Producers Sanjay Leela Bhansali & Shabinaa Khan who co-produced blockbuster films, Rowdy Rathore and Gabbar Is Back, now join forces yet again for a Marathi production.
Bhansali Productions ventures into regional cinema with this Marathi film, directed by Swapna Waghmare Joshi of Mitwaa fame and stars Swapnil Joshi.
Talking about venturing into Marathi cinema says Sanjay Leela Bhansali, “I always wanted to be part of Marathi films. As a child, I used to watch a lot of Marathi films. Their audience is very receptive to good cinema. I have been a big fan of this cinema, be it films made by V Shantaram, Dada Kondke or Kashinath Ghanekar.”
Says producer Shabinaa Khan, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali and I are happy to announce our foray into Marathi cinema with this film. Though we can’t reveal too many details at this stage, we can confidently say that the film will be high in content and entertainment value”.
The film recently went on floors, as both producers were present at the mahurat.
source: http://www.in.movies.yahoo.com / Yahoo Movies / Home> Business of Cinema / October 08th, 2015
She is the premium costume designer in Bollywood today. She has also designed the look for Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh in the upcoming film KAMBAKKHT ISHQ.
Film styling is a mere atom in the ever-evolving body of the Indian fashion industry. Let it be Akshay’s integral vests or Saif’s intriguing suits; it has to be Shabina Khan the perfectionist of the fashion world behind the outfit of men’s attire. Shabina is the core resource behind Akshay’s glimpse in his upcoming film, KAMBAKKHT ISHQ. Being a perfectionist Shabina’s comment of costume designer and a stylist is that costume designer are far enhanced and well-versed as compare to that of stylist who are merely a substance pickers off the rack. She remarks that costume designer would be mainly preferable over the period films than stylist. Her designs are in sync with the times and the actors have become trendsetters for the young generation.
Keeping in mind all the gears of the film and the inputs from the actors themselves she takes into concern all the factors to the convenient of the actors and that is why so far she had no argument over costumes from the actors. Akshay’s look in KAMBAKKHT ISHQ is going to be a staggering macho-man, thanks to Shabina’s dazzling work. She narrates, Akshay plays spectacular act double so that his precondition was to look robust and dress well…
source: http://www.glamsham.com / Glamsham.com / Home> Scoop & News / Bollywood Trade News Network / April 10th, 2009
Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy and Anjuman Vice-President Moinuddin Pasha are seen felicitating Arif Mehkri, Chairman of the Wakf Advisory Committee for Mysuru District as President of the Anjuman Syed Shafi Ahmed (extreme left) and Past President of the Anjuman Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem look on.
Mysuru :
Be it Hinduism, Islam, Sikh, Christianity, Jainism or Buddhism, the essence of all religions is peaceful co-existence, communal harmony and mutual understanding, opined thinker Lal Hussain Ilkal.
He was addressing the gathering at the ‘Eid Milan’ get-together organised by Anjuman-e-Hadeeqatul Adab at St. Philomena’s College auditorium here on Sunday to spread the message of unity.
Stating that festivals are celebrated to create a sense of unity among people of all religions and to drive away communal feelings, he regretted that of late, the very concept of festivals has gone awry with people attaching more importance to religious feelings.
He also regretted that India, known for Unity in Diversity, which taught the world about secularism was itself facing the menace of communal disharmony which should be shunned immediately.
Despite decades of being liberated from the British, who divided India on the basis of castes, our country continues to reel under communal feelings with repeated incidents of communal violence, he rued.
Referring to rape cases and corruption, he said of late incidents of rape and corruption were on the rise owing to emergence of anti-social elements, which has led to unrest among the people of the country.
“All the more disturbing is the fact that we do not have a Minister for supply of drinking water in our administrative system where a Minister is appointed to look after the Excise Department in each State,” Lal Hussain rued.
Earlier, the programme began with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Qaari Mohammed Mateen Chishti followed by their translation into English by Anjuman member, Muazam Ali Khan Tanveer.
Syed Shafi Ahmed, President of the Anjuman, in a report richly embellished with Urdu poetry, outlined its activities much to the delight of the audience.
On the occasion, the main speaker Lal Hussain was felicitated by Altaf Ahmed, a senior functionary of Jamat-e-Islam-e- Hind while Arif Mehkri, who has been nominated as the Chairman of the Wakf Advisory Committee for Mysuru District, was felicitated by Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy.
In his reply to the felicitation, Mehkri stated that it was the responsibility of the Wakf Board to safeguard the interests of the community and therefore he would do his best to protect Wakf properties and prevent their misuse.
He also assured the Anjuman that during his tenure it would get its own building for which he received a thunderous applause.
Star of Mysore Managing Editor Vikram Muthanna, in his message to the Muslim community, said that since he was not a very religious person he believed more in the goodness of human beings. So in the background of an intolerant society he was very happy that organisations like the Anjuman were promoting love and brotherhood through programmes like Eid Milan.
In keeping with the tradition of the annual Eid Milan, Dr. Irfan Ahmed Riazi recited couplets in Urdu which he had composed to promote communal harmony.
Expressing his love for the Muslim community, Dr. (Lt. Col.) Y. N. I. Anand announced that he would render free consultation service for one day every month at the Bibi Ayesha Milli Hospital which was being reopened after renovation.
Alfie and his troupe enthralled the audience with their ghazals and vintage numbers from the yesteryears. Abdul Khadir, a Nigerian student of St. Philomena’s college, showcased his talent by singing Kannada and Hindi songs in his unique style.
The programme was compered by Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, Past President of the Anjuman.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 08th, 2015
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dances at the Indian Super League opening ceremony. (AFP Photo)
Chennai :
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s breathtaking moves complemented A R Rahman’s soulful music as the country’s who’s who from various fields got together for football to kick off the second season of Indian Super League (ISL) with a brief opening ceremony here on Saturday.
Even as the beautiful Aishwarya sparkled by dancing to her hit numbers such as Dola Re Dola, Dhoom Dhoom, the highlight of the evening was music maestro Rahman performing the national anthem at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
The 45-minute programme was attended by, among others, Sachin Tendulkar, Rajinikanth, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, besides the Bachchan family.
The initial part of the programme saw a performance by Bansi Kaul’s troop.
Young Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt gyrated to some of her hits from movies like Student of the Year, besides performing to the ISL theme song ‘Let’s Football’.
The franchises owners of opening day fixture between Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC were called on to the stage and introduced by host Arjun Kapoor, following which Aishwarya entered the scene.
Amitabh Bachchan couldn’t stop clapping as her daughter-in-law performed.
“Together with your support we will make ISL a success,” said Nita Ambani, the inspiration behind the initiative and founder chairperson of Football Sports Development.
Heartthrob Rajinikanth hugging cricket legend and Kerala Blasters’ co-owner Tendulkar and cine star Aishwarya were some of the worthy moments of the show.
The noise level reached a crescendo as two of India’s greatest icons — Rajnikanth and Bachchan — took centre stage in front of 15,000-20,000 people and shared a word or two.
Earlier, after a few hundred kids unfurled the team banners of all the eight outfits of the ISL out on the pitch — choreographed wonderfully, it was Alia’s time.
Alia, with a little help from the Master of Ceremony of the evening, Arjun Kapoor, kicked things off with a brief performance, dancing to some of her famous hits, which included ‘Radha’ and ‘Disco Deewane’ before finishing her performance with the song that has been ringing in all ears for the past couple of months ‘C’mon India, Let’s Football’.
Aishwarya, with her husband Abhishek and father-in-law Amitabh watching from the VIP section, came and danced gracefully, with a Tamil number, particularly, cranking up the decibel level.
However, it was an altogether different ball game when Tendulkar and Rajinikanth entered the stage.
Nita Ambani then declared the second season open.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Sports / PTI / October 03rd, 2015
Legendary Bollywood singer Mohammed Rafi’s biography has been released by publishing house Om Books International. Titled ‘Mohammed Rafi: Golden Voice of the Silver Screen’, penned by author Sujata Dev, that includes enriching anecdotes about the singer’s life. The book presents Rafi’s musical journey and what made him an utter delight to work with for every music director.
Author Sujata Dev had to face many challenges as she went about researching the book. “It was the toughest part of the research as those days had no computers and records were hard to find. Many stories and figures came to me from different sources but to authenticate them was not easy,” said Sujata, who has been an avid fan of the legendary singer since her childhood.
In her book, Sujata mentions that Mohammed Rafi, was a music director’s delight. She stated that Rafi sang for directors like Naushad, OP Nayyar and Madan Mohan, amongst many others, who were perfectionist and never failed to satisfy them.
The author adds that tracking his footsteps were extremely difficult as most of his relatives and associates had passed away. “But then I met Pyarelal ji, the renowned music director who had closely worked with Rafi sahab and when I told him about this biography and the challenges I was facing he said – you are the blessed one. You have a great task ahead of you,” stated Sujata.
This statement instilled a lot of confidence in Sujata’s heart and she knew she had a tough task ahead of her but it came with the blessings of Rafi Sahab himself and the good wishes of all his admirers.
The author said she was lucky enough to trace the details of Siddique Chacha, Rafi Sahab’s younger brother, who is hale and hearty even today, and lives in Lahore. She met over a hundred people from the industry before she could complete this book. The DVD accompanying the book has many of these interviews.
Through the book, the author plans to popularize Indian music amongst the younger generation.
By Kirti Arora (ANI)
source: http://www.in.lifestyle.yahoo.com / Yahoo.com / Home> Yahoo India – Lifestyle / by ANI / September 29th, 2015
A workshop-cum-exhibition on digitization of palm leaf manuscripts was organised at Sadakkathullah Appa College here on Tuesday.
Students from various colleges visited the exhibition which had a good number of palm leaf manuscripts on display.
Since most of the palm leaf manuscripts, carrying rare medical remedies with herbal plants for a range of human and domestic animal ailments, are so fragile, efforts are on to digitize them.
A relative of Tamil scholar U.Ve.Sa. handed over a bunch of palm leaf manuscripts to Sadakkathullah Appa College’s managing committee member Pallaakku Lebbai for the digitization project.
Palm leaf manuscript scholar Sankaranarayanan, faculty of Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai, Subhash Chandran, Assistant Director of the Department of Archaeology Chandravaanan, Principal of the college Mohamed Sathik and others spoke on rare information found in the palm leaf manuscripts.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Tirunelvelli – September 30th, 2015
The traditional Hyderabadi dastarkhwan has a new entrant: Laham Mandi.
From the exotic desert peninsula, the simple dish of rice and tender mutton has taken the city by storm. And nothing could explain the success that it has found as it enjoys a place alongside zafrani biryani, a delicacy Hyderabadis swear by.
But how did Laham Mandi make inroads into the Hyderabadi dastarkhwan that denizens are so fiercely protective of? Experts point out that it is the Hyderabadi diaspora, spread across Arabian countries, which has imported Mandi and its variants to the city.
“There was an import of culture as soon as Indians set foot in the Middle East. Though shawarma came to India before Laham Mandi, the latter became a huge hit with the youngsters. They want something different. The trend, particularly with wedding feasts is about two years old,” says Chef Taha Mohammed Quadri from Feast Express, a company that specialises in Arabian cuisine. “Now, bridegrooms are insisting that Mandi be on the dulhe ka dastar along with biryani,” he adds.
Ask Mohammed Abdul Rasheed, an engineer who recently tied the knot, why Mandi was on the menu and pat comes the reply, “All my friends love gorging on Mandi. Also, it is something different from the tried and tested affair.”
Traditional bawarchis say that the dish itself is simple to make. The meat is boiled in water till the time it is succulent and the rice is cooked separately. However, others, like seasoned chef Mir Asif Ali Khan from Arabian Nights argue that Laham Mandi is a madfoon dish, meaning that it is cooked in a cavity in the earth. He has lost count of the number of Hyderabadi weddings in which he has served Laham Mandi, he claims. While listing the traditional Hyderabadi fare on a dastarkhwan, he says, “The traditional dastarkhwan cannot go without lukhmi, qubani ka meetha, double ka meetha and of course, biryani. The introduction of Mandi is a fad.”
Khan explains that affordability and its large portions have led to its popularity. “The quantity of rice per person is huge, so much so that as many as three people can share it. Not just that, the average quantity of meat per portion is around 300 grams, for just Rs 240. What else would a youngster want,” he asks.
Others like Mohammed Moinuddin from Moghal Caterers says that for those who are not too keen on having Laham Mandi at weddings, the dish has found its place in pre-wedding parties. “Sanchak and Mehendi rituals are examples,” he says.
Experts say that restaurants in Toli Chowki like Four Seasons were one of the first to introduce the dish in the city about a decade ago. But, it was around three years ago that it started to gain popularity -courtesy the Arab tribals residing in Barkas, an Old City suburb. According to sources, of the 50-odd restaurants and cafes in the area, almost a third of them serve Mandi.
“The Yemeni tribes in Barkas used it to their advantage. They exploited their exotic lineage, made Mandi affordable and experimented with it by offering chicken and fish Mandi,” says Waseem Khan, a Mandi lover. The ambience in these restaurants is exotic, he adds. “You sit cross legged on the floor and people eat from the same large plate. Portraits of Arab rulers hang from the walls and there is calligraphy. All this adds to the exoticism,” he explains. Restaurants in Toli Chowki with Arabic names have mushroomed. Others like Spice 6 and All Seasons have made Laham Mandi a fine dining experience, he adds.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / September 28th, 2015
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that one needs to search his role model from the society he comes from as they can be the guiding light for the generation to come and the government on its part should honor those personalities.
“Samajwadi Party (SP) government is committed for honoring these personalities because a small encouragement could send a positive signal among the masses,” Yadav said in a function held at his official residence where different personalities who contributed for the betterment of society were honoured.
Yadav said that, he expects that people will draw inspiration from these people. “The SP government is committed to provide an opportunity to these people and the youths of state, who have the will to struggle and work for the society,” he said.
“We always try to find fault among others. We never try to see goodness among the people around us. There are many who are struggling to make both ends meet. Their success story could be inspiring for the next generation,” he said.
The Chief Minister provided a monetary cheque to many of these ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, including the 13-years-old Harendra Singh of Noida, 15-year-old girl Sushma of Lucknow and an elderly typist of Lucknow, Krishna Kumar whose typewriter was broken by a policeman during an anti-encroachment drive.
The 13-year-old boy Harendra Singh has drawn global attention for his commitment towards his studies. He studies in the morning in a school and at night earns livelihood at Noida Metro station. His commitment has gone viral in the social media. CM gave him a cheque of Rs 5 lakh.
Earlier, Yadav had honoured eight personalities that includes photo journalist Ashutosh Tripathi, whose photo of police beating up typist Krishna Kumar became viral in the social media.
Other awardees were Ramjit Yadav of Mirzapur who recently saved 10 children from drowning in Ganga and was given Rs 10 lakh. Rajkumar, Sanjay and Pintu Sahani of Ballia were awarded Rs 1 each for saving public from crocodile.
CM also honoured noted urdu shayar Wasim Bareilvi, who was present on the occasion.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Chaudhry and ICDS Minister Kailesh Chaurasi were also present in the meeting.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State editions> Lucknow / PNS, Lucknow / Monday – September 28th, 2015
A scientist and a teacher came together recently to narrate select letters written to and from Lucknow, over a period of nearly 150 years, by both the famous and the commoner, to depict the resounding, and changing, cultural ethos of the city of Nawabs.
“Lucknow in Letters: endeavours, achievements and tragedies”, presented here recently by Saman Habib and Sanjay Muttoo, is a multilingual reading of letters from and to Lucknow in the 1850s.
The letters, collected from private sources and museums, newspaper reports and essays provide a glimpse of the living experience of the city since the ‘Ghadar of 1857’.
The letters, which were accompanied by rare manuscripts, original letters and pictures of those who wrote them, came together to provide a life-like narrative of the events in Lucknow of a long-gone era – from the mutiny to the subsequent rebuilding of the city, the plague of 1903 to 1936 floods, the freedom movement and the pain of Partition.
The presentation, hosted by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (INGCA), is a heart-rending glimpse of what shaped the city over the course of time and includes mails by everyday people living life while some of them also had their senders in important personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mirza Ghalib and Rabindranath Tagore – all accounting their connections to Shahar-e-Awadh.
The concept, says Saman, was conceived by her in February last year when she was writing letters to her relatives in Pakistan, who had migrated there during Partition, while the first staging took place after three months – in May.
“There are families in Lucknow which have preserved the letters from older times. In older days, letters happened to be a huge event in families, when all members of the family would read a letter that would reach to them from far-off places. But that is a gone era now… So we thought that explaining that whole concept to people it would be a good idea to collect letters and make a narrative out of it,” Saman, a senior scientist at the Central Drug Research institute in Lucknow, told PTI.
“The idea was that we not only read it but also come up with pictures – of the letters, the people writing them, buildings of that time, etc. So as to understand the city, to know it more and relive the whole experience. Its not a history lesson, listening to letters and watching visuals is an experience.
“Letters are firstly an authentic documentation of all occurring of the time. Plus, it depicts the ‘zabaan’, the language of the city as used by people. And as we transcend the era sifting through letters we can notice a palpable change in the language and customs too. Then, the social class and language. Who is writing and in what language… I think many things come out with that,” she says.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / Press Trust of India, New Delhi – September 27th, 2015
The South Indian Classical Dance Festival began in the city on Saturday under the aegis of Southern Cultural Centre (Tanjavore), cultural councils of Central and state governments, and Young Men’s Hindu Association (YMHA).
Andhra Pradesh Assembly speaker K Siva Prasada Rao lit the lamp and inaugurated the festival. He emphasised upon the need to encourage the classical art forms in the state and pointed out that Tamil Nadu encourages art forms in a big way. He assured to set up Government Music and Dance College in the city with the help of public representatives.
Southern Region Cultural Centre director EN Sajith, city mayor Sheikh Noorjahan, YMHA Trust Board general secretary KV Satyanarayana and working committee president Ch Gopi also participated. Later the speaker felicitated the dance artists.
On the occasion, the Aiswarya Warrior team of Baroda performed Mohiniyttam (‘Shakti’ dance play let), while Kuchipudi artiste Amaranth Ghosh from Chennai performed ‘Jayadeva Ashtapadi’ and ‘Shivasthakam’. The Ghosh team also performed ‘Ganapathi Kowtham’, ‘Govardhan Giridhari’ and ‘Marakata Manimaya’, which enthralled the audience.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / September 27th, 2015
