Page 933 - Entertainment Culture
Celebrate Independence Day with AR Rahman's Harmony!
AR Rahman is all set to host an Amazon series based on Indian music called 'Harmony'. The show will be streamed on Amazon Prime globally on 15 August.It will be a five episode series which will take the audience on a soulful journey of India's rich musical heritage. The trailer shows Rahman interacting with four musicians from different parts of the country and discovering the unseen art of instruments and vocal traditions representing their respective regions.The four musicians whom Rahman will interact with are Ustad Mohi Baha'un-din Dagar , Sajith Vijayan, Lourembam Bedabati Devi and Mickma Tshering Lepcha. Following the interaction the musicians will join AR Rahman for a muscial extravaganza as part of the grand finale.Rahman's most recent international film project was Iranian director Majid Majidi's 'Beyond the Clouds'. His upcoming projects include a Bollywood remake of 'The Fault in Our Stars' called 'Kizie aur Manny' and AR Murugadoss's Tamil film, 'Sarkar'.Rahman has also ...
Mohit Malik learns to play 3 instruments for show
Actor Mohit Malik has been learning to play three musical instruments for his TV show "Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala".
Akshay Kumar's 'Gold' gets special medal emoticon on Twitter
Ahead of its release, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar's 'Gold' got a special medal emoticon on Twitter.Soon after the interactive session between the 'Holiday' actor and the audience on Twitter, the social media site announced a special medal emoji that will appear once typed with different hashtags like #AskAkshay #GoldMovie #FeelingofGold.Twitter India tweeted the announcement writing," Enjoyed that Twitter Q&A with #AskAkshay this morning? Stay tuned in the coming week for more surprises with #GoldMovie (like this special medal!) Tweet with the hashtags below to see the emoji appear."The sports drama which has been garnering a lot of attention on social media since the promotions, earns another laurel with this recognition.Starring the 'Rustom' actor, 'Gold' will take the audience back in time to witness the struggle of a team to make India proud.The film boasts of an ensemble cast including Mouni Roy, Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Singh, and Sunny Kaushal, among others.The ...
Akshay's 'Gold' gets a Twitter emoji
Twitter on Friday launched a special emoji for Akshay Kumar's forthcoming film "Gold."
Life and times of Gauri, victim of the rising tide of unreason (Book Review)
Title: Illiberal India - Gauri Lankesh and the Age of Unreason; Author: Chidanand Rajghatta; Publisher: Context by Westland; Pages: 242; Price: Rs 499
Pak singer Atif Aslam faces backlash for singing Indian song in US
Pakistan's singing sensation Atif Aslam was trolled on social media and also criticized by the country's mainstream media for singing a popular Bollywood song at a Pakistan Independence Day function in New York. Atif, who has lent his voice to many Bollywood songs, sang 'Tera Hone Laga Hoon' from the 2009 film "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" at the function earlier this month. The performance prompted many of his fans back home to question his patriotism and also hit out at him. "Zero respect for Atif Aslam!" wrote a twitter user. "Boycott Atif Aslam itsaadee Ap Ne Dil Tor diya #boycottAtifAslam #AtifAslam," wrote another user. After the much-heated debate on Twitter, the 35-year-old singer responded to the uproar in a long Instagram post, saying that hopefully things will change in a "Naya" (new) Pakistan. "Simply love my haters. Undoubtedly, Allah is the only one who can make someone worthy of respect or not. The Pakistani flag is my identity and my fans know that I respect it a lot. ..
'Despacito' star Daddy Yankee robbed of jewellery worth more than USD 2 million
"Despacito" rapper Daddy Yankee has more than USD 2 million jewellery stolen from his hotel room. The 41-year-old rapper was out of his hotel when a man allegedly pretending to be him gained access to his room in Valencia, Spain. "Daddy Yankee's press office confirms that the artiste has been victim of a robbery while he was out of his hotel in Valencia, Spain. A law firm has been hired and there will not be any more statements in order to not hinder the investigation," the rapper's representative tweeted. According to local news outlet Las Provincias, the thief allegedly entered the two rooms and took jewellery worth over USD 2 million and around USD 2,500 in cash from two separate rooms, the outlet reports. The "Gasolina" rapper is currently on tour in Europe for his song "Dura," which has taken the internet by storm. The music video for the song has reached over a billion views on YouTube so far.
Bhushan Kumar makes his digital debut
T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar on Friday made his digital debut by joining the micro-blogging site Twitter.
'Mard Ko Dard...' to premiere at TIFF
"Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota" (The Man Who Feels No Pain) will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the first week of September.
Idris Elba to star in 'Ghetto Cowboy'
Actor Idris Elba has grabbed a role in debutant director Ricky Stauba's film "Ghetto Cowboy".
Akshay Kumar ignores trolls
Actor-producer Akshay Kumar says he deals with trolls like he deals with bullies by ignoring them.
Three-day 'PondyLit' festival from August 17
A three-day literary, cultural and artistic festival 'Bharat Shakthi: PondyLit fest' will be held here from August 17. Curator of an art gallery Arudhan, Lalit Verma told newsmen here today that the event was being organised by Indologue Events and Ideas Limited to project sessions on literary, cultural, social, artistic and political importance with the participation of writers and thinkers. Verma said Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani would inaugurate the event at Gandhi Thidal. The purpose of the festival was to present lectures by writers and orators on different topics and showcasing of books. Alliance Francaise would be the facilitator of the event.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu trailer: Shahid-Shraddha's hilarious take on social issue
The trailer of Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor and Yami Gautam-starrer 'Batti Gul Meter Chalu' is finally out!The three-minute-long clip, which revolves around the problem of electricity theft, is set in a small town of Uttarakhand. In the first half of the trailer, lead stars Shahid and Shraddha are seen taking a light-hearted dig at the issue of frequent power cuts. However, things turn serious when their friend, played by Divyendu Sharma, commits suicide after being harassed to pay a hefty amount as his electricity bill.It is then that the 'Padmaavat' star, who is playing the role of a lawyer, enters the court and fights against Yami Gautam, to avenge his friend's death.Shahid took to Twitter to share the trailer, writing, "Ab hogi Batti Gul toh hogi masti chaalu!! Here's the #BattiGulMeterChaluTrailer! http://bit.ly/BattiGulMeterChaluTrailer . @ShraddhaKapoor @divyenndu @yamigautam @TSeries @bgmcfilm #BhushanKumar @ShreeNSingh @KuttiKalam #VirenderArora"Directed by Shree Narayan ...
Casey Affleck opens up in the wake of #MeToo
Casey Affleck has been mostly absent from the public eye for the past year, but in the wake of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements and with a new film coming out this fall, he is for the first time addressing lingering questions about earlier harassment allegations. The 42-year-old actor, producer and director is taking responsibility for the "unprofessional" atmosphere on the set of 2010's "I'm Still Here" that led to civil lawsuits from two women who worked on the film. He also spoke to The Associated Press about what he's learned from the #MeToo conversation and what he's doing at his production company to bring new voices into Hollywood. During Affleck's best actor campaign for "Manchester By the Sea" in 2016, the spotlight was turned back on the civil lawsuits filed by a cinematographer and a producer who worked on "I'm Still Here" for breach of contract. One of the women also sued for sexual harassment, and both described an uncomfortable atmosphere on the set of the ...
Motivation, spirituality, sugar - and Pakistani women (IANS Books This Weekend)
Get a motivational manual to understand the basic hiccups of life and the effortless way to tackle it; read the story in which, a man struggling through a bad marriage, explores love and sexuality against an unusual backdrop of spiritual practices; understand our contemporary dietary concerns with regard to sugar by coming to terms with the relationship between society and sweetness over a long historical span; and vignettes of the lives of Pakistani women who fight brave battles, big or small, every day.
Ekta Kapoor and Ayesha Shroff debate nepotism
Producer Ekta Kapoor is the latest celebrity to join the nepotism debate, saying not only star kids but outsiders should also be a given a chance in the industry. Ekta, who is launching two new actors --Avinash Tiwary and Tripti Dimri-- in her upcoming production "Laila Majnu", in the promotional events of the film has spoken about how she faced challenges to market her film with new faces. In an Instagram post, Ekta once again talked about hiring "unknown talents who have no film legacy or star fathers or godfathers." Ayesha, whose son Tiger made his Bollywood with "Heropanti" in 2014, shot back at Ekta, commenting, "It's not a sin to have a star father my dear! Hard work and talent is the same no matter what caste, creed or lineage!" Ekta, who is the daughter of veteran actor Jeetendra, argued that as a producer it is harder to make a film featuring outsiders. "Not at all, ma'am! I have one, but you have to admit for a producer to sell market and turn around a film with newcomers is
'Silver Sable' and 'Black Cat' part ways
The Spider-Man spinoff, 'Silver Sable' and 'Black Cat' will no longer be sharing screen space in Sony's 'Silver & Black'.To be directed by filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film was set to debut in February 2019, but Sony pulled 'Silver & Black' from the schedule in June, confirmed Variety.The move came after announcing the release date of 'Venom', the first film in its shared universe of Spider-Man characters, in October.Sony will also be releasing 'Morbius the Living Vampire' starring Jared Leto and drected by Daniel Espinosa, along with the movie 'Kraven the Hunter'.The studio is also developing a movie about a Korean-American superhero Cindy Moon, and a Nightwatch film..
When Kim K hid engagement ring from 'heartbroken' Kanye
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West has revealed that while she was still married to American basketball player Kris Humphries, she once hid her engagement ring to avoid upsetting Kanye West.In a recent interview on Big Boy's Neighborhood show, as reported by People Magazine, the 37-year-old recalled how she thought of doing that because she knew the rapper was in love with her."So I am presenting the award. And the award was, Kanye was nominated. So I see him backstage. We end up both at the Soho House and he sat at my table and I had my big ring on cause I was married," the 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star explained.She added, "So I am talking with my ring and I talk with my hands a lot so I am talking, and I just see him looking at my ring and his face would just get heartbroken. So I sat on my hand for the rest of the dinner and spoke like this with one hand."While talking about her short-lived marriage to Humphries, she realised "I f-ed up pretty soon."The two were only ...
Mountain Echoes Lit Fest releases second list of speakers
This year's Mountain Echoes literary festival in Bhutan's capital Thimphu promises to be an interesting affair with the guest list including the likes of Indian classical dancer Sonal Mansingh, political activist-writer Ajay Bose, and Bhutanese musician Dawa Drakpa among others. The ninth edition of Mountain Echoes, scheduled to be held from August 23 to August 25, will celebrate the "untouched beauty, unexplored ideas and unstoppable voices from the heart of the happiest country in the world". Announcing the second set of speakers participating in the literary event this year, festival co-director Pramod Kumar KG said, "With a stellar line-up of speakers and authors from different parts of the globe, the ninth edition promises to present audiences with interesting insights and an unmatched storytelling platform." The versatile line-up of speakers unveiled today includes names from Bhutan, India and around the world, including martial artist, storyteller, and musician Aditya Roy, ...
B-Town celebs grace Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM)
The largest film festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, has officially begun and will present prominent line-ups from the Industry.This year the event will feature a number of celebrities from B-Town like Rani Mukerji, Rajkumar Hirani, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Malaika Arora, Mrunal Thakur, and Vicky Kaushal among others, who also attended the opening press conference this morning.Rani Mukerji's 'Hichki' will be premiered at the festival. The star spoke about being the guest of honour and what coming to the festival means to her, "I'm really happy to be here representing my country, my film, and my fraternity. A big Thank you to the Victorian government for supporting the Indian film fraternity. It is so great to see films from various cultures under one roof," she said.The 40-year-old actress also thanked the director of the festival, Mitu Bhowmick Lange for the special trip."This trip is special because I have come here with my daughter, Adira. It's ..