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Rajan Shahi is one producer-director who believes in the power of love & prayers. Rajan Shahi keeps having Hawan from time to time. On Dhanteras morning a hawan was organized with the presence of the cast & the crew. Rajan Shahi is one producer whose sets always have a cosmopolitan culture & all the festivals are celebrated. The positive vibes are always in the air.
Bollywood Buzz

There were not as many stars on the sky that night as at the Westin Mumbai Garden City where the most awaited event of the year, asiaSpa India Fit & Fabulous Awards was held. The celebrities from Bollywood, glamour, fitness, sports & lifestyle came in full force & made the night a stunning spectacle. After the resounding success of Wellfest 2018 in Delhi, India’s leading luxury wellness & lifestyle magazine; asiaSpa India proudly brought together the unique festival of wellness to Mumbai. Curated by Parineeta Sethi, Chief Editor & Publisher of the magazine, the festival not only celebrates people who are already “fit & fabulous”, but also inspires others to achieve their wellness goals. asiaSpa was proud to be back in the city that’s home to Bollywood with the new edition of their Awards ceremony that spread out the green carpet to leading celebrities from all walks of life including Bollywood, glamour, fitness, sports & lifestyle. Over the years, asiaSpa’s signature wellness featured the best of the wellness & fitness industry! This year too, wellness icons & enterprises across varied categories across the country were recognized & felicitated. While Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Suniel Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha, Raveena Tandon, Gauahar Khan, Shraddha Salla & Harshvardhan Rane bagged the “Fit & Fabulous” award, the evening also witnessed celebrities including Karishma Tanna, Dia Mirza, Dino Morea, Nandita Mahtani, Harbhajan Singh, Geeta Basra, Karan Tacker, Lulia Vantur, Simone Khan, Elli Avram, Divya Khosla Kumar, Queenie Singh, Pooja Makhija, Terrence Lewis, Namrata Purohit, Yash Birla, Atul Kasbekar, Farah Khan Ali, Shivoham, Samir Purohit, Eefa Shrof, Alanna Panday, Deanne Panday, Sameer Nerukar, Nawaz Modi Singhania, Nikhil Kapur, Aarti Surendranath, Ksrija Surendranath, Anil Singh, Shweta Shetty, Samir Srivastav, Waluscha De Souza, Pria Kataaria Puri, Hema Hariramani, Malavika Mohanan & Sheeba Akashdeep who walked away with the prestigious “Fit & Fabulous” trophy back home.
Bollywood News
Bar Council Of Delhi Issues Legal Notice Against Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan, once again, has landed in yet another legal soup for an advertisement. The jewellery ad with daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda had also received a lot of outrage. The Bar Council of Delhi served a legal notice to him, Everest Masala, YouTube, and a media house for using a lawyer’s attire in an advertisement. The notice stated the ad undermines the dignity of the legal profession. In the commercial, Amitabh Bachchan is seen sitting in his dress room with his lawyer’s attire on as 2 of the junior artistes enter the room and offer him pav bhaji. After enjoying the delicious mean, the megastar praises the spices used in the preparation of the meal. “You (the actor & others) have failed to take due precaution before using the lawyers’ attire for advertisement and are liable for legal action for telecasting the advertisement without any authority. You are required to immediately stop all such advertisements & also give an undertaking to the Bar Council of Delhi, Bar Council of India & other states Bar Councils that the lawyers’ attire shall not be used in any advertisement in future,” read the notice.
‘Nakkash’ Director Zaigham Imam Bags An Award
Nakkash was screened in Singapore South Asian International Film Festival 2018 (SSAIDF) amongst Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Manto, which opened this year’s edition, Siddiq Barmak’s Globally Acclaimed Osama, Rima Das’s Village Rockstar & other celebrated films. Nakkash was able to leave a mark on the audience & the festival jury. In the award ceremony which was held right after the live performance by Atif Aslam in Resorts World Theatre in Resorts World Sentosa, Nakkash’s Director Zaigham Imam stood amongst the award winners holding the trophy for “Emerging Filmmaker Of The Year”. This award is 2nd in row for the film as Nakkash bagged “Best Actor” award for Lead Actor Inaamulhaq from DSAFF’18 aka Washington D.C. South Asian Film Festival 2018 & the 1st ever look of Nakkash was unveiled at Cannes during the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2018 (CFF). The Singapore screening, which was held on 6th Oct, 2018 at Carnival Cinemas, Beach Road, Singapore, left the audiences stunned & the film got a standing ovation. The film boasts the age old secular belief of the country. Zaigham made Nakkash with only one intention and that is to show that anyone can spread their wings breaking all religious boundaries & he believes that Nakkash would force people to think & put prejudice aside.
Pahlaj Nihalani Hits Back At Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC)
Pahlaj Nihalani who was earlier the chief of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), has been lashing out on the current board for not certifying his film. Pahlaj Nihalani, who faced flak during his tenure at Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) for putting in too many restrictions in films, has now questioned the current chief, lyricist Prasoon Joshi for certifying Thugs Of Hinostan before his film Rangeela Raja that stars Govinda in the lead role. Pahlaj Nihalani has voiced out his concerns in recent reports wherein he claims that he sees no reason for delaying the certification of his film as he submitted Rangeela Raja to Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) almost a month & a half before the release date. Explaining the rule, he stated that the chairman is supposed to show the film to the committee within 21 days & let them decide on the certification of the film. However, he went on to accuse Prasoon Joshi of not being present in office adding that when he himself used to be the chairman, he worked on all days including holidays.
Anupam Kher Resigns As Film & Television Institute Of India (FTII) Chairman
Veteran actor Anupam Kher has been keeping with the shooting schedule of his American TV show, New Amsterdam. With the professional commitments for his international show, the actor has resigned as the chairman of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). The veteran actor cited his busy international schedule as the reason behind him stepping down as the chairman. Anupam Kher took to Twitter recently to share his resignation letter which stated, “It has been an honor, a privilege & a great learning experience to be the Chairman of the prestigious @FTIIOfficial. But because of my international assignments I won’t have much time to devote at the institute. Hence decided to send my resignation. Thank you,” he wrote along with the letter.
Kapil Sharma Advises Everyone To Plant A Tree Wherever They Go
Actor-comedian Kapil Sharma recently appealed to all the people to follow his lead & plant a tree wherever they go. “I have made a promise to myself that I will plant a tree everywhere I travel to. I have already done it in Amritsar, Manali & Dalhousie & I appeal to each & every one of you to do the same.” Kapil Sharma said this while interacting with the media at SBI Green Marathon flag off recently in Mumbai, along with fellow actor Rajkummar Rao. Speaking at the marathon, which was organised by SBI, Radio Mirchi & Bhamla Foundation, Kapil Sharma said that he was proud to be a part of the initiative. He also expressed gratitude to the organisers for giving him the opportunity. He further said that there can be no one who understands the importance of being fit & healthy more than himself, and participating in the marathon was an important step for him towards achieving his fitness goals. Being a lover of environment himself, Kapil Sharma felt a deep connect with the green marathon. Expressing his views on environmentally friendly initiatives, he said that it is very important to protect the planet, especially for our future generations, and initiatives such as the Green Marathon play an importance aspect to that effect. While Kapil has already made his resolution for the year 2019, that is to get fit, he also teased fans saying that he has a major announcement coming up soon, and that this was just the beginning.
‘Mukti Bhawan’ Bags An Indian Award
The multiple award-winning Indian drama film Mukti Bhawan aka Hotel Salvation is the winner from India for “Best Original Screenplay” for Shubhashish Bhutiani & Asad Hussain at the inaugural Asian Academy Creative Awards 2018 (AAA’s) to be held this Dec, in Singapore. There are 20 countries in contention for the awards across 49 categories. Mukti Bhawan is the sole Feature Film to be nominated for the final competition from India. Earlier this year, it also won “Best Original Screenplay” at 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018. The film has bagged over 30 Awards including 2 UNESCO, 2 National Awards & at Festivals around the world. Shubahshish Bhutiani the writer & director of Mukti Bhawan is elated with this honor, Written & directed by Shubhashish Bhutiani, Mukti Bhavan akaHotel Salvation follows a son faced with his father’s untimely demand to go & die in the holy city of Varanasi & attain salvation. The film stars Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni & Palomi Ghosh. The critics have raved about the film which garnered 4 & 5 star ratings in UK media. Asian Culture Vulture said “Gentle, unassuming, funny & poignant,Hotel Salvation is a small gem of a film in many ways. While Empire rated it 4 stars saying, “A simple story beautifully told”; “A moving, rewarding watch that’ll get you thinking’ (Time Out) rating 4 stars whereas Sight & Sound called it “A triumph”.
The Producers Guild of India Calls for an Extraordinary General Meeting
Within the 1st ever week of setting up a special committee on sexual harassment, the Producers Guild of India has called for an Extraordinary General Meeting to amend its bylaws to – 1. Make it mandatory for all existing & new members to sign a declaration that affirms that “The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act 2013” and any amendment/ successor act thereof has been instituted & implemented in their workplaces, as prescribed by the law. This is to be signed & submitted by every Guild member within 30 days of receipt of the declaration from the Guild. Within these 30 days, the Guild will schedule a series of workshops to be conducted by specialized external agencies, which will enable its members to institute & implement these robust processes at their workplaces, if they have not already done so. Failure to submit the declaration to the Guild by the end of 30 days from its receipt: would result in expulsion from the Guild.
2. Affirm that if any nominated representative of a Guild member is adjudged to have engaged in sexual harassment by Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) constituted by concerned Guild member and/ or by way of any other legal process available in law, the Guild has the right to immediately expel the concerned nominated representative. The committee will enable all Guild members to institute & implement robust processes in their workplaces to ensure the highest standards of safety for employees & crew members, whether in offices or on the sets of productions. The Guild is committed to working on a sustained & continuing basis to make industry workplaces safe spaces for everyone who works here.
Carnival Cinemas Organised A Bike Rally & Also Hosted A Special Screening Of Badhaai Ho
The month of October every year happens to be the “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” but the reality is that 1000’s of patients, survivors, researchers, doctors & concerned citizens are fighting for this worthwhile cause all the year round. Some create awareness by raising funds, wearing pink or participating in fitness events or, in some cases, all the 3. While the others donate their time, money or support for those fighting in many different ways. In that attempt to create the awareness about breast cancer, India’s fastest & one of the leading national multiplex chain, Carnival Cinemas organized a Harley Davidson Bike rally from Sangam Carnival Cinemas Andheri East on 28th Oct, 2018 with over 100 riders in association with Seven Islands Mumbai Chapter Harley Owners Group followed by a special screening of the film Badhaai Ho for over one 100 breast cancer survivors & patients from Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) at Carnival Cinemas IMAX Wadala after the rally. Post the screening, singer Neha Bhasin joined the survivors at Carnival Cinemas IMAX Wadala to boost their moral & spent quality time with them. She sang her popular songs, shook a leg with them & also listened to their heart touching stories how they fought with the disease with the support from CPAA & their loved ones. Bikers also shared their riding philosophy with the survivors to combat the disease with more will power & ability to stand on their feet once again after every misadventure.
Disney Conservation Fund Awards $5 Million To Conservation Organizations
The Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) continued its more than 2 decades old commitment to conservation this month by awarding more than $5 million in grants to support 76 organizations working to protect the magic of nature around the world. 3 of these grant recipients are conservation organizations working in India: Arulagam, International Fund for Animal Welfare & Panthera. The fund also recognized 13 people across the globe with the Disney Conservation Hero award for their tireless efforts to save wildlife, protect habitats & inspire communities to take part in conservation efforts.
Rohena Gera’s Sir Titled As “Audience Favorite”
Writer & director Rohena Gera’s Sir has achieved much success. With theatrical releases coming up in more than 20 countries, screenings at fest’s such as the prestigious Cannes film fest & Zurich Film Fest, here is one more feather in Rohena Gera’s hat. The film has also been selected as the audience favorite at its US premiere at the prestigious Mill Valley film fest. Sir in fact was titled as the World Cinema (Indie) Audience Favorite (Gold). The film was featured in the World cinema section of the fest which had over 40 films from around the world such as Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows, Cannes Palme D’Or winning Shoplifters & Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma.
I’m a newcomer for pan-India audiences: ‘KGF’ actor Yash
Kannada film actor Yash, who will soon be seen in “KGF” – Kolar Gold Fields – that will release in five languages including Hindi, says he is quite excited to see how cine-goers across India accept him as a performer because he is a newcomer for a majority of the audiences.
“For a pan-India audience, I am a newcomer and I know that. So far, I have only worked in the Kannada entertainment industry. Though my films are dubbed in Hindi and watched by many people on TV and on online platforms, we never had a Kannada film that was released in theatres in Hindi. So there is a feeling in my mind of being a newcomer to the maximum audience,” Yash told IANS here.
Having started his career in Kannada television, Yash made his debut in cinema in 2013 with the film “Googly” and delivered some commercially successful films like “Mr and Mrs Ramachari”, “Gajakesari” and “Santhu Straight Forward”.
Elaborating on the advantage that he gets by acting in a Kannada film, he said: “In the Kannada film industry, when a film is successful, we tend to carry some element, style and dialogue to a new film just to keep our fans stay with the characteristics of an actor that they already loved.
“Since ‘KGF’ is trying to reach an audience that will be watching my performance for the first time, they won’t be having any reference point to understand my talent from my previous works. As an actor, I have to show my strength and power of performance to win the heart of my new audience.”
The film will be releasing in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam languages.
While the actor believes “KGF” will be a great opportunity for the homegrown talent of Karnakata to present their work to the national audience, Yash said: “Our Kannada film industry has no dearth of talent, but we need more exposure.
“That is the sole reason for us to venture into different language release so that we can share our potential to the world. I am confident that the production value and content of our film will surely match up to the global standard.”
Set in the 1970s, the story of the film revolves around a young man named Rocky (Yash), who is born on a special day and has a desire to rule the gold mines of Mumbai city.
Asked if the Mumbai backdrop will make the story more relatable for the Bollywood audience, Yash said: “That could be an advantage because in the film we have shown the 70s’ era and how the city Mumbai used to look and feel… The colour, people, society… we tried to capture the time frame on-screen.
“Having said that, we did not do that intentionally, but organically. Back in the 1970s, 1980s, people from the southern part used to go to Mumbai to achieve their dreams. There were more job opportunities, business and money. Since the film also revolves around the gold mine, the city plays a role,” added the award-winning actor.
He grew up watching Salim-Javed’s superhit Bollywood films like “Sholay”, “Deewaar” and “Don”, and says he admires Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Interestingly, “KGF” is releasing on the same day as Shah Rukh’s much anticipated “Zero” on December 21.
Does he have Bollywood dreams?
“I love watching Bollywood films, especially of Rajkumar Hirani. But I am not exactly desperate to work in Bollywood. I love my acting and given a good script I will work in any film industry.”
Directed by Prashanth Neel, the film will be released in two parts. The Hindi version of the film will be distributed by Excel Entertainment and AA Films.
The lesser known Maulana who sought ‘United India’ to the bitter end
Happens to be Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s birth anniversary, forgotten this year as it has been in the past. The Maulana is an inconvenient name to remember at a time when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel towers above every national leader.
When former Vice President Hamid Ansari released the Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam translations of my book “Being the Other: The Muslim in India”, he quoted from a speech Patel had made on August 11, 1947, four days before Partition. Some TV channels went ballistic. The quote is actually quite well known: “To be United, India would have to be divided.” Patel was tracing how the consensus to “divide” India came about. No, but Ansari should not upturn conventional wisdom that “Jinnah was the culprit”. If it were the evil Jinnah who created Pakistan, it follows that the CWC, the Iron man included, were busting their guts to keep a United India and Jinnah outfoxed them.
Mountbatten’s June 3, 1947, plan sought a division of India largely along religious lines. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) swallowed the plan hook, line and sinker. Of the two Muslim leaders present at the CWC, Frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan wailed: “You have thrown us to the wolves.” Maulana Azad smoked a box of cigarettes and said nothing. Supposing the two, vehemently opposed to Partition, had walked out of the meeting in protest, what interpretation would future historians have placed on the remaining CWC composition?
Jawaharlal Nehru valued Azad for his intellect. Some of Nehru’s admiration for Azad comes across even in his intimate letters from Ahmednagar jail to his daughter Indira. “Maulana is an extraordinarily interesting person. The more I know him, and I have known him now for over 21 years, the more I find in him. He has an astonishing memory and his information on a variety of subjects is encyclopedic. He is soaked in the lore of the middle ages… he has Plato and Aristotle on his fingertips and is perfectly at home at Cordoba of Arab Spain… It seems such a pity that with such vast learning and a very unusually keen mind and a powerful style, he should have written so little.”
At one point Nehru reveals he is keen to learn Sanskrit from Acharya Narendra Dev and Persian from Azad. Nehru then gives vent to his afterthought: “But Azad is too erudite.”
The paradox is that despite such admiration for Azad, Nehru still found time to let him down repeatedly. It was a delicate package, that Azad, as Congress President, had negotiated with the Cabinet Mission and Viceroy Lord Wavell to keep India united. Nehru torpedoed it by raising contentious issues at a press conference in Bombay (Mumbai).
Azad was shocked when the entire CWC accepted the Mountbatten plan without fuss. “Partition over my body” kind of sham was instantly abandoned. In fact, Rajendra Prasad came down strongly on a suggestion Mountbatten and Azad had made: That a United Armed Forces for a short period would obviate the massacres which eventually followed. “Not for a day” after August 15, 1947, would the Congress government tolerate a United Army, Prasad thundered. He wanted Partition to be sealed irreversibly. It was no concern of the CWC that an Army, abruptly separated along sectarian lines, would be sucked into the horrendous violence that followed as a partisan force on both sides.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Secretary Mahadev Desai wrote about Azad: “There was no other in the Congress to match Maulana’s insights and wise counsel.” Stalwarts like C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru deferred to him on many issues. On his wisdom and erudition, Sarojini Naidu was at her wittiest, “Maulana was 50 years old when he was born.”
It was this vast reservoir of wisdom that Nehru relied on when Home Minister Kailash Nath Katju decided to bar foreign missionaries in India, “if evangelism is their purpose”. The statement created a furore among Christian missionaries. Nehru singled out Maulana to handle the situation. The letter that Azad wrote to Cardinal Valerian Gracias is reproduced on page 79 of my book, “Being the Other”. It is a masterpiece of reasoning and logic on the question of conversion. Azad had settled the issue over 60 years ago.
He made a distinction between religious conversion, which requires deep reflection on issues of theology and what the constitution calls “mass conversions”. The latter is a response to a social and political provocation.
It is possible that Maulana was not suited to the rough and tumble of politics which demands fickleness generally dressed up as flexibility. Maulana was incapable of deviating from his core principles — Hindu-Muslim unity as the bedrock of Indian nationalism.
Dr. Rajesh Kumar Pruthi, Director General of the National Archives, published a rare collection of the Maulana’s letters in Urdu. The preface by Dr. Pruthi is by itself quite masterly. As evidence of Maulana’s consistency he cites a passage from the Maulana’s address as President of the Congress at a session held in Delhi on 15 December, 1923:
“If an angel came down from heaven and, from the height of the Qutub Minar, announced that if the Congress abandons its platform of Hindu-Muslim Unity, Swaraj or independence would be granted in 24 hours, I would turn my back on that Swaraj. Shunning it for the cost being demanded may delay Swaraj and harm India’s interest for a short period but abandoning our unity for good as a price for freedom will be a blot on all humanity.”
He maintained a decent silence on colleagues who had “blotted humanity”. But he did not cheat history. He kept away in the National Archives 30 pages which expose the men with feet of clay who faltered in the last lap towards freedom. Partition, he wrote in a press note, “would be unadulterated Hindu Raj”. These pages were made public in 1988 when he and all his colleagues had died. He may have had grievances with Nehru but that did not prevent him from dedicating “India Wins Freedom” to “Jawaharlal, Friend and Comrade”.
IANS
Karnataka celebrates Tipu Jayanti as CM stays away
Karnataka on Saturday celebrated the 269th birth anniversary of erstwhile Mysore (Mysuru) ruler Tipu Sultan and the one person who was conspicuously missing from the festivities was Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.
Even Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, who was slated to inaugurate the state celebrations here, did not make it to the event.
Security was tightened as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protested against the Vidhana Soudha celebration comemorating “tyrant Tipu” that was eventually presided over by Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar of the Congress.
Minority Welfare Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan and Culture Minister Jayamala of the Congress were also part of the celebrations, although its alliance partner — Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) — stayed away from the state-sponsored event.
In fact, Kumaraswamy’s name was missing from the official invite. The Chief Minister’s office though said that he was resting for three days from Saturday on the advice of his doctors.
Security was tightened around the assembly building in Bengaluru, and in Mysuru, Kodagu and Mangaluru to maintain peace, a police officer said. Several BJP cadres were detained in Madikeri in Kodagu district and Mangaluru.
Celebrations were also held across the state’s district headquarters despite the BJP-sponsored protests.
“Government is observing the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan all over the state. Tipu’s progressive measures in administration, his quest for innovation are commendable,” a statement from Kumaraswamy’s office said.
“The Chief Minister is taking rest on doctor’s advice, and hence is unable to take part in the programme. It is far from truth that he isn’t taking part due to the fear of losing power, as he opposes such blind beliefs,” the statement added.
“Parameshwara had few prior engagements due to which he had to visit Singapore,” Minority Welfare Minister Khan told reporters.
“CM Kumaraswamy missing! While Congress-JD-S government is celebrating a tyrant Tipu, the CM himself goes into hiding, what is the point of celebrating a fanatic when CM himself abandons a government function.
“Glorifying a mass murderer for vote bank clearly shows mindset of this government,” the state unit BJP tweeted.
The Congress began celebrating the birth anniversary of the 18th century ruler on November 10 since 2015 to honour him as a patriot and for his yeoman service to the people in the southern region.
Khan, along with few Muslim clerics, visisted former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s residence in the city and presented him a sword and traditional headgear similar to that worn by Tipu.
The eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali, Tipu (1750-1799) is also hailed as the “Tiger of Mysore” for fighting the British East India Company’s advances and protecting his kingdom.
Tipu was killed in a battle with the British army in 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatna near Mysuru, about 120km from here.
Celebrating Tipu’s birth anniversary was the coalition government’s way of appeasing the Muslim community, state BJP chief and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had said in 2015.
On Saturday, he again tweeted: “Nobody will appreciate this celebration. In the interest of the state, the sate government must stop it. Government’s intention behind celebration is to satisfy the Muslim community.”
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