What are the Odds? An upcoming feature film, which will see Abhay Deol donning the producer’s hat in collaboration with the makers of Delhi Crime- Film Karavan Originals is all set for an exclusive digital release on Netflix on the 20th May.
With his banner ‘Abhay Deol Presents,’ he aims at providing a platform to independent films and filmmakers. Adding another feather to the project, Abhay will also be seen acting in this film, reprising the role of a rockstar.
Legendary Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash have collaborated with multiple Grammy-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin for an album titled Strings for Peace. The album is slated for release May 22 on the ZOHO label (ZM 202004), CDs and digital copies can be pre-ordered now from Amazon and other retailers.
Strings for Peace is an amalgamation of classics. One will get to witness the magical combination of sarod and classical guitar in an eclectic east-west fusion. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Sharon, who have known each other for over a decade, have contemplated a collaboration for years which has now come to fruition through Strings for Peace. The album’s four tracks cover a wide range of expression, lyricism, color and virtuosity. The ragas composed by Amjad Ali Khan receive their world premiere in settings for guitar and sarod: By The Moon-Behag, Love Avalanche-Mishra Bhairav, Romancing Earth-Pilu, and Sacred Evening-Yaman.
On the successful completion of Strings for Peace and the release of the album, Amjad Ali Khan said ”Each of the artists brings the spirit of sharing the great unique treasures of their own artistic traditions, as well as finding common ground in ragas and medieval modes. The idea is to achieve a cross-fertilization at both the cellular and cosmic levels of two classical music traditions, which are often held to be radically different.”
Speaking about the collaboration, Amaan Ali Bangash said, “We feel honoured to collaborate with Sharon who is so creative, artistic and enthusiastic. We are sure when one hears the album, the intricacy of every beat and rhythm can be felt and one will be transported to a different consciousness. I have always felt that this collaboration is about letting go of what we are best at and more about getting the best out of the other person.”
Ayaan Ali Bangash added “Strings for Peace, I believe is extremely relevant. Especially in the wake of a pandemic. We have known Sharon for a decade, and began to really work together only last year. It is difficult to create fusion as it is a marriage of different cultures and it takes a lot of time for the perfect harmony. When we started out, little did we know that this creation will come to fruition at a time when humanity will need to consider meditation and contemplation more than ever.”
Sharon has had a longstanding relationship with Transcendental Meditation, which she has practiced since her teens and a deep interest in the classical music of India. Her collaboration with Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and Amaan- Ayaan is a perfect harmony of interest and expertise which makes the quartet stand out with transcended notes. The combination of Sarod and classical guitar is not commonplace, yet the musical marvels have effortlessly and effectively blended a chromatic instrument, Guitar to the microtonal elaborations of Sarod. Both the instruments not only complement each other but strive to create a new articulation of fusion.
Sharon Isbin said, “It took a long time to get the right partners to realize this unique vision on the guitar. Our instruments have so many interesting similarities and differences. Combining the sarod and guitar results in an extraordinary blend. It’s a pleasure and inspiration to perform with the finest, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. Strings for Peace is a beautiful compilation of music that successfully interweaves the rhythms of sarod and guitar. Listeners will experience a remarkable spiritual and emotional journey.”
The recording will be released May 22, CDs and digital copies be pre-ordered now from Amazon and other retailers.
ZEE5 just dropped the hottest web series of the summer, the second season of ‘REJCTX’ is streaming now on ZEE5. With the release of the second season, the makers of the show elevated the anticipation of the audience with two blazing hot posters which exhibit to the audience the young cast who are in their respective characters. The young cast is setting the digital space on fire, they are hot, sexy and not afraid to bend the rules.
The poster shows the audience Masi Wali as ‘Aarav Sharma’, Prabhneet Singh as ‘Harry’, Anisha Victor as ‘Kiara’, Ayush Khurana as ‘Maddy’, Ridhi Khakar as ‘Parnomitra’, Pooja Shetty as ‘Misha’, and Saadhika Syal as ‘Sehmat’. Season 2 will see a whole new side to these characters with the hottest addition of Tanvi Shinde (‘Yesha’) who will be the new entry to this group of talented actors.
It is a teen musical thriller and a coming of age story that revolves around the lives of seven Indian students studying in The Jefferson World School. These privileged kids are thrust into the exclusive world of the rich, right where they belong. But eventually, they find themselves at the disposal of their own insecurities. The bunch of misfits and rebels make a musical squad and choose music as the form of expression for that restlessness.
While the first had Sumeet Vyas and Kubbra Sait, season two will have Esha Gupta who is making her digital debut, where she plays the character of Police Officer Rene. Sumeet Vyas (Farhan Hussain) will play the role of the Vice President of the school just like season one.
REJCTX2 is produced and directed by Goldie Behl and is streaming now on ZEE5.
In an engaging fireside chat at the HIGH FIVE ON ZEE5 award ceremony Nushrat Bharucha and renowned journalist and critic, Bhawana Somaaya candidly spoke about the journey of films from the big screen to the silver screen and now, on mobile screens, just a click away.
Nushrat Bharucha shared her experience of shooting Dream Girl and how the film continues to be loved and laughed upon.
The duo, also spoke about how with the rise and rise of OTT platforms films today are evergreen so anyone can watch it anywhere, at any time. ZEE5 streams some of the biggest blockbuster films on the platform and their recent acquisition Dream Girl has performed extremely well.
HIGH FIVE ON ZEE5 honoured the most consumed content across various categories which was adjudged based on data pertaining to consumers viewership, engagement rate and completion rate.
The awards sheds light and gives an insight of what India watched in 2019.
The event also marked the presence of actors Anant Joshi from the series Virgin Bhasskar, Sarathkumar S M from the series Auto Shankar and Krishna Kaul and Mughda Chapekar (Ranbir and Prachi) from the ZEETV show Kumkum Bhagya. Also, present at the event was Bhav Dhulia the young director of ZEE5’s most loved show Rangbaaz, Radhiva Lavu and Anish Yohan Kuruvilla, Producer and Director of the acclaimed Telugu series G.O.D, Panduranga Hari.R the director of ZEE5’s most loved regional show Auto Shankar and lastly Shivangi Bhayana singer of the track Dirty Girl.
Urvashi Rautela seems to be quite the talk of the town lately. The pretty actress has been busy promoting her movie ‘Pagalpanti’ which released last week. Right after the release Urvashi flew down to Lucknow to shoot for her upcoming project which is the Tamil remake of the superhit “Thiruttu Payale 2″.
The actress will be seen in a completely different avatar, she has gone completely de glam for the character Abha where she is a police officer officers’ wife.
Reportedly, the actress is very involved in this project, she is confident that this movie will help her establish her name as a serious actor and open avenues for her.
The industry is abuzz with rumour that Miss Rautela was offered the female lead for Anand Pandit’s “Chehre” directed by Rumi Jaffrey which stars Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi after Mouni Roy walked out of the film. The actress was very excited to be a part of this project, but however she also could not accommodate her dates and had to let go of the movie. Sources suggest that Urvashi’s team tried very hard to work out the dates but could not do so because of her ongoing commitment to Thiruttu Payale2. However, she wished them all the luck for the upcoming project.
This is the third Amitabh Bachan starrer movie that the actress had to walk out of because of date issue before Chehre, Urvashi was also offered Sarakar 3 and the HindiTamil bilingual Tera Yaar Hoon Main opposite the mega star.
Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pedenkar and Ananya Panday starrer Pati Patni Aur Woh is making the headlines for all the right reasons and has become the talk of the town. Last week, after dropping their first song Dheeme Dheeme, which has gone viral on the internet and several lip-sync apps and even netizens taking the dance challenge using the hashtag #DanceLikeChintuTyagi, the makers of Pati Patni Aur Woh released their second song. The team has recreated ‘90s hit number, Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare. Kartik specially flew down to Delhi from Patiala to launch the party number with his leading ladies, Bhumi and Ananya.
Stepping into dancing shoes of Govinda and Raveena Tandon, Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare will see Kartik shaking a leg with his ‘Patni’ Bhumi and ‘Woh’ Ananya. The actor’s moves in Dheeme Dheeme has made the internet go crazy and looks like the trio is going to teach us few more signature steps this party season. Choreographed by Farah Khan, this song is a perfect tribute to the evergreen superstars and Kartik-Bhumi-Ananya has done some steps and antics will make this one an instant hit. The recreated song is a peppy dance track and it will relate with today’s youth. The vibe and tone of the song is also very colourful and vibrant, it promises to be another blockbuster for the team. People who have seen the rushes of the song say that Kartik’s chemistry with both his lead actresses is something to look forward to. This song will definitely keep everyone hooked as the old version still has a high recall value.
T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar says, “Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare is my personal favourite from the album. Since it has the 90s magic with a modern twist, the song brings back lots of memories. The trio – Kartik, Ananya & Bhumi have done complete justice in this one. We hope the audiences love the modern version too.”
Creative producer Juno Chopra (BR Studios) says, “Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare was the last leg of shoot and the entire team had whale of a time while shooting for it. Kartik, Ananya, Bhumi & Farah enjoyed to the fullest on the sets. Farah comes up with such funny situations that while shooting we were continuously in splits.We hope that just like our first song received all the love, this one too garners lots of love and appreciation.”
Farah Khan says, “Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare is an iconic song and I agreed to do it because Juno is a dear friend. Hope this new foot tapping version appeal to the audience the way the original song did back then. We have tried to make it different and interesting but at the same keeping the essence of the original intact.”
Sung by Mika Singh & Tulsi Kumar and composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare is all set to become the biggest party song of the year and we’re ready with our dancing shoes.
At a star-studded event last night at Warehouse Kitchen, Malad West, Mumbai Founders of Don Cinema Mehmood Ali, Satish Kumar & Dr.Ali Irani launched the Music Video of the title track of their OTT reality show Tokers House by DON Infotainment. The show will be telecasted on DON Cinema App which was launched last month. The app can be downloaded from Playstore by android users and arrangements for iPhone users is underway.
Tokers House is a one of a kind reality show that will be shot in Abu Dhabi, the show will be creating history with some of the most popular and in demand social media celebrities/influencers. The show will be full of surprises, twists and turns, and the contestants will be tested, emotionally, physically, ethically. Basically a fun package with the best set up.
The title track of the show is sung by the latest social media sensation, the gorgeous Jannat Zubair Rahmani and the dashing Danish Alfaaz, Danish is also the composer of the song. The rap song encapsulates the introduction of each of the contestants entering the Tokers House and this video is definitely going to beat the record of the number of views right after the launch, it is peppy, catchy and is featuring all the 46 social media sensations who will be entering the house.
The video has been directed by Sagar Chavan and choreographed by popular Bollywood choreographer duo Chirag & Ravi. The video is also featuring Ajaz Khan who is the host of the show along with Jannat, Danish, and Thomson Andrews and the charming army of 46 Social Media influencer’s the launch of song already made it to Trending on Twitter & YouTube. This is the first time in history that we will have 46 of the biggest social media influencer’s on a single platform and that’s how big Tokers House is promising to be.
Remember the iconic song “Tera bimaar mera dil” from the 1989 film Chalbaz?
Urvashi Rautela will be seen shaking her leg along with John Abraham in his upcoming movie “Pagalpanti.”
According to Urvashi, she looks at the song as a tribute from her end to the one of Hindi Cinema’s vibrant actress, Sridevi.
Reports suggest that for almost a month Urvashi used to train for 3 hours every day as she wanted to give her 200%.
During the shooting of the song, it is said that Urvashi was running a 102 degree fever yet she didn’t stop the shoot. What makes this song even more special is the fact that she has tried to introduce her own touch to this super hit song. She will be seen nailing an extremely difficult ballet act; 180 degree splits.
Her efforts and dedication to the song is a testimony of her love and respect for the acting goddess – Sridevi.
Actress Melissa Raju Thomas bagged an interesting role in Taish. Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, Melissa will share screen space with power house performers like Pulkit Samrat, Jim Sarbh and Harshvardhan Rane.
The svelte actor is making her debut with the much talked about Moothon- a bilingual feature film helmed by Geetu Mohandas (who’s earlier film Liar’s Dice was nominated at the Oscars) and Co- produced by Anurag Kashyap. In Moothon Melissa will be seen opposite Nivin Pauly, a name to reckon with in the Malayalam film industry.
Melissa has been receiving amazing feedback for her performance in Moothon after it was screened at MAMI and the Toronto Film Festival and is gearing up for her next outing, Taish.
Speaking about her projects, Melissa said, “It all still feels new and each day I feel I’m starting afresh. Moothon is due for its theatrical release. And I’m looking forward to working with Bejoy. He thinks out of the box and his style of storytelling is also very unique. I’m thrilled to be a part of his project.”
Moti. Gol matol. Laddu. Football…these are some of the names I have been called by people. Yes, you guessed it right. I am overweight. Worse still, a young, unmarried girl who is overweight. And the society has a massive problem with it. Why? Because ‘fat’ people are only supposed to be ridiculed and made fun of. That is what we have been taught, haven’t we? We laughed at Tun Tun. We laughed at Guddi Maruti. We laughed at Bharti Singh. Why? Because they’re all fat women, which makes them less of a woman and more of a joke to be laughed at.
We look at jiggly arms and dimpled thighs and flabby tummies and we are taught to feel disgusted by them. We revere washboard abs. Young girls are often made to look up to the girls in perfect shape, not by their own choice but by societal pressure. Trying to fit into that most admired group of girls, these little ones barely in their adolescence, resort to starving themselves. It is already a depressing state watching your body change, not for good and this is something I myself went through a few years ago. Hectic work schedules and irregular eating habits contributed in me gaining a tremendous amount of weight in a short span of time, which also led to me being depressed and tensed for myself. So, having been through that situation, I know it isn’t easy to deal with, especially when the people closest to you are the ones giving you an even harder time while you battle through this change. But I rose above all of that only because I knew what is worth paying attention to and what isn’t and that exactly is my message to all the young girls out there.
Our body is our pride and we need to be in a position to accept it. While people will always find a reason to walk up to you and somehow tell you about your not-so-perfect body size, ignore it. The only one who should be comfortable about your body is you. I have always been pointed out for my weight, even by my mother or ‘concerned’ aunties who would just come and say “you’ve changed a lot”. I knew how to decode that into “Oh, you’ve gained a lot of weight” but I didn’t care enough to feel offended because I was confident with my body. I love my body the way it is. And thanks to this very body, today I have been given this incredible opportunity of becoming an actress. I was chosen by Sony SAB to play the lead character in ‘Tera Kya Hoga Alia’ thanks to this very supposedly flawed body of mine. And honestly, nothing could make me happier.
I hope that through this character of Alia, I am able to reach out to these young girls to help them understand that their true worth does not depend on how they look on the outside but rather on who they are on the inside! Because I know there must be a lot of young girls who don’t think they’re pretty enough, or thin enough or well, just worthy enough because that’s what the world has been telling them until now. Its important to live a healthy life but do not starve yourself to fit in, in what this society perceives ‘as perfect’. Don’t let the size of your waist decide what you eat, wear or do because confidence will make you happier than any diet ever will.
