful Anarkali in one act. In another act, we will see Salman and Zarine in the black and white era playing tribute to the showman Raj Kapoor along with Nargis! Yet another sequence will see the two recreate the magic of Viru and Basanti on screen", adds the source.

This song has been uniquely choreographed by Mudassar Khan who has previously choreographed Salman in the superhit ' Dabangg ' as well.

IIT-JEE reform panel moots single entrance test, to seek public opinion

T Ramasami Committee on reforms in IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) has decided to have a single entrance examination for admission to engineering course, but is yet to firm up how specifically it would be done.

The panel has decided to seek public opinion before finalizing its recommendation. In the next few days, a dedicated website would be created to draw public opinion. It remains to be seen if IIT Council agrees to be a part of engineering entrance examination that would also be for admission to non-IIT engineering colleges. Even state governments would have to come on board.

Sources said, to begin with even if an all-India single entrance examination is not introduced; JEE would definitely be reformed. Reform in JEE is one of the pleas sought by Rajiv Kumar, professor of IIT-Kharagpur, in his petition in the Supreme Court.

On Thursday, Ramasami gave a short presentation of three ways in which single entrance examination can be conducted. HRD minister Kapil Sibal, directors of IIT-Kanpur, Delhi and Roorkee were present. Few IIT directors have raised queries about the methods suggested by Ramasami.

Since 2008, Ramasami Committee is the fourth attempt to reform JEE. The first was an internal committee under V G Idichandy of IIT-Madras. He suggested scrapping of JEE, and considering Standard XII marks for IIT admission. Recommendations were neither made public nor discussed.

In October 2009, IIT Council suggested increasing eligibility cutoff from the existing 60% to 80% in Standard XII. Then, a committee of secretaries of department of science & technology, department of bio-technology and department of science and industrial research was set up to suggest IIT-JEEreforms. No proposal came from them.

This was followed by the Acharya Committee of four IIT directors to suggest JEE reforms. It submitted an interim report for admission, based on weighted sum of normalized Standard XII marks along with proposed SAT-like examination. It was rejected by most stakeholders like IIT faculty, state board chiefs etc.

Mallika Sherawat meets Barack Obama.

The actress apparently was invited for tea with Obama during his campaign visit in Hollywood. According to a source, the Indian star who likes to make her presence felt is said to have discussed her stay in LA and spoken about her upcoming film `Politics of Love, Barack' with the President Believe it or not, Obama told Mallika make sure you invite me to the premiere of the film.

A source close to the actress said, ``Its been Mallika's dream to meet America's President since his historic first election besides during her work on the new film she has learnt a lot about the man himself and U.S politics.''

Incidentally her film directed by William Dear is a romantic comedy inspired by publicly documented election love stories that happened during Obama's presidential election campaign

Lokpal panel members have advised me not to quit: Santosh Hegde

Justice Santosh Hegde on Friday said he will take a final decision on quitting the Lokpal panel on Saturday. He said panel members have advised him not to quit, according to TV channel Times Now.

In less than a fortnight of its formation, the joint committee for drafting the Lokpal Bill is falling apart. Even as civil society representatives Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan are battling attacks on their integrity, another civil society leading light, Justice N Santosh Hegde on Thursday said he was thinking of quitting the panel.

Stung by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's references to his ineffectuality in dealing with corruption in Karnataka, Hegde, who is the Karnataka Lokayukta, told TOI: "I'm angry and hurt. I came to know through the media thatDigvijay Singh said I was trying to protect Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa on corruption charges. I've tried to be honest in my entire career."

He said he was reconsidering his decision to join the committee, but would take a final decision on Saturday after meeting the other civil society activists. He said there was a concerted campaign to discredit the civil society members of the joint committee. It would appear he was not prepared to face up to the campaign.

While Hegde seemed to be wilting under the pressure, Anna Hazare himself appeared to be distancing himself from the controversy. He was heard saying on TV that he had nothing to do with the Bhushans.

Hegde said, "There is a concerted effort to scuttle the Lokpal Bill, which has been pending for 42 years. It's something like former CM HD Kumaraswamy giving me suo motu powers for prosecution but governor Rameshwar Thakur declining sanction. Politicians do not like their conduct to be examined."

He added, "I am apolitical and committee members from civil society don't belong to any political party. First, they targeted Anna Hazare. When that did not stick, their focus has been on Shanti Bhushan. While Arvind Kejriwal was too smart for them, I am their latest target."

Lasith Malinga announces Test retirement

Injury-prone Sri Lanka pacemanLasith Malinga on Friday quit Test cricket in a bid to prolong his career in one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches.

Malinga is playing for Mumbai Indians in theIndian Premier League and had recently made himself unavailable for Sri Lanka's tour of England, attracting criticism that he had chosen to play for club over country.

"In January this year I wrote a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket and released a statement to the media confirming that I planned to reassess my Test future after the World Cup," he said in a statement.

"I decided that I needed to make myself unavailable for Test cricket in an effort to prolong my career as a national cricketer for Sri Lanka.

"Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed."

The 27-year-old Malinga, known for bowling accurate yorkers, bagged 101 wickets in 30 Tests with his slinging action since making his debut against Australia in Darwin in 2004.

He took a three-year break from Test cricket until coming back to the format when he figured in a home series against India in 2010. He has three five-wicket hauls in a Test innings to his credit.

"I did try to return to Test cricket after a three-year absence last year following requests from the team management and the selectors, but it left me unfit nursing severe knee pain for two months," Malinga said.

"I have realised that the heavy workload of Test cricket, which requires a fast bowler to be able to bowl more than 15 overs, sometimes on consecutive days, could lead to permanent injury.

"I have carefully considered my options and have decided that not playing Test cricket will help me achieve my goal of representing Sri Lanka in the 2012 World Twenty20 and the 2015 World Cup."