AMAAN – AYAAN’S MUSICAL JOURNEY
The packed ballroom resonated with the sounds of mellifluous music as Amaan Ali Bangash & Ayaan Ali Bangash, sons of Sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, set the stage afire with a spellbinding Sarod performance alongside Rabab maestro Daud Khan Sadozai. The album by the trio aptly called “Journey–Rabab To Sarod” pwas launched on stage by superstar Amitabh Bachchan & Zarin Daruwala, CEO Standard Chartered, India. Also present at the event were Vikram Mehra, Ashrafi Matcheswala, Jaya Bachchan, Pankaj Udhas, Saba Ali Khan, Kailash Surendranath, Ira Dubey & Omer Haidar, MD, Showhouse Events.
ARNAB GOSWAMI RELEASES ALYOSHA, A BLAZE LIKE A SHOOTING STAR
“We hear of so many heinous crimes everyday and it happens because some people think they can get away with it,” said Arnab Goswami (Journalist, News Anchor, MD & Co – Founder of Republic TV), during the release of the book “Alyosha, A Blaze…like a shooting star” in, Mumbai. Written by CMDE Arun Kumar, AVSM, NM (Retd), the biography is a father’s tribute to his brave son Alyosha Kumar . “You are showing fortitude and saying there is a never give up spirit in you. But that must not stop us from questioning that must not stop us from campaigning, and acting & confronting. Because we can’t take it lying down anymore”, said Arnab Goswami, who informed that Republic TV should start airing in 2 months. “If we institutionalize the spirit of Alyosha, we will create many more like him,” he added.
The book is published under the imprint Frontier India and the foreword has been written by Dev Lahiri, ex – headmaster at the Lawrence School, Lovedale.
‘HALF GIRLFRIEND’ CAPTURES THE CITY OF NEW YORK LIKE NEVER BEFORE
The makers of HALF GIRLFRIEND reveal yet another interesting trivia about the film. They revealed that the film was extensively shot in New York. To recreate the famed climax of the book, director Mohit Suri & cinematographer Vishnu Rao, took special FAA permissions to fly out on a custom -fitted helicopter. With just 11 & half weeks for the film to go on the floors, the makers of Shraddha Kapoor & Arjun Kapoor starrer HALF GIRLFRIEND, have divulged some more trivia about the film. The lead cast, along with director Mohit Suri & author Chetan Bhagat, shared that the city of New York forms an integral part of the filming of HALF GIRLFRIEND. The cast & the crew of the film had an extensive shoot schedule in the city, where they shot a very important & conclusive chapter of this cinematic adaptation. They shot the film’s climax with Arjun on Brooklyn bridge which has a 2 -helicopter set – up above the iconic New York landmark, at dawn to capture the city in a new light. The team of HALF GIRLFRIEND revealed that to recreate the famed climax of the book, director Mohit Suri & cinematographer Vishnu Rao, took special FAA permissions to fly out on a custom -fitted, gyro – stabilised – camera equipped helicopter at 4 am to capture some of the most incredible footage that will show New York as never before. HALF GIRLFRIEND, which is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s eponymous novel is slated to release on 19th May, 2017.
APACHE INDIAN RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS WITH NEW ALBUM “IN JA”
The Brit – Asian Steven Kapur a.k.a. APACHE INDIAN needs no special introduction. He’s been around for a long time with a distinguished journey that started 25 Years ago with his signing to the iconic ISLAND RECORDS label in UK. Apache took his vibrant sounds of Dancehall, Reggae & Raga around the world fusing his distinctive vocal style with Indian, Jamaican & English music. “Chok There”, “Arranged Marriage”, “Don Raja”, “Boom Shack – A -Lak”, “Raggamuffin Girl”, “Make Way For The Indian” et al became Anthems & Apache Indian had arrived! Cut to 2017, APACHE INDIAN prepares the launch of his brand new studio album IN JA (or “In Jamaica”) – as the title indicates, Apache returns to his roots with an out & out Reggae album!!! “IN JA” – Produced by Jim Beanz (who has previously worked with Britney Spears, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Duran Duran, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Empire TV Series, the Simpsons TV show & more) & Charlie Hype – is a sonic treat with great production & strong lyrical content. Apache Indian avers, “In Ja” takes you on a journey back to Jamaica and celebrates my deep love of Reggae music!”
ANUSHKA TO CONNECT TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ……. BY BEING INVISIBLE!!!
1st time in the world, an actor will engage with fans by going invisible. Anushka Sharma will be calling fans every week to engage with them on PHILLAURI as Shashi, the friendly spirit, through a special What’s app number – 9867473178 — a never done before marketing innovation not just in Bollywood but also Hollywood. The producers have come up with a clutter – break social engagement idea that will see Anushka using What’s App on a daily basis to promote the upcoming movie PHILLAURI. She’s playing a role of a friendly neighbourhood spirit in the movie and to take this thought forward she has got a personal phone number registered in the name of Shashi – the character from the film that she is playing – on which she will be available to interact with fans through What’s App’s Video Calling feature. Shikha Kapur, Chief Marketing Officer, Fox Star Studios, avers, “The unique storyline of PHILLAURI where the lead – actor plays a friendly spirit who cannot be seen by people, gives us the opportunity to create a campaign that is imaginative & differentiated with “invisibility” taking centre stage as the unique proposition” Phillauri has been produced by Fox Star Studios & Clean Slate Films and has been directed by Anshai Lal. It releases 24th Mar, 2017.
SOULFUL STRINGS
Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan performed at a special recital to a packed house at the recently restored & resplendent Royal Opera House. Apart from delighting the audiences with soulful tunes of traditional ragas & folk music, he also presented taranas – a form of music syllables created by Amir Khusro in the 13th century – on Sarod. Host Omer Haider of Showhouse Events along with guests Raell Padamsee, Subhalakshmi Khan, Ayaan Ali Bangash, Farah Siddiqui, Anjusha Chaughule, Asad Lalji & Romesh Sharma amongst others were present at this mesmerizing musical do. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was accompanied on the Tabla by Satyajit Talwalkar & Anubrata Chatterjee. The concert was organized by Showhouse Events.
NAKASH IS A VISUAL TREAT
A – list Singer Nakash Aziz who has crooned for some of the biggest hits recently has recreated the famous “Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai” track from KAALIA. For All Nakash aziz fans out there, the icing on the cake is the fact that Nakash himself has featured in the video, which has been shot on the streets of Mumbai. The song is right up his alley, “Nakash has some really peppy numbers to his credit like “Selfie”, “Jabra Fan”, “Saree Ke Fall Saa” amongst others & “Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai’ too is high on energy. The video is looking great and people will definitely love it.” This is another feather in Nakash’ cap after making a mark in Bollywood & South film industry. Down South Nakash recently sang “Tauba Tauba”, “Blockbuster” & “Rathaalu”, all of which were chartbusters.
The original track composed by RD Burman has been arranged, programmed & recreated by Kshitij Tarey and is released by Times Music.
SHAH RULE IS HERE TO STAY
Shah Rule is an international rapper & singer, a new singer on the block who has started his journey at an early age of 18 years and has high motives. He is a global recording & performing artist / Rapper /Singer / Producer / Audio Engineer, born In Hong Kong, raised in Moscow, Russia. He studied in London and is of an Indian origin and recently shifted to Mumbai. He has performed in top Mumbai venues like Blue Frog, Trilogy, Kitty Su, Olive Bar, Ellipsis, antisocial, Khar Social, Todi Mill Social, Bonobo, The Den, 3 Wise Men, The Little Door, Rennaisannce Ground & The Lalit Hotel. His 2017 upcoming projects are with Hard Kaur, Jeffrey Iqbal et al. “Tu Kahan” which was his 1st ever music video released world wide as Valentine’s Day special by Shah Rule featuring singer / actor Isheta Sarckar. The track focuses on reconnecting with a lost love and searching for them once again. It was dedicated to all the single people on Valentine’s Day, urging them to find their partner. The song has been produced by Shah Rule & London Producer Aron Levi, written by Shah Rule, Isheta Sarckar, Rahul B. Seth (Yamla Pagla Dewana, Race) & rapper Nasty Ninja. The Video was shot at popular Mumbai club Raasta Bombay & directed by International filmmaker Saif Azmi.
MUSTAFA RECREATES “TU CHEEZ BADI HAI MAST MAST” IN ‘MACHINE’
A number of 90’s hits have been recreated & modernized for films by varied directors & musicians, and joining the squad are the Men In White; Abbas – Mustan. Mustafa, who is debuting with Abbas – Mustan’s romantic thriller MACHINE will be seen dancing with Kiara Advani in a modern version of the song “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast”. The song will be shot in the setup of a club and Mustafa will be seen sporting dark glasses just like the original star of the song Akshay Kumar did. The director duo said that Akki will be the 1st one to see the song once it’s made as they have had a long standing relation and this is also one of Akki’s well -known songs. The song will be choreographed by the talented dancer Bosco Martis. The original song was sung by Udit Narayan & Kavita Krishnamurthy. The revisited version will be sung by Udit Narayan & Neha Kakkar. MACHINE has enchanted everyone with its song “Itna Tumhe” and we’re expecting a new club anthem from their version of “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” Jayantilal Gada (PEN) presents, A Haresh Patel – Pranay Chokshi & Abbas Mustan Films Production Pvt Ltd, Produced by AD films (Haresh Patel), Pranay Chokshi, Dhaval Jayantilal Gada (DG) & Abbas – Mustan, MACHINE starring Mustafa, Kiara Advani, Carla Dennis & Eshan Shanker & directed by Abbas – Mustan, releases on 24th Mar, 2017.
ADITI GOVITRIKAR WITH VIVECK SHETTYY ON FM RAINBOW 107.1
It was glamour, grit & glitter at its very best as former Mrs World, Aditi Govitrikar took centre stage as the special guest on FM Rainbow’s “Celebrating Life” with Viveck Shettyy. For the very 1st time she candidly revealed her personal struggles, most trying moments & the rigours of the glamorous modelling world. In his charismatic style,
Viveck Shettyy also revealed that Aditi was his highly competitive batchmate in school. She also dwelt at length on her future career goals & spiritual pursuits with the mystic motivational Speaker, Viveck Shettyy in a free flowing conversation on FM Rainbow, 107.1 FM.
ARBAAZ KHAN & AINDRITA RAY SHOOT FOR ‘COMING BACK’ IN SWITZERLAND
Chandrakant Singh who has made 3 comedies and 1 social awareness with Women Empowerment film SIX X is shooting for his thriller film COMING BACK with Arbaaz Khan. The film will be entirely shot in Arosa,
Switzerland. The film is produced by Mahendra Singh Namdev of Ahilya Productions & Rakesh Datta of RRD Motion Pictures. The film also has Kannad superstar Aindrita Ray who will be making her debut in this Hindi film. Arbaaz Khan averred, “Its an interesting script and the makers thought that I fit the part.” Chandrakant Singh
averred, “Arbaaz Khan will play contrasting characters. 1 role will be that of Switzerland based business tycoon, who gets married at 40 to a much younger girl. The plot thickens after he is murdered.” Vikas Verma, Hemant Pandey & Govind Namdeo are supporting cast of the film. This is the 1st Hindi film which will be shot entirely in Switzerland. Chandrakant Singh further stated, “We are shooting our film in Arosa one of the most happening & richest ski resort of Switzerland. It’s 2 & half hour drive from Zurich. Temperature was mostly -18 degree to 25 degree”.
DIANA PENTY PLAYS AN NGO WORKER IN ‘LUCKNOW CENTRAL’!
Diana Penty, who portrayed the lead role in the family entertainer, HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI released last year, will be seen playing an NGO worker in her forthcoming film, LUCKNOW CENTRAL. The movie produced by Nikhil Advani and which marks the directorial debut of Ranjit Tiwari, will see Diana share screen space with Farhan Akhar for the 1st time. On why Diana was the right choice for the role, producer Nikhil Advani avers, “Diana is a talented & versatile actress and is known for her interesting choice of roles & films. She brings with her an element of quiet strength that lends itself well to the character we want her to portray.” Diana adds, “I’ve always wanted to be part of stories that I feel strongly about and LUCKNOW CENTRAL is one such story. I instantly took to it when Nikhil Advani told me about it. Playing a character that holds her own in a film that has some of the finest actors from our industry, makes it even more special for me.”LUCKNOW CENTRAL follows the story of a few jail inmates who rekindle their love for music and form a band in prison with the help of an NGO worker, played by Diana.
R MADHAVAN’S TAKE ON “INDIA : 2030” IMPRESSES HARVARD UNIVERSITY STUDENTS!
R Madhavan, who is also known for his motivational speeches on varied occasions, visited Boston recently to address the 14th edition of the Indian Conference by Harvard Business School. Madhavan spoke on the conference’s theme – India : 2030. The 2 – day event hosted at the Harvard Business School & Harvard Kennedy School by the graduate students of Harvard University, brought together business leaders, entertainment professionals et al to engage in a conversation about India’s path to global leadership. Namrata Saraogi, a Harvard Kennedy School student and one of the organizers of the conference avers, “He shared his vision for India 2030 and what Indians & students at Harvard could do to achieve this vision. He shared stories about his life, movies & dreams which inspired each & everyone in the audience to work hard & conquer the world.” Sunandi Chopra, PhD. MIT adds, “With his eloquent speech, charming demeanor, eclectic thoughts & humble personality, he left an indelible mark on the students. His earnest vision for India 2030 where he is hopeful that all of us would cherish and be grateful to the contributions of our mothers in nurturing us, immensely resonated with me.”
AMY JACKSON ROOTS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE!
Amy Jackson who did her schooling in London has requested her school management to hold a workshop where she could meet the students & speak about the importance of animal care. The gorgeous actress has always supported the cause of animal welfare be it cruelty against them or raising funds through an NGO for the betterment of them. Amy wanted to be involved in some activity that helps creating awareness about protecting animals. She feels when actors discuss about issues like these, it creates more awareness and the initiatives are taken seriously. Amy discussed this with her team in London and requested them to get in touch with her school management to hold a session where she will personally meet students & interact with them. She will also encourage them to adopt animals such as cats & dogs. The talented actress feels people aren’t that aware about animal welfare and the well – being of animals. If need be, she will also work on methods to raise funds to take this ahead.
SAKSHI DWIVEDI JOINS THE SHOOTING OF ‘BHOOMI’ IN AGRA
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s comeback film BHOOMI’s shoot has already kick started in Agra and the most awaited film is all set to hit the theatres on 4th Aug, 2017. While actress Aditi Rao Hydari is all set to play the onscreen daughter, newbie Sakshi Dwivedi is also playing a pivotal role in the film. The actress has already started shooting for the
film. Helmed by Mary Kom Director Omung Kumar, BHOOMI happens to be a story on father – daughter relationship. Apparently, Sanjay Dutt’s versatility as an actor will be on display with BHOOMI. Reports suggest, that the film’s shooting will continue till mid Mar, 2017 BHOOM is special for Sanjay as this will be his 1st film after he finished his jail term at the Yerwada Jail where he was imprisned for illegal possession of arms.
‘GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN’ ACTRESS, AANCHAL MUNJAL SET FOR HER KOLLYWOOD DEBUT WITH ‘SEI’
Aanchal Munjal, the bubbly actress who was last seen in the film GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN essaying the role of Sunny Deol’s teenage daughter, is all set to make her debut in a lead role in Tamil Film Industry with SEI which is a thriller. Aanchal started her career in showbiz as a child artist in prime time television and was offered key roles in films like WE ARE FAMILY & AARAKSHAN. After her successful stint as a child artiste she is very excited for her upcoming Kollywood lead debut with the film SEI. Talking about the film, Aanchal revealed, “SEI has everything I could ask for in a debut. It is a holistic entertainer that has solid doses of a romance & comedy yet finishes off to fast paced thriller. It was a learning experience to work in the Tamil Industry. I have been blessed with a great team”. “My character’s name is Nina, who is an aspiring film director. She is a staunch “doer”, a go – getter. Although I can’t talk about my character much, but it will be very different from anything I have done so far”, she added. The film also features Nakul (of the film – BOYS & “Naaka Mukka song fame), opposite Aanchal Munjal. SEI will see Aanchal sharing screen space with veterans like Prakash Raj & Nasser. The film is directed by Rajbabu of hit Malayalam films like CHESS, COLOURS & KANGAROO. Aanchal currently awaits the release of SEI which is slated to hit theatres this Apr.
SOORAJ PANCHOLI FULFILLS WISHES OF FEMALE FANS IN GOA
While shooting for a TV commercial in Goa recently, Sooraj Pancholi was pleasantly surprised to see a group of girls waiting to meet him outside his hotel. The female fans of the handsome hunk tracked his location through his Instagram account and travelled all the way to meet him. A source informed, “When Sooraj learnt about the girls waiting to meet him, he met them on the sets post pack up. When they mentioned to him that they found his location through his Instagram account he was taken by surprise.“ Sooraj not just interacted with them but also clicked photos. Being a thorough gentleman, he asked his team to buy them desserts as well,” the source adds. Sooraj says, “Though I’m flattered, it was my duty to tell them that this was irresponsible of them and it’s not something I encourage fans to do.”
MANIESH PAUL ROPED IN FOR SALMAN KHAN’S “DA – BANG WORLD TOUR!”
Maniesh Paul & Salman Khan share a great rapport and the 2 charismatic actors get along like a house on fire whenever they appear on television together. Taking their association to the next level, the superstar has roped in the celebrated television host for his upcoming world tour “Da – Bang” scheduled in the month of Apr, this year. Reportedly, Maniesh will join the likes of Bipasha Basu, Prabhu Dheva, rapper Badshah, Tamannnah Bhatia & Daisy Shah for the world tour to be held at Malaysia’s Mines Convention Centre on 14th Apr, 2017 and also in New Zealand, Hong Kong & Australia. Maniesh, who is anxiously looking forward to his 1st world tour with Salman Khan, will not just host the show but also perform on stage for the 1st time and has already started rehearsing for the same.
RANI MUKERJI RETURNS TO ACTING WITH ‘HICHKI’
She took everyone by storm as the power packed policewoman in MARDAANI, and then took time off for motherhood. Now, Rani Mukerji will return to do what she loves doing the most. She will star in Yash Raj Films’ HICHKI, to be directed by Siddharth P Malhotra, who had directed his 1st & last film WE ARE FAMILY with Kajol & produced by Maneesh Sharma. With HICHKI, she will be seen in a positive & inspiring story about a woman who turns her biggest weakness into her biggest strength. Rani elaborates, “I was looking for a script that would challenge & excite me, and then HICHKI came my way. Each of us has a weakness that pulls us back. It could be a disability or any condition but if we just look at it as simply a hiccup, we can emerge as a winner. It won’t come in the way of achieving our dreams. HICHKI is built on this positive premise and I decided to take it up.”HICHKI will be Maneesh Sharma’s 3rd film as a producer with Yash Raj Films after DUM LAGA KE HAISHA and the forthcoming MERI PYAARI BINDU. Incidentally, Siddharth P Malhotra, who has directed WE ARE FAMILY will be making his 1st film with Yash Raj Films.
THE FIRST POSTER OF ‘MIRZA JUULIET’ IS OUT
When opposite attracts love happens – that’s the tagline of MIRZA JUULIET directed by Rajesh Ram Singh & produced by Falansha Media Pvt Ltd. A unique love story starring Darshan Kumar & Pia Bajpai the film is set in the beautiful city of Banaras. The 1st official poster is out on social networking forum. The poster has Darshan Kumar & Pia Bajpai. The poster explains the difficult times for love ahead amidst gun – fires & confused emotions. The film also has Priyanshu Chatterjee & Chandan Roy Sanyal. During the release of the poster Darshan Kumar, Pia Bajpai & Chandan Roy Sanyal also went live with Facebook and connected with the audience. The film will release in Apr, 2017. Ketan Maru the Senior Vice President of Film Production Division avers, “I saw the film & related with the genre of the film we have presented films like DEDH ISHQIYA & HUNTER which were unique subjects. I believe in the content of MIRZA JUULIET and it has the potential to click with the masses.”
GRAND MUSICAL LAUNCH OF FILM ‘SALAAM MUMBAI’
A grand musical launch of SALAAM MUMBAI was held recently in Mumbai by PNCI Music Company (Mehmood Ali of PNCI who is a known producer & distributor is launching his Music Company with this film) wherein NCP’s Nawab Malik, Arvind Swami Guru ji, Khalid Babu Qureshi, DCP Ananad Mandya, IMPPA President T. P. Agrawal was the chief guest, besides comedian Sunil Pal, Shameem Khan & Yogesh Lakhani from Bright Outdoor et al. The film is a Pen N Camera international Presentation, Produced by Javad Naurozbaygi, Directed by Ghorban Mohammad Pour, Music by Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh et al. The film stars Dia Mirza, Reza Golzar (Irani super star) in lead roles along with Poonam Dhillon. Dalip Tahil. Gulshan Grover & Behrooz Chahel.
AMY JACKSON EMBRACES BODY FLAWS & FLAUNTS THEM TOO!!!
With Women’s Day just a week away, Amy Jackson decided to spring a surprise for the female populace by doing a photo shoot for a digital magazine with the theme, “embracing your flaws’. While the gorgeous actress has done a lot of photo shoots, this one is close to her heart. She has always wanted to talk to young girls about accepting their bodies and not setting unrealistic standards of beauty. Keeping this in mind, Amy did this shoot for a digital magazine for Women’s Day (8th Mar, 2017). Though she has applied makeup on her face, Amy decided to go natural and flaunt her freckles in the close – up shots. Amy confirms, “It is really important for girls to accept their body, their flaws, and feel beautiful about it. Nowadays, there is immense pressure on us to look a certain way, and a lot of young girls are trying to achieve that. But I feel we should not be a part of this. I am glad & happy to do a shoot of this kind, and create awareness about this issue.”
BOLLYWOOD STARS ATTEND SPECIAL SCREENING OF ‘LONELY GIRL’!
Sunil Kumar Thadani (Founder – CEO) & Mohan Shetty (Co – Founder) of PLAYGROUND – a digital cinema channel and a new web portal offering its viewers a bouquet of versatile gensres for the Gen – X, hosted a special screening of their 1st short film, LONELY GIRL in Mumbai. For the special screening of the thriller directed by Saurabh Varma, (who also directed MICKY VIRUS, GIRL IN RED & 7 HOURS TO GO) a lot of celebrities were present & praised the performance of the movie’s lead actors – Riya Sen & Kyra Dutt Besides movies & short films, PLAYGROUND also offers web movies, theatres, plays, documentaries, celebrity interviews (films & sports), celebrity talk shows (films & sports), movie reviews, Bollywood news, music talent promotion, et al. Amongst the ones who attended the Lonely Girl screening included Ratnesh Jain, Saurabh Varma, Gaurav Chopra, Moon Moon Sen, Hiten Tejwani & Gauri, Nandish Sandhu, Rohit Khurana, Vivek Vaswani, Vibha Anand, Sharad Kelkar, Aishwarya Majumdar, Santosh Shukla et al. Interestingly, Hip Hopper aka Ishq Bector also made his presence felt as he has sung a few promotional songs for Playground Digital Cinema, out of which “Bum Bum Bo was released on the web portal, recently.
SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA TO FEATURE ON CHELSEA HANDLER’S SHOW
Popular American talk show host, Chelsea Handler, was recently in India to interview a few influencers for the 2nd season of the Chelsea Show. The comedienne, while in Mumbai, was hosted by Shilpa Shetty Kundra at her Juhu villa and was also treated to some traditional Indian food, cooked by her Punjabi chef. Shilpa will feature in the 2nd Season of the hit show as they discussed films, fitness, marriage as well the dignified manner in which she handled herself, during the racism she faced, in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
