Raj Amit Kumar’s provocative directorial debut, Unfreedom, starring Adil Hussain & Victor Banerjee, has recently been released internationally by Netflix, making it one of the boldest & the most controversial Indian films to release on the platform.

Unfreedom is a contemporary thriller based in a society torn apart by political, religious & sexual turmoil. Alternating between New York & New Delhi, the film combines 2 powerful stories about religious fundamentalism & intolerance. One of which follows a Muslim terrorist Husain (Bhanu Uday), attempting to silence a liberal Muslim scholar Fareed (Victor Banerjee).

The other story is about a young woman Leela (Preeti Gupta), who defies her devout father Devraj (Adil Hussain) & escapes an arranged marriage because she is secretly involved in a taboo lesbian romance with Sakhi (Bhavani Lee).

Through these stories, the film creates a powerful portrait of the troubled times we live in and depicts the lengths to which the protagonists go in order to hold on to their strong & conflicting viewpoints on freedom, faith, family & love.

Unfreedom is based on an original story by Raj Amit Kumar and marks his directorial feature film debut. He has also produced the film under the banner of Dark Frames & co-written the screenplay with Damon J Taylor.

The film’s technical team comprises of Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) who has done the sound design for the film and was nominated for the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ 63rd annual Golden Reel Awards.

The film is shot by award winning cinematographer Hari Nair (of Shutter & Kerala Café fame) & edited by Atanu Mukherjee, who debuted as a director with the acclaimed film, Rukh in the year 2017.

Unfreedom was banned by the India’s Censor Board of Film Certification, (CBFC) in 2015 (which was then headed by ex – producer & Director Pahlaj Nihalani) who was of the opinion that the film will ignite unnatural (read homosexual) passions & incite rapes & communal violence in India. Initially the film was under review by Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) who wanted director Raj Amit Kumar to cut crucial elements from the film in order to be shown to the Indian public.

Not to be bogged down by their demands, Raj Amit Kumar appealed before the Indian Government’s Information & Broadcasting Appellate Tribunal, (FCAT). And in response, the FCAT banned the film without any possibility of cutting or further appeals.

Later on Raj Amit Kumar & his team ran a campaign for a year during which they did around 100 screenings of the film globally in India & US amongst other countries. The film was screened to immensely encouraging audience response in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Los Angeles & New York. Following this, the film was recently released internationally by Netflix.

Talking about the film’s release by Netflix, director Raj Amit Kumar averred, “I am glad that Unfreedom finds such a popular platform like Netflix after the ban in India and the efforts of censorship guardians in India to stop the film. It also exposes the hypocrisy & the divide between the reality & the fantasy of censorship system in India. There is no way they can control & censor content in digital age, yet, they try their best to choke filmmakers like me who have something relevant to say that makes them feel threatened.”

Elaborating on the film’s ban by Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) and it being labeled as one of the boldest Indian films ever, Raj Amit Kumar stated, “The boldness of something is always defined by what you are allowed to say or not in a society. The boldness of an artist is always defined by what others artist around him have not said or what they are not allowed to express. Thus, it is not the content in my film per se makes it bold, but it the context of a society in which it is told, it is the fact that we have become such a weak & conservative society where we are asked to shut up all the time. Our voices are being crushed unless we are chanting slogans that the powers to be & moral guardians are ok with.”

Raj Amit Kumar concluded by saying, “And in today’s time our art is being crushed in much more violent ways than ever before. Journalists are getting killed, films are getting banned for the slightest of transgressions and the whole mediascape is turned into a trumpet sound. Any other vision, voice, expression has to be curtailed. So I guess it is the boldest film ever because I did not give a damn about anyone or anybody. I didn’t care & I don’t think I will care in future as well. Unless artists take that approach and risk their well being, we will soon be living in a world where everybody is frightened to say anything truthful.”

Raj Amit Kumar graduated in Masters of Arts in Cinema & Media Studies from City University of New York (CUNY) in the year 2006, where he received the George Custen Memorial Award for Academic Excellence. Raj Amit Kumar finished his Ph.D. coursework in Cinema & Media studies at Southern Illinois University (SIUC) before beginning work on his 1st ever feature film, originally titled as Blemished Light, the script of which won the 1st ever Prize in Faculty Screenwriting Award at University of film & Video Association (UFVA) in the year 2009.
Also a media academic, teacher & writer, Raj Amit Kumar has taught cinema theory & history at both his alma maters, City University of New York & Southern Illinois University College from the yeafr 2005 to the year 2009 and his writings & research papers have been published & presented at varied conferences.
In early 2012, Raj Amit Kumar established Dark Frames as a development & production company. Its primary goal is to develop & produce provocative independent films.
Unfreedom is produced by Dark Frames, which is a new film & web Series development & production company set up by Raj Amit Kumar which is dedicated to bringing high-quality, independent films to international audiences.

The company is recently in production with its 2nd feature film Brown which is also directed by Raj Amit Kumar. And it is a pre-production of Black Boots, a story of the 1st ever Black Marines who went to World War II. The movie has a backing & support of Montford Point Marine Association & USA Marines. The company has also acquired Erotomania, a Novella by Francis Levy to be made as a Sex -Comedy in India.

The dynamic on-screen Jodi of Anil Kapoor & Madhuri Dixit are all set to come back together after 18 years for Indra Kumar’s Total Dhamaal. The duo has started shooting for the adventure-comedy, by grooving to the title track. Director Indra Kumar shares, “All three of us are shooting together 26 years after Beta and I’m excited about reuniting with my blockbuster jodi. They play husband & wife in the film and have been prepping for a while but I can’t reveal any details except that Anil goes by the name of Avinash and all of us call him Avi,” Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Riteish Deshmukh, Sanjay Mishra & Pitobash will join the duo for the song soon. Anil & Madhuri will be shooting for the film for the next 15 days. Indra Kumar adds, “It’s like a Beta reunion. I remember a week before the film’s release, we picturised “Dhak Dhak”. We’d already received the censor certificate by then so we had to add another supplement to the certificate for the song which was incorporated later. It was a last-minute addition & created history. We were all blown away when we saw it for the 1st time ever.”

OFFICIAL POSTER OF ‘KHAJOOR PE ATKE’ HINTS AT A QUIRKY FAMILY ENTERTAINER

Actor Harsh Chhaya makes his directorial debut with wholesome family entertainer Khajoor Pe Atke and the official poster of the film, hints at a quirky laughter ride. Featuring an ensemble star cast of comedy stalwarts such as Manoj Pahwa, Vinay Pathak, Seema Pahwa, Dolly Ahluwalia, Sanah Kapoor and others, the poster of the film shows members of a family standing outside the ICU unit of a hospital with expressions ranging from shock to curiosity to amusement to indifference, which pretty much hints that the film will revolve around an “Item Family”. Khajoor Pe Atke is a funny take at how the news about a person’s imminent death affects the members of his family in various ways. Produced by Welcome Friends Production, Khajoor Pe Atke is slated to release on 18th May, 2018.

SHONA URVASHI CONFERRED WITH TOP FRENCH AWARD

Filmmaker & artist Shona Urvashi has been conferred with the prestigious “Chevalier De l’Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres”, France’s highest cultural award for her contribution to bringing the new wave of independent cinema in India and improving the ease for foreign films & talent to work in & with India. The Consul General of France, Yves Perrin, bestowed the honour on the Indo-Canadian filmmaker at his residence recently. Shona’s work as a filmmaker spans across countries where she has curated & executed many cross-platform projects & ad campaigns. Perhaps her most impactful, yet least publicized contribution to the film industry has been her passion for helping independent filmmakers network with national & international film communities, and in promoting foreign projects to film in India while striving towards more collaborative efforts using homegrown talent. Shona Urvashi reminisced her connection with France to, when her grandfather Parmanand Anand traveled the fair land, distributing Indian films. “I believe that through our collaboration with each other, there are more dynamic conversations to be had, many exciting projects we must do together and so many new people on both sides just waiting to discover the other for better opportunity for all,” feels Shona.

POOJA HEGDE TAKES ADVANCE TRAINING IN AERIAL YOGA!

Though with a svelte & delicate body, Pooja Hegde has trained hard in a special workout to supplement strength to it. If one takes a good look at her workout videos on social media platforms, it can be gauged that the ravishing beauty is a pro at aerial silk yoga, which involves performing a series of acrobatic movements in a hammock-like apparatus, while being suspended from a silk rope. Now, the gorgeous actress has decided to take her obsession with the workout to another level that would require her to challenge herself further more. It is learnt that Pooja, who is currently shooting for a Telugu film in the USA, is enrolling in an advance form of the yoga. Despite a tight schedule, she is unwilling to compromise on fitness and is practicing aerial silk yoga in between shoots. Inspired by pop singer, Pink, Pooja took to the workout and has been hooked to it ever since. Apart from staying in shape and improving agility by routinely striking insane poses looking elegant & graceful at the same time, the stunner has also overcome acrophobia (fear of heights). Regardless of the time constraints that arise from shooting back – to – back, travelling & working around the clock, Pooja makes sure to never miss her airborne workout.

ALIA TO WIN HEARTS & AWARDS WITH ‘RAAZI’

The trailer of Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi, has taken the internet by storm within just a few days of it being released. The film features Alia Bhatt in the role of Sehmat, an Indian girl who is sent to Pakistan on a mission to spy for her country. Based on the novel, Calling Sehmat, by Harinder Sikka, the story is inspired by true events. The film also features Vicky Kaushal in the role of a Pakistani officer who is married to Alia’s character. Alia is turning out to be one of the best talents in Bollywood, and she will definitely walk away with all the glory for the film. Vicky Kaushal also looks promising in Raazi. Trailers & posters are a film’s 1st ever communication with audiences, and if you connect well here, then half of your battle is won. The trailer of Raazi is one such example. After watching this, we know that this one is going to be a powerful film. Alia is sure going to win hearts & awards alike.

KRITI KHARBANDA DOES “SEVA AT LANGAR” AT THE GOLDEN TEMPLE!

Kriti Kharbanda has an interesting line up of films releasing this year including her forthcoming family entertainer, Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se featuring the Deols, and an extended cameo opposite Dulquer Salmaan in Karwaan. While shooting for the 3rd part of the successful franchise, Yamla Pagla Deewana – Phir Se in Amritsar recently, the gorgeous actress took some time out to visit the popular Golden Temple along with her movie co-star, Bobby Deol. It was indeed a memorable & divine experience at the Gurudwara where Kriti managed to do some “seva at the langar” by serving the people food & prasad. The actress feels blessed to visit the holy place as it filled her heart with gratitude, peace & positivity. Says Kriti, “This year has been so blissful. The last time that I went to Golden Temple, I was bound to a tight schedule and couldn’t make time for langar seva. At my 2nd visit to the temple, I was determined to make time for it. I am grateful for all the opportunities & love that has come by. I hope to have more chances to express my thanks to God – The Almighty.”

KRITI KHARBANDA PREPS FOR ‘YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA: PHIR SE’!

Not afraid to go the extra mile, Kriti Kharbanda stops at nothing when it comes to portraying the characters assigned to her. The dedicated actress is learning Gujarati and more specifically looking to master popular catchphrases of the language, as she essays the role of a Gujarati girl in Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se, sharing screen time with the Deols. Kriti is training to perfect the Gujarati accent under the guidance of a diction coach. The girl-next-door is all-in as far as disciplined is concerned and is practicing the language off the sets of the film too!

KANIKA KAPOOR CHAMPIONS THE CAUSE OF THE ELEPHANTS!

Kanika Kapoor is an ardent animal lover and also supports various animal welfare activities. The large-hearted singer has been recently invited for the special “Elephant Family Charity Dinner”, an initiative by Elephant Family NGO that works for the welfare of elephants across the country. “Elephant Family – protecting Asian elephants and their habitat”, is a small dynamic NGO started by Mark Shand, a British travel writer who was actively involved in the conservation of the Asian elephant & co-founded a charity called Elephant Family. Post his death, his sister Camilla, also wife of Prince Charles took over the charitable cause to save a forgotten species from extinction. Kanika, who has been an ambassador for the British Asian Trust, feels privileged to get associated with the noble cause. The NGO has also given the large-hearted singer an elephant to design which will be auctioned in London. Interestingly, Kanika recently performed at the Buckingham Palace in the presence of Prince Charles & Cornwall Camilla. Kanika says, “I’m most intrigued by the outpouring of support for the elephants and I am especially going as it’s such a noble gesture for a great cause.”

ADITI RAO HYDARI TO ATTEND THE TEACH FOR CHANGE ANNUAL FUNDRAISER IN HYDERABAD!

Aditi Rao Hydari has been invited to her hometown, Hyderabad for an initiative called “Teach For Change” an annual fundraiser, held at Falaknuma Palace, in the capacity of a Chief Guest. The gorgeous actress, who has always championed the cause of education, will lend her voice & strength to the initiative that aims to improve the overall standards of literacy at Government Schools in the city. Aditi’s royal roots in the city and the recent resounding success of Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai have led to a huge rise in her popularity down south. In addition to that, her contribution to literacy & education made the stunner a perfect choice for the cause that is currently active in over a 100 Government Schools in Hyderabad. The evening of the fundraiser will begin with Aditi walking into the grand 101 Dining Hall of the palace. Following which, the actress will address the guests & attendees and launch the “Teach For Change Academic Year – 2018”. Talking about the initiative Aditi says, “Public education solves every problem that plagues our country. Only a solid education system can break the vicious circle of illiteracy, unemployment & poverty. I am honoured to be associated with such a noble cause. I will do everything I can for this revolutionary initiative.”

PRIYANKA CHOPRA’S PURPLE PEBBLE PICTURES LAUNCHES ITS WEBSITE!

Priyanka Chopra’s home banner, Purple Pebble Pictures that completed 3 years this March has an online presence now as its official website was launched recently. The production house was founded with the endeavor to create quality regional cinema, refine storytelling through films and support new talent. 3 years since its inception, the banner has stood its ground by not only providing regional films a solid platform but also backing talents who specialize in areas of filmmaking. Chopra’s home banner has churned out films with unique story lines and won accolades up to 3 National Awards for one of their Marathi films, Ventilator. Regional cinema bankrolled by Purple Pebble Pictures has travelled to international film festivals and earned praise from celebrated filmmakers the world over. With such growth in a span of just 3 years, having a website seemed a natural progression.

October Is An Offbeat & A Sensitive Movie

Banner: Rising Sun Films

Producer: Ronnie Lahiri & Sheel Kumar

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Star Cast: Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu, Gitanjali Rao, Sahil Vedoliyaa, Prashant Singh, Prateek Kapur, Ashish Ghosh

Music: Shantanu Moitra

Almost every other film made in Bollywood is a love story or has some element of romance. Hence, it is a genre that has been extremely beaten to death. Making a film on love that is novel & unconventional can be quite a difficult task and even a calculated risk, since the audiences might not accept something that they are not habituated too. Yet, Shoojit Sircar has taken the risk with October, which promises to be a “Jara Hatke” love story. Moreover, Varun Dhawan, who has not had a flop film in his career and known for his massy films, features in this film in the lead role.

The scripted scenario of Shoojit Sircar directed movie October reveals that it is the story of an unconventional bond shared by 2 people in an extraordinary circumstance. Danish Walia aka Dan (Varun Dhawan) works in a 5 star hotel in Delhi. But he is arrogant to the core and often argues with his seniors. Shiuli (Banita Sandhu) also works there and both are friends but aren’t that close.

On the eve of New Year, the hotel staffers decide to have their own little party at the rooftop of the hotel, situated on the 3rd floor. Shiuli attempts to sit on the parapet and she slips & falls down on the ground. She is immediately hospitalized and slips into a coma. Shiuli’s colleagues including Dan, pays her a visit and in a few days, they move on.

But Dan is unable to do so and a few weeks later, he learns from his colleague that Shiuli’s last sentence before slipping was ‘Where is Dan?’. As soon as Dan comes to know about this information, he gets even more obsessed. He regularly starts paying Shiuli a visit at the hospital and even gets introduced to her mother, Professor Vidya Nair (Gitanjali Rao) and her siblings. Shiuli’s uncle meanwhile makes it clear to Vidya that there’s not much hope when it comes to improvement in Shiuli’s health and that she should pull the plug. But Dan motivates Vidya not to do so.

Shoojit Sircar’s direction too is a bit shaky. It’s surprising to see such a film made by a prolific director having abrupt cuts, sudden fade out etc. A few sequences might be difficult for viewers to comprehend. For instance, the scene where Dan informs Shiuli where he was on that fateful night. The slow pace moreover tests the viewer’s patience. Thankfully, in the 2nd half, when the film becomes a bit simple, the film has lovely scenes. But overall, a very miniscule section of audience is going to give the film thumbs up!

Juhi Chaturvedi’s story rests on a wafer thin plot and is too arthouse. Her screenplay is not quite engaging as well as it moves at a slow pace. The movie is devoid of love story & romance however there are moments which indicate that it is a love story.

One has certain expectations from her since she’s written some very interesting films like Vicky Donor (2012), Madras Café (2013) & Piku (2015), all also directed by Shoojit Sircar. But her work in October is a far cry from her previous films. Also one gets a déjà vu of the character of Anand bhai in Munnabhai MBBS (2003) and the recent much loved Hollywood film The Big Sick. But again, October is nowhere close to both these movies. Even with the screenplay, she struggles. Juhi Chaturvedi’s dialogues however are quite interesting.

The opening sequence of October is beautiful. The opening credits are surprising as Banita Sandhu is mentioned followed by Geetanjali Rao and only then Varun Dhawan’s name appears on the screen! The workings of a 5 star hotel are very nicely depicted and Dan’s entry is quite simple but gives an idea about his bizarre traits.

The sequence where Shiuli falls from the rooftop is presented in a very matter – of – fact way, sans any drama. In a way, it adds a lot to the impact. But sadly from here on, there’s hardly any movement in the story. Even in the 2nd half, not much happens but few moments are nice & touching. The climax is very emotional but these are too little and appear too late in the day.

Shoojit Sircar manages to extract some fine performances. Varun Dhawan is the soul of October and is the glue who keeps the film tied together. He gets to play a very different character that is positive but also has certain annoying habits. But Varun ensures that in the long run, Dan doesn’t turn out to be an irritating person. The audience hoots for him as he struggles to heal Shiuli and this aspect would surely be loved by the viewers. Debutante Banita Sandhu makes a very promising debut and gets to play a very difficult character. One might argue that she doesn’t have much to do. But even in the scenes where she’s merely lying on the bed, the expressions that she gives are praiseworthy. Gitanjali Rao gives a very nuanced & credible performance. She brings out the trauma faced by a mother and the only earning member of the family who’s suddenly faced with the biggest challenge of her life. Sahil Vedoliyaa (Manjeet) is decent while Prateek Kapur’s (Asthana) performance works big time due to his impeccable dialogue delivery. Ashish Ghosh (Dr. Ghosh) is endearing. The actors playing Manjeet’s girlfriend, Dan’s mother, Shiuli’s siblings, Shiuli’s uncle and the nurse also do a fine job.

October surprisingly is a songless film with only “Manwaa” played in the end credits. October Theme also is featured and has a nice, emotional feel to it. Same goes for Shantanu Moitra’s background score.

Avik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography is excellent and captures the empty Delhi streets, the ICU, the cold Delhi weather, the flowers lying on the ground & the beauty of Manali perfectly. Mansi Dhruv Mehta’s production design is 1st rate. Veera Kapur’s costumes are real but at the same time appealing.
Chandrashekhar Prajapati’s editing is good but a bit rough at places.

Tail Piece: On the whole, October is an offbeat & a sensitive film which rests on a wafer thin plot and also suffers from a slow pace. The movie is sure to win critical acclaim for Varun Dhawan’s outstanding performance but has hardly anything for the masses.
At the Box – Office turnstiles, the movie will appeal to a niche section of the multiplex going audiences.

The most talked about show Family Time With Kapil Sharma had marked Kapil Sharma’s comeback on the small screen after a hiatus of 6 months after the entertainment channel temporarily suspended The Kapil Sharma Show due to the comedian’s deteriorating health and apparently to improve its rating game.

But trouble seems to be far from over for Kapil Sharma. Sony TV has reportedly decided to shut down even the actor – comedian Kapil Sharma’s comeback show Family Time With Kapil Sharma after he shocked everyone by posting a series of abusive tweets on last Friday.

Family Time With Kapil Sharma had marked Kapil Sharma’s comeback on Television almost after 6 months after the entertainment channel had temporarily suspended The Kapil Sharma Show due to the comedian’s deteriorating health and apparently to improve its rating game.

However, it now looks like the network is unhappy with Kapil Sharma cancelling the shoots of his show over & and over again. According to the latest report, the channel has decided to “keep the show on hold for now.”

“We did not have a bank of episodes to air as the show had just begun. Also, his health issues or personal issues has been deviating his attention & focus from his work. At least the whole month of Apr, 2018, we aren’t shooting. We will figure out the rest once he feels better,” a source close to the current show informed.

That apart Kapil Sharma went on an ugly & full – blown abusive rant on Twitter on 6th Apr, 2018, defending Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s conviction in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The tweets were later deleted from his account. It was then revealed that his account was hacked. Kapil, however, later admitted that he himself had written that string of tweets laden with expletives.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra recently graced the launch of Luxury Bespoke Couture Label Āroka by Shweta & Karan. Shilpa Shetty – Kundra recently inaugurated the 1st ever flagship store of designer Shweta Agarwal & Karan Ahuja, Āroka in Bandra, Mumbai.

The designer duo of Shweta Agarwal & Karan Ahuja launched their debut Couture Collection, at the hands of the most gorgeous actress Shipa Shetty Kundra, featuring cocktail gowns, bridal trousseau & fusion Indian ensembles.

The launch of the store was graced by some of India’s finest stylists, haute socialites & fashion connoisseurs like Tanishaa Mukerjee, Nisha Jamwal, Suchitra Pillai, Anupama Verma, Zeba Kohli, Aarti Surendranath, Reshma Merchant, Nisha Harale, Elena Fernandes, Lubna Adams, Vahbiz Mehta, Sharmila Puri, Kiran Datwani, Rupali Golecha, Palak Sheth, Kavita Lakhani, Aparna Badlani, Azmina Rahimtoola, Deepti Gujral, Candice Pinto, Rikee Chatterjee, Sony Kaur, Krithika Babu & above all Shaheen Abbas and of course many more. The event was hosted by Umesh Jivnani.

Rasleela, the collection celebrates the poetic grace of Nathdwara. The traditional intricate art of pichwai paintings inspired by the idyllic episodes of krishna leela, lotus ponds, muster of peacocks, et al. was the source of inspiration for the dynamic designer duo Shweta Agarwal & Karan Ahuja.

The collection boasts of Neutral nudes & ivories which are blended with romantic palette of millennial pink, Misty mauve, duck egg blues & Blush pinks. Fluid placements of the motifs on the classic silhouettes will be perfect for the summer festivities & above all destination weddings.

Traditional delicate embellishment techniques like parsi gara work, marori gota & dabka work are revisited to narrate this poetic symphony on rich luminous hand spun textiles.

It’s time to celebrate the outset of this fragrant new season and witness spring bloom with the newest couture destination Āroka by Shweta Agarwal & Karan Ahuja.

One of the finalists for the forthcoming Mrs. India UK pageant, Urvashi Salaria Chawla represents Indian married women in UK.

Urvashi Salaria Chawla from Delhi, India is a finalist for “Colors TV UK presents Mrs. India UK 2018 organized by BrandWok”. Mrs. India UK is a unique pioneer pageant in United Kingdom for British Indians & Asian married women residing in United Kingdom.

Urvashi Salaria Chawla is a successful entrepreneur in the makeup industry who owns a beauty studio in India and is an esteemed Asian Bridal Makeup Artist in London.

Academically she’s a journalism graduate, worked in the aviation industry, a beauty blogger and now she’s representing married Asian women residing in UK in such a massive platform. She has been married and residing in London for 4 years. She is an environmentalist by nature who believes in spreading awareness about climate change. She has been doing a lot of plantation drives and also has been closely associated with volunteering in environmental activities like WWF Earth Hour campaign.

Urvashi Salaria Chawla believes in expressing the notion of “beauty with a purpose”. She will be competing with 30 other multi – talented finalists.

Mrs. India UK aims to encourage, empower women & provide opportunities to married women. It ensures learning, development, building confidence & strengthening the bond between diversified cultures of Indians abroad.

Urvashi Salaria Chawla and all the other contestants of Mrs. India UK have been going through intensive training with various mentors. They’ve had sessions for fitness, catwalk, acting, photo shoot and much more during this journey.

Urvashi Salaria Chawla avers, “Our mentors have been super helpful & supportive throughout our journey focusing on individual attention. Not just that, they’ve been mentoring us through online sessions too.”

Urvashi Salaria Chawla recently won the subtitle of Mrs. Glamorous at Mrs. India UK 2018. The finale of this beauty pageant is to be held on 15th Apr, 2018 at Hilton Tower Bridge, London.

Ravi Kishan recently launched a web series with cricket as the backdrop. It will feature on BIG Originals and will unfold over a period of 2 months.

BIG FM, India’s one of the largest radio networks, is adding to the high energy quotient of the cricket enthusiasts with the launch of Duck Se Dude.

The slice of life web series with cricket as the backdrop will showcase the story of a young & naïve boy transforming into being mature & confident through his journey of pursuing cricket.

Renowned actor Ravi Kishan who has come on board as the narrator launched the web series along with the cast at an event held recently.

The launch was preceded by an exciting friendly cricket match with the cast & the audience present.

The cast comprises of actors Inaam Ghazi as the lead character Manjeet, Ekta Sharma as the mother, Harsh Singh as the father, Mehek Mehra as the sister, Prithvi Rai as Manjeet’s love interest & Ashwini Koul as the troublemaker.

They introduced themselves & their characters to the audience present and announced 15th Apr, 2018 as the launch date of the web series. The director of the web series Rajiv Raj & the cast then moved on to the pitch and joined actor Ravi Kishan to play the match.

Speaking during the launch, Ravi Kishan said, “When I started my career in Mumbai, people said, ‘Tumse na ho paega’, you are a desi boy. But here I am today, standing amidst all of you. I am a self – made man. Duck Se Dude is one such story and a nice concept. It is not just a web series by BIG FM, it is a story of many amongst us. I am also a part of this story as I can relate with it. It is the 1st ever audio & visual web series built around a good thought. I congratulate the director for doing such a great job.”

Duck Se Dude is the story of an introvert boy (Manjeet) trying really hard to fit in. He doesn’t have any friends and neither has he mustered the courage to speak to the girl he loves. He has grown up observing his non -existence until he decides to seek help from an RJ (radio jockey) who hosts a popular late – night show. The RJ offers Manjeet a simple solution for all his problems, cricket, which transforms him from being a duck to a dude. Duck Se Dude includes interesting & fun characters who depict a certain quirk or trait which adds to the overall appeal of the show.

Ekta Jain, Shri Rajput & Sheetal Mahatre visited the Silver Beach, Juhu to meet the sea lifeguards. Ekta Jain, Shree Rajput along with Sheetal Mahatre & Ex – Corporator, Ex – President Mumbai Mahila Congress visited the Silver Beach Juhu recently to meet the Sea Guardians lifeguards.

Sea Guardian Lifeguard was started in the year 2007 with 22 members, all are sea & pool swimmers & lifeguards. Sea Guardian managed the entire coast which is 4.5 km from Juhu & Versova beach.

Sunil Kanojia (President Sea Guardian Life Guard) said, “When we stop people to throwing wastage, sometimes some literate persons start argument with us, at least they should know how to clean the beach or how to cooperate with the life guards.”

Aditya Kumar (Volunteer Life Guard) said, “At least the Youth should understand the value of such a beautiful beach, even by law there is a crime to smoke & drinking alcohol in Public Places, So one shouldn’t do this on the beach area.”

Ekta Jain said, “I thank Sea guardian lifeguard for their amazing work. I want to appeal people not to litter around on beaches.”

Sheetal Mahatre said, “We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment .It’s high time we realize that we cannot live without Mother Earth but Mother Earth can live without humans beings.”

Bollywood celebrities Attended 3rd Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Nobel Awards

Just recently Bollywood celebrities like Rimi Sen, Sudesh Bhosle, Manisha Kelkar, Ekta Jain, Tanisha Singh, Ashnoor Kaur et al attended the 3rd Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Nobel Awards at Sea Princess, Juhu – Mumbai. Sunny Shah, Founder of International Human Rights Council had organized the 3rd edition of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Nobel Award at Sea Princess Hotel, Juhu – Mumbai.

The award ceremony was kicked off with a debate regarding Human Rights. The most prestigious Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Nobel Awards were handed over to lawyers, doctors, architectures, actors from big celluloid silver screen & small screen, fashion, retail & even journalist from print media & electronic media.

The International Human Rights Council has more than 34,000 members from all over India who look after social all the social work.

Besides other dignitaries the celebrities who attended the Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Nobel Awards were actresses like Rimi Sen, Manisha Kelkar, Tanisha Singh, singer Sudesh Bhosle, Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor, Ekta Jain of Dwapar Promoters Aditya Kumar of Telly Chaska, Shikha Dhariwal of News 18, Unmesh Gujarathi Editor of Dabang Duniya, Dr. Khooshi Gurubhai Thakkar Editor of Perfect Women and many more came to receive their respective awards.

That apart Sunny Shah also celebrated his birthday on this occasion.