The man behind CineBuster

The buzz in the Film industry has everyone asking who is Ronnie Rodrigues, the owner of Pearl Group of companies  and also the Publisher & Editor of CineBuster Film magazine. He has announced the ‘CineBuster Cine Awards 2022’ . The award trophy for first time ever in the history of Cinema anywhere in the world, ?the most expensive ‘Gold-Diamond’ trophy to be ever given.The trophy is so well crafted which’ll leave everyone in awe.

He has so far had a few parties to announce the award show owing to the pandemic. The latest one was held at the  J. W. Marriott, Juhu , Mumbai recently. He is here to bring about a change in the Film Award show business now mainly controlled by Filmfare, IIFA, etc.

We would look forward to Ronnie Ridrigues next investment in the movies as Bollywood is going through a list of failures and needs someone with a new vision.We wish him all the success in his endeavours.

The Timeless Travelogue of Ashok Kumar

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”.

‘Na Jaane Kidhar Aaj Meri Naav Chali Re’, title of the Manohar Monologues on the Timeless Travelogue of the Ageless Ashok Kumar, traces the unchartered, long and illustrious journey of a non entity named Kumudlal Kunjalal Ganguli who went on to become the legendary thespian Ashok Kumar.

From Bhagalpur in Bihar to Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, from Kolkata in Bengal to Bombay in Maharashtra, it was one long journey to an unknown destination.

Born on 13 October, 1911 in a respectable and well to do Bengali Brahmin family of lawyers, Kumudlal was the oldest of the three brothers and a sister. His sister Sati Rani was married to Sashadhar Mukerji who had joined Himanshu Rai’s newly established film studio Bombay Talkies as an assistant sound engineer in 1935. Rai was on the look out for more bright and educated young men from respectable families. And Kumudlal, not giving way to the pressure of joining the family profession, joined Bombay Talkies.

Kumudlal’s journey kick started as a lab technician and apprentice camera assistant to Joseph Wirsching, the German cameraman at Bombay Talkies. He had not even an inkling as to when and where destiny would veer and tack his ‘jeevan naiyya’. By a quirk of circumstances, he was pushed by the insightful Himanshu Rai to don the grease paint and face the ‘lights, camera and action !!’ As the clichéd goes: The rest is history.

Spurred by the success of its maiden production Jawani Ki Hawa starring Najam-ul-Hussain and Devika Rani, the star-wife of Himanshu Rai, the latter went on floors with the next film Jeevan Naiyya with the same cast. During the shooting, cupid struck and the two young actors got swept away by the ‘jawani ki hawa‘ and eloped. Rai was emotionally disturbed and Mukerji helped him out of the predicament; he tracked the couple somewhere in Calcutta and brought them back. Hiding his embarrassments, Rai accepted his errant actress-wife back but showed the door to Najam ul Hussain.

A worried Rai was on the lookout for a hero to step in and take over. Without batting an eyelid, he replaced Najam-ul-Hussain with the charming and good looking but a nervous and reluctant Kumudlal to face the camera ! Intuitively, Rai had already cast him in a fleeting appearance in Jawani Ki Hawa just to see how he looked on screen.

Rai arranged for a screen test and the studio’s in house director Franz Osten rejected Kumudlal because of ‘girlish features’ and ‘square jaw line’.  Kumudlal rejoiced at the rejection and felt relieved. He tried his best to wriggle out of the new avtaar he was forced to don; but there was no way he could escape. He protested meekly to romance the wife of his boss; gave excuses of disapproval from his conservative parents; got his hair trimmed too short; disappeared for days together; but in vain. The moment he got back his beauty crop, he was readied to face the camera.

He tried again his best to come out of the predicament. The presence of a large crew on the sets further intimidated him; he fumbled and goofed up with his lines; bashed the villain (H Masih) at the wrong time and knocked him down with the very first blow which immobilised Masih with a severe knee injury and delayed the shooting; inadvertently pulled the elaborate coiffeur of the heroine (Devika Rani). But, ‘Destiny’ had clearly written the arrival of a new actor, the adulation that he was to enjoy as a star, the accolades and awards that he were to achieve and the legendary status that he was to be accorded.

Kumudlal was christened Ashok Kumar with his debut film Jeevan Naiyya. Titled symbolically, little did he know where his ‘life boat’ would sail and take him through. The question was pertinent: ‘Na Jaane Kidhar Aaj Meri Naav Chali Re’  ? The quotient was perfect: ‘Lights, Camera, Action’ for over five long decades from the mid-30s !!

Ashok Kumar embarked on a long journey without a destination with his first film Jeevan Naiyya. After a shaky start, he went on to do more films for Bombay Talkies under a contract: Achhut Kanya, Janmabhoomi, Savitri, Nirmala, Izzat, Vachan, Anjaan all starring him and Devika Rani. Ashok Kumar played the role of a docile, introvert, shy, uppercrust Brahmin youth in love with Devika Rani as a bashful, demure, impish and innocent ‘untouchable’. Achhut Kanya touched and tackled the untouched topic of untouchability with a touching temperament. The innocuous film with its hard hitting comment on the caste system and social inequalities was layered with impassioned lyricism and romanticism. The film became the biggest hit of its time and shot him to instant stardom; after that, there was no looking back for Ashok Kumar.

There was no playback then and with no formal training in music, Ashok Kumar (like many of his contemporaries) sang his songs with great felicity. The romantic song, Main bann ki chidiya banke bann bann dolun re, composed by Saraswati Devi and sung by the lead pair, is acclaimed as a timeless classic and remembered with great nostalgic. After the immensely popular but now forgotten singing star pair of Master Nissar and Jahan Ara Kajjan, the successful teaming of Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani set a new trend.

Ashok Kumar made an equally adorable and popular singing star pair with yet another leading lady: Leela Chitnis. The two acted together in three hugely successful films (all of Bombay Talkies): Kangan, Bandhan, Jhoola which had perennial charmers like Radha Radha pyaari Radha, Chal chal re naujawan, Na jaane kidhar aaj meri naav chali re, Aaj mausam salona salona re.

With success becoming a habit, Ashok Kumar had stopped worrying about the next line of action. He recollected his father’s philosophy: “I’m a river without oars because the oars are in the hands of someone else. So I just flow with the tide…!” And undaunted, his ‘naiyya’ too navigated to the next decade, the 40s marked by political turbulence and communal unrest.

More films of Bombay Talkies released like Anjaan (with Devika Rani), Azaad (with Leela Chitnis) and Naya Sansar (with Renuka Devi) followed by the biggest box office hit of all times Kismat (which ran for more than three years in a single theatre in Calcutta). Ashok Kumar portrayed the role of a cool and clever, suave and smart petty criminal in the film inspired by Walter Wagner’s film Algiers. He was glib tongued, cool and quick witted, smart and suave and ready with a revolver, a punch, a con trick, a sleight of hand and a cigarette all of which he carried off with great aplomb!

Despite his ‘faults, flaws and fallacies’ by social norms, there was humanity in his flawed character and humility in his flirtatious demeanour; he was a criminal with a heart of gold which melded with and melted for the underdogs; a chivalrous paramour who went soft and tender for a crippled damsel in distress; a romantic crooner who serenaded his lady love with caring and caressing lyrics, ‘…Mera bulbul so raha hai, shor ghul na macha’ !

Ashok Kumar created a nation wide sensation with his anti hero role and set a trend which was emulated down the years by several top actors: Dev Anand,  Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan to name a few.

The 40s saw Ashok Kumar do a variety of roles in films like Mehboob Khan’s Najma (a muslim social) and Humayun (probably the only historical he did) and in social films like Chal Chal Re Naujawan, Saajan, Aath Din, Shikari made by Filmistan (an off spring of Bombay Talkies, formed by S Mukherji and his associates who were all in employment earlier with the Bombay Talkies).

With a string of successful commercial capers dealing with contemporary themes as in Achhut Kanya, Janmabhoomi, Izzat, Bandhan, Naya Sansar, Kismat, Humayun, Chal Chal Re Naujawan; backed by conscientious, high minded and idealistic roles, at times up in arms with the vested interests and feudal methods and crusading and revolting against the social and political system; enlivened by catchy and ever relevant and ever resonant songs with patriotic fervour: Chal chal re naujawan, Ek naya sansar basaalen, Door hato ae duniyawalo, Bharat ke naujawano chalo ek raah par, Ashok Kumar came to be identified as the visage and voice of the contemporary Indian youth under the British regime.  Incidentally, characters from history or mythology did not suit his persona nor did they appeal to the sensibilities of the movie goers.

In the post independence period, Ashok Kumar dabbled with film production and took over the reins of the by then defunct Bombay Talkies; for his alma mater, he made films like Majboor (which had the break through song ‘Dil mera toda’ of Lata Mangeshkar), Ziddi (which introduced Kishore Kumar as a playback singer and which marked the first hit of Dev Anand), Asha, a lesser known film and, not the least, Mahal, the monumental, mystery laden, haunted citadel of love with no plot of murder and one of the biggest hits of the decade.

The unprecedented success of Mahal and unabated popularity of its songs particularly ‘Aayega aanewala’ resurrected the fading glory of Bombay Talkies; immortalised the master composer Khemchand Prakash (who did not live to savour the success of the film and popularity of his songs – he died just two months before the release of the film); shot Madhubala to super stardom; heralded the arrival of Lata Mangeshkar – she came, she saw and she conquered to become the unrivalled Melody Queen of all she sang and surveyed !!

With a string of successful films like Achhut Kanya, the trilogy of Kangan, Bandhan, Jhoola to name a few and the two trend setting super hits of the 40s: Kismat and Mahal, his initial apprehensive conundrum, ‘Na jaane kidhar aaj meri naav chali re?’ gave rise to an uncertain poser by the end of the decade: ‘Kya jaane dil ki kashti kab tak lage kinaare?’

His ‘naav’ or ‘kashti’ sailed strongly and navigated successfully onto the 50s to face tough competition from the new brigade of young and successful stars: Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor. For the record, he did just a film or two with each of them in the 50s: Tamasha and Baadbaan with Dev Anand, Deedar with Dilip Kumar and Bewafa with Raj Kapoor.

Age wise, Ashok Kumar was relatively past his prime (he was forty plus) and yet he held his own in many social and crime oriented films in the 50s; though the pristine charm and innocence of his earlier films was missing. Besides Devika Rani, Leela Chitnis, Mumtaz Shanti and Veena, he acted with other heroines ranging from Suraiya, Nalini Jaywant, Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Nargis to Kamini Kaushal, Geeta Bali, Nutan, Vyjayantimala and Mala Sinha to Nirupa Roy, Nimmi, Bina Rai, Shyama, Shakila and southern heroines like Anjali Devi, Bhanumati, Padmini and Ragini.

Some of the noteworthy and successful films of the 50s include:

* Aadhi Raat (with a progressive angle to his character), Bewafa and Deedar: all three with Nargis; the latter two films marked the advent of Ashok Kumar portraying the unparalleled parallel roles in films to come in the next decade,

* Mashaal (a literary and message oriented progressive film),

* Samadhi (as a freedom fighter), Sangram (a hardened criminal in Hollywood style), Naubahar and Naaz: all with Nalini Jaywant who went on to do ten films with him and who was also romantically linked with the thespian,

* Afsana (in a double role with Veena and Kuldip Kaur),

* Bandish (in a light hearted role), Parineeta (in a sensitive portrayal of unspoken emotions and unexpressed love) and Ek Hi Raasta (again as a progressive character marrying an aggrieved widow): all with Meena Kumari who was his co-star in about 12 to 13 films,

* Bhai Bhai (as an errant husband with negative shades), Karigar (an off beat character of an underdog), Kangan, Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane: all family socials with Nirupa Roy who made an ideal and endearing pair with him in several idealistic and enduring roles,

* Ek Saal, Howrah Bridge (crime based films) and Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (in a light hearted role as a misogynist boxer): all with Madhubala, though in the latter film she was paired opposite his younger brother Kishore Kumar,

* Dhool Ka Phool: a cameo role opposite Mala Sinha; he played her lover,   husband, father and father in law in many films of the 60s.

Along with these social and musical films, he did some B Grade crime films too: Mr. X, Night Club, Light House, Daaka, Sheroo, Ustad in the 50s.

Ashok Kumar went on to don a more matured and dignified avatar in the 60s. He was no more the young romantic hero; he was fifty plus and had added considerable weight too. Yet he played weighty roles as the third angle in romantic triangles like Aarti (a role with negative shades as a money minded doctor), Chitralekha (as a fake moral priest oscillating between spirituality and sensuality), Bheegi Raat and Bahu Begum (in both as a loser in love but winning the audience sympathy); all the four films featured the aging trio: Ashok Kumar, Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari. Even in films with younger heroes of the next generation, Ashok Kumar had meaty and mighty, power packed and plum character or central roles and retained his top billing status.

He had no starry airs about him; he was not selective about the roles like some of contemporaries and juniors; made no discrimination of the roles offered to him with positive or negative shades; did not fuss about the length of the role, his co-stars, the banner, the director. He had his own loyal audience and did not have any fear of losing their adulation, admiration, respect and sympathy.

The first half of the decade did see him as a hero in some eminently forgettable  B grade crime based films: Aadhi Raat Ke Baad, Burma Road, Dark Street, Flat No. 9, Hong Kong, Isika Naam Duniya Hai, Kaala Aadmi, Private Secretary, Warrant. But he made a graceful transition to character roles playing the doting and dominating, caring and concerned, lovable brother, father and grandfather befitting the endearing epithet Dada Moni conferred by his only sister.

Yes, in some films he played the protagonist and acted as ‘hero’ in roles suiting his age and image like Hrishikesh Mukherji’s Ashirwad (he was 58 years then). Despite two severe asthmatic attacks during the making of the film, he put his heart and soul in to the character and lived the role. He clinched several prestigious awards for his outstanding performance as the rich but principled man who relinquishes the luxuries of life to mingle more with the poor and downtrodden thereby winning their love, trust and respect.

Some of the other prominent films of Ashok Kumar in elderly and matured character roles but no less than central or significant in the 60s include:

* Raakhi (as a doting brother for which he won his first best actor award),

* Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (in a very unconventional and deglamorous role of a physically frightful mortal; gory and ugly looking),

* Gumrah (as the cheerfully and delightfully suspicious and suave lawyer-husband of Mala Sinha),

* Kanoon, Ye Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, Mamta (as a composed, crafty and caring Law Abiding Wizard respectively; ),

* Dharmaputra and Bandini (as a freedom fighter and freedom-terrorist respectively),

* Jewel Thief (in an unsuspecting role as the real Jewel Thief; he literally ‘stole’ the show from Dev Anand),

* Ustadon Ke Ustad, Afsana, Intqaam, Do Bhai (roles with negative shades and on the other side of law),

* Oonche Log (a jolly and jovial but blind retired army major who faces an upheaval at his own home),

* Mere Mehboob (a musical muslim social portraying him as heavily indebted nawab trying to live on his own terms); other muslim socials like Benazir, Bahu Begum and Naqli Nawab),

* Aaj aur Kal (as a disciplinarian, fastidious and stern father),

* Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (as an honest and upright principal)

<>
And, not to forget the host of Madras melodramas of the south banners: Grahasthi (one of his best as a devoted husband but leading a dual life with two families), Pooja Ke Phool, Daadimaa, Mehrbaan, Nai Roshni, Paisa Ya Pyar. In all these films he was attired in the traditional and time honoured dhoti and kurta with shawl, specs, stick and cigar (which had replaced the cigarette of the 40s and 50s that he flaunted in style) which defined his role as the patriarch!

<>
There were many ups and downs (oonchi neechi lehron se naav meri dole) in his breathtaking ride, but what kept the doyen going was his discipline, dedication and dependability; his method to the madness (he rehearsed most of his challenging scenes in his bathroom where he would lock himself for an incredibly long time); his personal charm and charisma for the audience and professional adjustability and allowance for the producers.

He did a wide variety of roles with seemingly effortless ease and elan in all genres of films with almost every star (minus any controversy) in an incredibly long career. He acted mostly with his versatile eyes which could portray a whole gamut of emotions and expressions; like a chameleon changing colours, he could change his caring, compassionate look to a cold and callous stare in a fraction of  a second; switch over to a variety of characters in a flash.

He could touch our inner cords, tug at our heart strings, bring a lump in our throat, make us sigh and sob through his poignant and sensitive portrayals and at the same time, he could tickle our ribs, kindle a smile, evoke a chuckle, invoke to a loud laughter though his cheerful, playful and light hearted roles.

In the 70s, trends in films and filmmaking had changed considerably. The age of innocence and obeisance had come to an end; the visage of roses and romance had faded away; the heritage of family sagas and fiestas was waning away. Where did that leave the ageless but aging Ashok Kumar? Little did he know that there was more in store for him in the swingeing scenario of the 70s, a decade marked as an era of Action and Amitabh Bachchan, violence and vendetta, guns, golis and goondas !!

Dada Moni continued to play the affectionate and lovable, caring and doting as well as aristocratic, stern and thorough bred, father / grandfather (in social films like Aap Beeti, Anand Ashram, Anuraag, Anurodh, Dulhan, Mili, Naya Zamana, Paise Ki Gudiya, Purab aur Paschim, Safar, Sharafat, Tumhare Liye, Uljhan, Zameen Asmaan).

With the trademark twinkle in his eyes and mischievous smile, Ashok Kumar had already given the audience glimpses of his comical, funny and lighter side in films like Jhoola and Kismat of the 40s, Bandish, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Tamasha of the 50s and Aadhi Raat Ke Baad, Paisa ya Pyar and Pooja Ke Phool of the 60s. He carried it to a higher level with an added element of innocence, frolicking, mischief and naughtiness befitting his age and image, stature and status and with great relish in comedy capers like Dil Daulat Duniya, Do Phool, Victoria No. 203, Chori Mera Kaam, Chor Ke Ghar Chor, Chhoti Si Baat, Khatta Meetha of the 70s to Khoobsurat and Shaukeen of the early 80s. The audience simply loved him and lapped up his hilarious and uproarious acts with the same loyalty.

<>
Here was an actor, who could not even wear a forced and wry smile in the beginning and nascent stage of his career; but eventually, he made us cry and laugh in the same measure with his endearing and heart warming performances.

Age was catching up… and in the 80s, one saw him do cameo / small roles / brief and friendly appearances, more as a friendly gesture, in a number of films: Aaj Ki Awaaz, Awaam, Durga, Jyoti, Mr. India, Tawaif (besides of course the eternally charming Khoobsurat and Shaukeen).

He dabbled with television serials too and who can forget him as the narrator in the most famous serial Humlog or as the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in the serial by the same name. He acted in yet another serial named Bheem Bhavani starring him and his brother Anoop Kumar; Kishore Kumar too was to be a part of the serial but by then he was no more. He did some occasional ads too like the Ambiking Suitings, Brylcream, Prudent tooth paste with his actress-grand daughter Anuradha Patel and, not the least, the famous Pan Parag ad with Shammi Kapoor (the only time the two big stars came together on screen). Incidentally, Shammi Kapoor’s Boy Friend (1960) was a disappointing remake of Ashok Kumar’s all time hit Kismat.

On remakes, many of the later year films were either straight remakes or thin rehashes of his earlier hits or the thematic content and intent of his films provided the needed inspiration for certain crucial scenes if not the entire film:

Kismat (1943) – Boy Friend (Shammi Kapoor – Madhubala),

Najma (1943) – Dil Apna Preet Parai (Raj Kumar – Meena Kumari – Nadira)

Afsana (1951) – Dastaan (Dilip Kumar – Sharmila Tagore – Bindu),

Parineeta (1953) – Parineeta (Sanjay Dutt – Saif Ali Khan – Vidya Balan),

Kangan (1959) – Uljhan (Sanjeev Kumar – Sulakshana Pandit – Farida Jalal),

Aaj aur Kal  (1963) – Parichay (Pran – Jeetendra – Jaya Bhaduri Bhaduri),

Gumrah (1963) – Bewafa (Anil Kapoor – Akshay Kumar – Kareena Kapoor),

Ye Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (1963) – Achanak (Vinod Khanna Lily Chakravarty), Rustam (Akshay Kumar – Ileana D’Cruz),

Bheegi Raat (1965) – Mann (Anil Kapoor – Amir Khan – Manisha Koirala),

Mamta (1966) – Dard (Rajesh Khanna – Hema Malini – Poonam Dhillon)

Victoria No. 203 (1972) – Victoria No. 203 (Anupam Kher – Om Puri),

Do Phool (1973) – Ankhen (Govinda – Chunky Pandey – Kadar Khan),

Khatta Meetha (1977) – Golmaal 3 (Mithun Chakraborty – Ratna Pathak –Ajay Devgan – Kareena Kapoor – Tushar Kapoor – Arshad Warsi – Kunal Khemu),

Khoobsurat (1980) – Khoobsurat (Ratna Pathak – Sonam Kapoor),

Shaukeen (1982) – The Shaukeens (Anupam Kher – Annu Kapoor – Piyush Mishra – Akshay Kumar – Lisa Haydon)
(E & O E)

Ashok Kumar had a wide variety of other interests too like singing (remember, he sang his own songs in the 30s and 40s when there was no playback), painting, photography, poultry farming, astrology, homeopathy, chess, boxing, reading (he had a huge library), races and recording. He was a linguist and spoke French and German fluently.

<>
He had a fad for keeping ‘nick names’ for his near and dear ones: he called his wife ‘Bhama’ and his youngest daughter Preeti as ‘Paletoile’; R D Burman was given the now iconic musical name ‘Pancham’.

With advancing age, Dada Moni had reduced his work; filmmakers also did not trouble him much and kept him out of the arclights and erratic work schedules.

Though he led a comfortable retired life, tragedies struck one after the other; he first lost his wife in April 1987 (just a year before their 50th marriage anniversary); then his youngest brother Kishore Kumar in the same year on 13 October (which also marks the birthday of Dada Moni and after which he stopped celebrating his birthday); his friend, guide and brother-in-law S Mukherji in November 1990; and in September 1997, he lost his younger brother Anoop Kumar too.

<>
And finally, Dada Moni too shed his mortal coil on the fateful afternoon of 10 December, 2001 while watching the TV; he was all alone with only Khurshid, his Man Friday of over 50 years, by his side at that terminal moment but was joined soon by the bereaved family members and other close associates. He bid adieu and left for his heavenly abode but not without giving answer to the recurring Question: “Na jaane kidhar aaj meri naav chali re …”. Finally, his ‘Jeevan Naiyya’ got anchored with the sombre strains of “Mann ne kaha piya ke gaon chali re….. bilkul akeli akeli chali re.…” ringing in the background!!

Manohar Iyer

98205 35910

Optimystix Entertainment & Ashwin Varde join hands to launch 'Wakaoo Films'

Optimystix Entertainment, India’s flagship television production company, announced strategic partnership with Ashwin Varde, one of India’s most prominent film producers, to launch a new film production company, ‘Wakaoo Films’. The joint venture will comprehensively engage in content development and production across feature films and digital media. The new entity will produce a minimum of 3 to 4 feature film projects this calendar year and a few web-series for OTT platforms.

Commenting on this strategic association, Vipul D.Shah, Founder & Chairman, Optimystix Entertainment said, “We have been successfully scripting our success story in highly competitive TV arena with an array of leading fiction & non-fiction shows since almost two decades. Having produced 125+ prime-time TV shows including the long-running Comedy Circus & Crime Patrol we have created an ecosystem of Comedy & Crime that currently exists in the TV space. Our vision is to build a similar content driven ecosystem in the film & OTT business. I began my career as a film writer & it feels good to finally come back home. I am equally very excited to announce this joint venture with Ashwin Varde who is a credible force to reckon with in the film industry & this association will help us further in creating more significant value in our business and will channelize us to harness the growth across Feature films & OTT content business.”

Ashwin Varde, who produced one of last year’s biggest blockbusters Kabir Singh, also has to his credit prominent movies like Mubarakan, Boss, The Shaukeens, Notebook and others, is excited about this new development. He said, “I am extremely happy to form this joint venture with Optimystix, one of India’s leading content creators. With Wakaoo Films, the idea is to redefine content and create your own dazzle in the film and digital world. The word ‘Wakaoo’ is an expression of joy; it’s a burst of innovation. That’s what we intend to do with the content we create. The best part is that both Vipul and Rajesh share the same vision - to create something exceptional. Let’s say Wakaoo to a great new beginning”.

Further elaborating on Optimystix Entertainment's first ever creative collaboration with Indian producer to form a film production company, Rajesh Bahl, Director & Group CEO Optimystix Entertainment said, “Wakaoo Films is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Optimystix. At the heart of this partnership is our love for cinema and content creation. With so much to his credit, Ashwin Varde brings immense knowledge, industry relationships and unique insights about the business of cinema and storytelling. I am sure with this collaboration, Wakaoo Films will be able engage & entertain the audience with a range of films and web shows.”

He added, "We have been working on our slate for next 2-3 years and a number of big and interesting feature film and digital projects are in the works that we will be announcing shortly under this partnership.”

92nd Academy Awards To Air Exclusively on Star Movies

Oscar season is officially underway and Star movies is all set to bring you the most awaited award show in the world, the 92nd Oscars on 10th Feb, 2020. It will be aired simultaneously on Star Movies and Star Movies Select HD. The channel has been the official home of the Oscars® in India for more than two decades and like every year, this year too, millions of movie lovers across the country can watch the Red carpet revelry and glamorous ceremony live, courtesy of Star Movies

As a countdown to Oscars, the channel brings to you an iconic collection of Oscar-winning movies every Mon-Fri at 7 PM from 27th Jan to 28th Feb. Star Movies will keep the audiences glued to their television screens on Saturday evenings with some of the recent Oscar blockbusters including Bohemian Rhapsody which premiered recently on the channel, The Favourite where Olivia Colman delivered a knockout performance and took home the Academy Award Actress in a Leading Role and the likes from 8th Feb to 28th Feb at 7 PM.

Every year, Oscar marks the climax of award show season and has always caught the viewer’s eye. Almost every year there is nail-biting tension around nominees, winners or celebrities in attendance. Like last year, the 92nd Academy Awards will be going host-less. 

The biggest event in showbiz has recently announced Nominations in all 24 categories. Among the 2020 Oscar nominees, Joker received the most nominations with 11, including nominations in the categories of Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, and Directing. Other Oscars 2020 nominees with multiple nominations include The Irishman, 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with 10 nominations and Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story and Parasite with 6.

So grab a strong cup of coffee and enjoy the biggest Red Carpet event live 10^th Feb, Monday morning 5:30 AM only on Star Movies!  And the Oscars goes to

Sunny Inder Bawra's Tribute To Bharat With Hotel MumbaI

While Hotel Mumbai, the Hollywood movie that recreated the terrorising event of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, got critically appreciated, the one thing thing that also stayed with people was patriotic song which, after Jai ho, is sure to be the next most played patriotic number of recent times.
This cross over cinema's patriotic song, Humein Bharat Kehte Hain happens to be composed by musical brother duo Sunny and Inder Bawra and they still can't believe the song is really working that well with people. "We have worked really hard on this track and usually when it isn't an item number or a peppy, romantic or upbeat one, you don't expect the song to pick up this easily. But Humein Bharat Kehte Hain turned out to be an anomaly which pleasantly surprised us. The lyrics written by Kumaarji made this song doubly special because you really have to have the right words when it comes to writing a song for our mother country!" says Sunny Inder.

Hailing from a humble background in Bathinda, Punjab, this composer duo haven't had their success easy. "We moved to Mumbai in 2000 and after a struggle for either years, we got our first break with mythological TV Series Jai Shri Krishna on Colors! That changed things for us and we eventually went onto do 50 Tv shows and earned our space in the television industry. Our most acclaimed work in the small screen still remains Devon Ke Dev Mahadev." says Inder while further added, "But movies were still a distant dream till we met Mr. Vikram Bhatt who gave a break in Ankur Arora Murder Case. The music worked well in the film and we later went onto do Hate Story Series Background score with our dear friend  Director Vishal Pandya along with Wajah Tum Ho."

"Work eventually started trickling in along with recognition in the industry. We were approached by Mr. Nishikant Kamath and Mr. John Abraham for Rocky Handsome, Madaari and later also did a song in Badhaai Ho lyrics by one of the best Lyricist of Bollywood Kumaar Ji and sung by Padam Bhushan Shubha Mudgal Ji,"says Sunny Inder who's happy that they finally have their hands full work some good work. 

Sunny Inder also won their first Filmfare Award for their musical works in Punjabi film Jora 10 Numbari. 

The duo have recently also released their single with Zee Music Company titled Rule Ke Gaya Ishq Tera that has already cross a million views. "I am thankful to Mr. Anurag Bedi  for giving us this beautiful association with Zee Music," says Inder who is also looking forward to an amazing fun flick Bole Chudiyaan for which they are not only composing music but also making Nawazuddin Siddiqui rap for a song!
Well their upcoming work sure sound interesting and would be worth eagerly waiting for.

Bring out your inner child Star Movies Pop-up Theatre

The month of November is known for children’s day. Star Movies is set to broadcast an exciting line-up with their “Pop-Up Theatre: For the Kids”. A line-up of interesting movies will air on the 13^th and the 14^th of November 2019 from 4 pm onwards. Besides this, Star Movies brings to you for the very first time on Indian Television Deadpool (2015), one of the wittiest and zest superhero performances of Ryan Reynolds.
This Children’s Day Star Movies Pop-Up Theatre will light up you and your little one’s face with your favorite movies - The Boss Baby, COCO, Ferdinand, Incredibles 2, Baby’s Day Out and The Toy Story 3.
The deadliest anti-hero of the Marvel Universe, Deadpool comes to your television screens for the First Time after 3 long years on 17^th of November 2019 at 1 PM and 9 PM only on Star Movies. The movie was loved by the audiences but never got a chance to come on TV in India. Star Movies, being the home of Superheroes did not give up as they finally bring the Red Machine on television this November. The movie grossed over $782 Mn worldwide and earned Ryan Reynolds multiple nominations including a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture. It’s a double bonanza as Deadpool fans gets a chance to binge Deadpool 2 right after Deadpool.
Apart from this, the fever rises with a daily dose of entertainment you can enjoy with your whole family Everyday at 1 PM with “Family Time”, the one time when the remote wars are settled and families reconnect. The evenings are covered with the best of blockbusters all this November with Blockbusters@9, Mon to Fri 9 PM.
Watch Star Movies Pop-Up Theatre – For the Kids on 13^th & 14^th November 4 PM
Onwards and Catch Deadpool for the First Time on Television on 17^th November at 1 PM and 9 PM only on Star Movies

India's Dance Revolution, a documentary ..

The history of breaking in India is a short but immensely inspiring story. In the early 2000s, still unknown to much of the country, a handful of boys and girls were slowly discovering the dance form – some through clips they chanced upon in films, others through lucky meetings with breakers who came to the country from elsewhere in the world. Less than two decades on and the scene has changed dramatically. Breakers and crews now exist around the country, jams and battles are held every other weekend and global competitions have come to India.

Breaking New Ground: India’s Dance Revolution, produced by Red Bull Media House in association with Supari Studios, is the story of this incredible journey. Watch now on YouTube and Red Bull TV

Through the forty-minute-long film, viewers are introduced to some of the key figures and moments in the Indian breaking scene. From first generation Indian B-Boys Hera and Simon meeting by chance at a café in Dehradun in 2001, to the boom of social media later that decade and its role in bringing breakers together, to Flying Machine winning the first-ever Red Bull BC One Cypher India in 2015, the stories are both plentiful and colourful.

While B-Boy Bravo from Chennai recalls how he would lock himself up in his room and practice for hours, B-Boy Hotshot from Kolkata remembers hopping off the school bus and skipping school to practice breaking instead. Others, such as Nas from Bengaluru, remember the first few editions of his crew’s annual jam Freeze; then held in a small and dingy location with a handful of breakers in attendance, now spread over a weekend with breakers travelling from around the country and global judges and DJs in attendance.

This perseverance, as they recall, led to the growth of the breaking scene in India. Breakers from around the country formed crews, travelled to meet and compete against each other, and even began to bring international breakers to India.

Through its consistent growth and accompanying struggles, for many, breaking has proved to be not only a creative outlet but also a way to transform their lives. The stories of B-Boy Tornado and his mentor Wasim, for instance, exemplify the resilience and determination of several breakers in the country. From working as a satellite television technician to winning competitions and competing on a global level, Tornado credits breaking for turning his life around

Today, as the current generation of breakers in the country attest, breaking in India is still on the rise. New crews continue to be formed, jams and battles are established regularly and global competitions such as the Red Bull BC One World Final are travelling to India. From its modest beginnings to the present day, breaking has now cemented its place in the cultural landscape of the country.

4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao

The 4th International Film Festival & Awards?Macao (referred to as “IFFAM” or the “Film Festival”) will be staged from 5th to 10th December this year. As an annual international event in Macao, the Film Festival will continue to push forward the development of Macao’s film, cultural and creative industries, enhance exchange opportunities with international movies as well as unveil a wider landscape for the development of cultural and artistic platforms, tourism and other fields. Following the announcement of featuring best actress in Chinese cinema, Carina Lau, as the first Talent Ambassador of this year’s IFFAM earlier, the IFFAM Organizing Committee announced yesterday (30th September) the appointment of Karan Johar (KJo), an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, costume designer, actor and television personality, as Festival Ambassador along with Kim Jun-myeon (Suho), leader of the popular Korean boy band EXO, as Talent Ambassador.

The International Film Festival & Awards?Macao celebrates the extraordinary contributions of filmmakers to the Asian film world and pays special tribute to classic film works, while enhancing the experience Macao has to offer as an international city and showing to the world the city’s diverse new dynamic of cultural and creative development.

In this edition of IFFAM, famous Hong Kong Director Peter Chan will be Jury President of the Competition; acclaimed best actress of Chinese films, Carina Lau, and famous Korean star Suho will be Talent Ambassadors; Wang Xiaoshuai (China), Kim Yong-Hwa (Korea) and Karan Johar (India) will be Festival Ambassadors.

In addition, the Film Festival will feature a new competition “Shorts” this year, whereas five new accolades including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress will be conferred to commend prominent filmmakers of Chinese films in “New Chinese Cinema”.

Organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA), the Film Festival is committed to become a major gathering for international filmmakers to enhance cultural exchange, while putting forward Asian film talent and film works onto the global stage. Many eminent film stars were invited to join IFFAM as Talent Ambassadors in the past editions, including (in chronological order) Jang Keun-Suk, Rhydian Vaughan, Jeremy Renner, Donnie Yen, Miriam Yeung, Doh Kyung-Soo (D.O.), Nicolas Cage, Aaron Kwok, and Lim Yoon A.

For more information about the 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao, please visit: http://www.iffamacao.com/

'Ho Jaa Awara': Watch It for Karan Deol-Sahher Bambba's Crackling Chemistry

Days after the teaser of Karan Deol’s debut movie Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas went online, the makers of the film have released the first song, Ho Jaa Awara from the film. Sung by Ash King and Monali Thakur, the song is composed by music director Tanishk Bagchi. The song has been penned by Siddharth and Garima. The song shows Karan Deol and Sahher Bambba driving around mountains.

Released on Monday, August 19, 2019, the song Ho Jaa Awara has been shot in various locales of Himachal Pradesh, including Kaza, Tabo, Spiti Valley and Khyber. Sunny took to Twitter to share the news about the song release. Calling it ‘a song that celebrates limitless love and the break-free spirit within us’, Sunny wrote, “A song that will make you want to set yourself free! Enjoy the break-free spirit with #HoJaaAwara, the first song from #PalPalDilKePaas!”

The song shows off the chemistry between Karan and Sahher in a romantic setting. The duo visits monasteries and dances among herds of sheep in the song, enjoying every moment.

The movie Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which stars Karan Deol, the son of actor-politician Sunny Deol, in the lead role, is set in Himachal Pradesh. The movie revolves around a love story with essence of finding the emotion for the first time, with all its innocence, doubts and the complexities. Directed by Sunny Deol, the movie is set to hit the theatres on September 20.

Sara Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan start rehearsing with Ganesh Acharya

Sara Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan have completed the first Bangkok schedule of their upcoming film 'Coolie No. 1'. While several pictures from the sets have been making rounds on the internet, Varun took to Instagram to share another picture.
The talented actor can be seen posing with his co-star Sara and ace choreographer Ganesh Acharya.
 The leading duo can be seen twinning in yellow and black as they pose for the camera with the charismatic dance teacher. This picture surely proves that Sara and Varun are currently rehearsing for a dance number with Ganesh Acharya.
The film 'Coolie No. 1' is the remake of the original 1995 film of the same title which starred Govinda and Karishma Kapoor in lead roles. The film is slated to release on May 2020.

Nora Fatehi's golden run in Bollywood

Not only did Nora Fatehi kill it in a golden dress on Kapil Sharma's show, but she is literally turning out to be the golden gal in Bollywood. Everything she touches seems to turn to gold - be it her dance numbers or acting or making appearances on television. She has not only wowed everyone with her looks, but her stunning dance moves on the screen. While there may be extreme reactions to remix of old songs like 'Dilbar' and 'Saki', everyone is unanimous about Nora's dances. When she danced to a mash-up of these numbers on Kapil's show, she got a standing ovation for performing difficult steps so effortlessly.
Nora is happy that she's also getting appreciation for her role in the recently released 'Batla House'. She is is thrilled because she does not want to be known as only an item girl. The actress, in an interview to a daily, had made it clear that she that though she is not from India, she is in for the long haul in Bollywood. She reportedly has been working hard on improving her acting skills and language. 'Batla House' is not exactly her first acting film role, but she feels indebted to filmmaker Nikkhil Advani for giving an opportunity to act in a big-ticket film.

Mission Mangal starcast

Radio City 91.1FM Mumbai was engulfed in a flurry of activity on 8th August as the Mission Mangal starcast - Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Tapsee Pannu, and Nithya Menon, graced the Radio City studio to discuss their much-awaited film with Mumbai's favorite RJ duo Salil and Archana. Radio City is the official radio partner for the movie which chronicles the real-life story of the Indian Space Research Organisation's Mars Orbiter Mission. The talented cast were on-air with Salil and Archana on their popular breakfast show ‘Kasa Kai Mumbai’ which airs Monday- Saturday,7:00am -12:00pm. The duo, who have been ruling the airwaves together for a decade now, asked the ensemble cast about their experience while shooting together, the bonhomie and camaraderie they share, fun anecdotes from the sets, and their expectations from the film.Mission Mangal, directed by Jagan Shakti and featuring Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari, and Sharman Joshi, is all set to take off on 15th August 2019.

Jabariya Jodi - Parineeti Chopra's and Sidharth Malhotra's dance performance....

Parineeti Chopra’s and Sidharth Malhotra’s rocking performance at Tashan Nites  Over 12000 people enjoyed the live musical performances.
Tashan Nites, the on-ground and on-air property of India’s number No.1 Punjabi music channel 9X Tashan, was a huge success. Held at Chandigarh University, this mega musical concert was attended by over 12000 people on Wednesday, 24th July 2019. Presented by Colors and Powered by Garnier Black Naturals, Tashan Nites was attended by the starcast of Jabariya Jodi - Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra. Musical performances by Punjabi singers like Kulwinder Billa, Shipra Goyal, R. Nait, Himmat Sandhu, and SpotlampE.com’s music talent Viruss, enthralled the viewers.
Siddharth and Parineeti performed on the latest tracks - Khadke Glassy and Zilla Hilela, from Jabariya Jodi which got the audiences in high spirits. The stars were so overwhelmed by the audience response that they got down from the stage and started dancing with their fans. Despite rains the audience was dancing and grooving to the performances by Kulwinder Billa, Shipra Goyal R Nait and Himmat Sandhu.
Commenting on Tashan Nites property, Himanshu Gupta, Programming Head, 9X Tashan, said: “Tashan Nites is one of the most happening event wherein the best of Punjabi singers and Bollywood stars connect with their fans. We have received an overwhelming response from the audiences and the clients for the property. The current Tashan Nites was a huge hit with the audience. I would like to thank all our partners, singers and the amazing Jabariya Jodi for making the Tashan Nites a roaring success.”
Held across North India on a regular basis, Tashan Nites are also aired on 9X Tashan for viewers who are unable to attend the on-ground event. Tashan Nites have been an apt platform for budding singers and music composers to showcase their talent. Besides Punjabi Music singers, Tashan Nites is also a favourite with Bollywood celebrities. Hindi film stars such as Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Jimmy Shegill, Kangana Ranauat, Sunny Leone, Sonakshi Sinha etc. have been a part of Tashan Nites while promoting their movies in the Punjab and Haryana Region.
Tashan Nites is promoted on air, across social media and digital platforms of 9X Tashan. Punjab’s leading Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar was the Print Partner and BIG FM was the Radio Partner for Tashan Nites.
The 4 hour-long Tashan Nites event will be packaged into a special one-hour episode capturing the highlights of the evening. This special episode will be aired on 9X Tashan on 10^th August at 7 pm with repeat telecast on 11^th August at 12 pm and 7 pm and on 12^th August at 8 pm.

Introducing 'The Projector Man'

The Projector Man is 9XO’s unique take on the latest Hollywood movies. Wanna know if the latest Hollywood movie is worth a watch? Will it be a hit or a miss? All such questions will be answered by 9XO’s Projector Man. A unique animated character, the projector Man, gives the viewers a humourous take on the latest Hollywood movies. Launched in June 2019; this weekly show reviews the latest and upcoming Hollywood movies. Created by the in house content team of 9XO, the Projector man entertains the viewers with rib-tickling insights and projections on the movie, the star cast and the movie’s plot. Speaking on the new show Clyde D&#39;Souza, Programming Head 9XM and 9XO said “Besides letting viewers discover great music, 9XO also provides the viewers with great insights on the latest gadgets, updates on the popular music artists, etc. Our viewers who are digitally connected and active across social platforms have appreciated our content offerings. The Projector Man’s movie reviews in his own quirky style will definitely resonate
with the viewers.” Projector man is promoted across social media and digital platforms on 9XO. Catch the latest episode of The Projector Man every week only on 9XO!

Varun Dhawan Geared to Groove Again 

Just when you thought you’ve seen the best of hip-hop in India, Breezer and Only Much Louder (OML) will set the floor on fire once again with Season 3 of Breezer Vivid Shuffle. The competition kick-started with a colourful bang at a ‘Secret Cypher’ hosted by Varun Dhawan in Mumbai on Wednesday night, at an exclusive party that saw several faces from the hip-hop scene. With performances by Naezy, MC Altaf and Spin Doctor, Varun Dhawan officially launched India’s biggest hip-hop dance festival that will take place across the country along with an international qualifier, over the next 3 months.

Going strong in season 3, Breezer Vivid Shuffle will be going to 11 cities this year. With one international round taking place in Bangkok, Breezer is taking it up a notch with its mission to discover the different colours of the hip-hop scene. Furthermore, participants in each of these cities will have the chance to learn from the best in the business, through ten special workshops conducted by acclaimed dancers from across India. After 3 months of qualifiers, the season’s ‘Final Battle’ will take over Famous Studios in Mumbai in September. The winning talent will bag a cash prize of INR 1 million, and get the opportunity to be mentored by the industry’s finest dancers, along with a chance to perform at some major national platforms, such as Bacardi NH7 Weekender.

“Through Breezer Vivid Shuffle, we have witnessed remarkable artists from across the country pushing the boundaries of their talent and the genre as a whole. They have become part of a disruptive movement that continues to experiment and set global standards within India, where the hip-hop culture has exploded in the last couple of years, with brands like Breezer rooting for rising stars. This season we are thrilled to announce that Breezer Vivid Shuffle is expanding its horizons with four more cities in India along with an international qualifier.” said Anshuman Goenka, Director Marketing, Bacardi India Pvt Ltd

However, the crazy fun does not stop at the ‘Final Battle’. The most exciting feature of the platform is the annual Breezer Vivid music video, which will feature Varun Dhawan, Breezer Vivid Shuffle winners and some of hip-hop’s biggest names.

Varun Dhawan whose movie ‘Street Dancer’ will be releasing soon said “In the awesome two years that I’ve been a part of Breezer Vivid Shuffle, I’ve witnessed some incredible talent from across the country. Hip-hop has always been very close to me and these artists inspire me to take my love for hip-hop to the next level with movies like Street Dancer. This year again, I’m super pumped to groove with these artists who know exactly how to live life in colour, through dance.”

The competition includes 4 categories – ‘Breaking’, ‘Popping’, ‘All styles’ and ‘Rep your style’, that encourage other dance forms in tandem with hip-hop. Over the last two seasons, the competition has seen more than 2300 participants with last year’s winners being Tornado (Breaking), Popcorn (Popping), Same Age Crew (Rep Your Style) and Polestar (Crew). Breezer Vivid Shuffle will come alive in the following cities: Shillong, Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Bangkok, Bhopal, Indore and Mumbai.  With a mix of dance battle editions and cyphers across each of the 11 cities, this promises to be a season like no other.

 Registrations open on 13th June, so stay updated with Breezer Vivid Shuffle on Facebook and Instagram.

Sony Music to unveil the Music of 'Jungle Cry'

Sony Music to unviel Official Film Trailer and Music at the 2019 Festival de Cannes. Global sportswear brand, Adidas, has partnered with the much-awaited sports biopic ‘Jungle Cry’. Based on the lives of 12 underprivileged children from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences in Orissa, ‘Jungle Cry’ follows their triumphant journey to the International Junior Rugby Tournament held in England in 2007.

Adidas, a company that started off with a core vision to support athletes, has always been true to its positioning that is highlighted by the Adidas slogan, “Impossible is Nothing.”The film also takes us through the journey of an underdog team comprising of 12 orphan kids who played sport bare feet, went on to win the Junior Rugby Tournament thus establishing that impossible is nothing.

Leading actor Abhay Deol comments, “Adidas has always been one of my favorite brands. Having the boys and us don Adidas gear was indeed a treat! I fondly remember the boys being very excited to lace up. This is the very spirit of the original underdog teenage tribal heroes from Odisha who won the Rugby World Cup against South Africa... I can alsosay that the same belief holds true for the kids facing the cameras in Jungle Cry. 

Emily Shah, playing the part of Physio, in the film comments, “It has really been a great association. The brand also seamlessly marries into the narrative of the film.The true champion isn’t always the winner but the team with the most guts and right strategy. 

Our story doesn’t define us, our journey does. Being involved in a male dominated sport does take guts and it is a part of my character’s story. The respect and dedication she has to the boys is part of her journey. I strongly believe in ‘Impossible is Nothing’. Societe Generale and rugby: a great story that started 30 years ago which continues today. Rugby embodies the values of Societe Generale’s DNA, such as team spirit or commitment has partnered with Jungle Cry.

Original Soundtrack and Music will be distributed worldwide by Sony Music. The movie is produced under Bollywood Hollywood Production and producer Prashant Shah, Jaswant Singh associate producer Shabbir Boxwala and directed by Sagar Ballary. Jungle Cry is scheduled to be screened at the Tokyo, Japan Rugby World Cup 2019.

Neha Bhasin is a lucky mascot for....

After delivering back to back chartbusters like ‘Jag Ghoomeya’, ‘Swag se Swagat’ and ‘Dil diyan Gallan’ for Ali Abbas Zafar, Neha Bhasin is all set to woo the audiences with her upcoming track ‘Chashni’ from Bharat, another Ali Abbas Zafar directorial. For the uninitiated, Neha sang ‘Dhunki’ as well from Ali’s debut film ‘Mere brother ki Dulhan’ and all their collaborations have resulted in memorable songs. Chashni will be their fifth song together elaborates a source, “With Chashni Ali will be working with Neha Bhasin for the fifth time. All the songs have done exceedingly well and in some ways maybe Neha is a lucky mascot for Ali.” This is also Neha’s fourth track in recent times for Salman Khan, Heeriya from Race 3 being the last one before Chashni. Bharat’s music is hitting the right notes with the listeners and the Chashni reprise track is a beautiful melody rendered in Neha’s inimitable voice.

Pritam to create an Anthem

Ranveer Singh recently shared a picture of himself, Pritam and Director Kabir Khan and stated that the trio is coming together to create an classic anthem for the sports-based film ’83’on his Instagram post he mentions... We got an all-star ???? Pritamda, it’s an honour to be collaborating with you on @83thefilm ???? Let’s make an anthem! Let’s make it iconic!.The film is being produced by himself in collaboration with Madhu Mantena and Vishnu Induri and directed by Kabir Khan, is based on the 1983 world cup that India won under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. Singh, who is playing the role of Dev in the film. The last notable theme song for a Bollywood movie was from 'Race'which was composed by Pritam too..Pritamda we are looking forward to the this theme track becoming an anthem.

Benny Dayal to collaborate with UK band Clean Bandit

Singer Benny Dayal will collaborate with the British music band Clean Bandit as part of Tuborg OPEN, a music platform that will see the star producers go on a journey of musical and cultural discovery.
Read Also:
One can play any kind of music in Bengaluru and still be appreciated, says Benny Dayal
The Grammy Award-winning pop band comprises Grace Chatto and brothers Luke and Jack Patterson. They will join Benny on Thursday and Friday here, according to a statement.

Chatto hopes to learn more about the people and places that inspire Benny's music during the India trip.
Excited about the collaboration, Benny said, "With this collaboration I want to create a track that truly reflects the OPEN for the fun attitude of Indian audiences."
Clean Bandit, known for the song 'Rockabye' and album 'What is love?', will also collaborate on a new track by Benny. It will be released later in the summer.
 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/benny-dayal-to-collaborate-with-uk-band-clean-bandit/articleshow/69326770.cms

Badshah, Armaan Mallik & Zayn Malik in Aladdin

After Avengers:End game 'Aladdin' is one of the anticipated films of the year.This film is based on the fairytale of Aladdin and his Genie but also with a love story of one of the Disney princesses.In the Hindi version of the film, Armaan Mallik will be voicing Aladdin. Also Badshah has Composed, Written and Sung  a special song for the film and has been released by Disney India titled 'Sab Sahi Hai Bro', the song is what we would expect from Badshah and it is about friendship.In the english version Zayn Malik sings 'A whole new world'. The film stars Will Smith as the Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine and Marwan Kenzari as Jafar.'Aladdin' will hit the theatres on May 24.
 

Abbas Zafar's new role and Music of 'Bharat'

The music of the film 'Bharat' has been released and has created quite a buzz.'Bharat'the film marks the third collaboration between the actor-director duo Salman Khan and Ali Abbas Zafar. They had earlier collaborated for films 'Sultan'(2016) and 'Tiger Zinda Hai'(2017). In this filmT Ali Abbas Zafar other than being the director,is making his debut as a Composer and Lyricist with the song 'Zinda', which is also the film’s anthem. The music is scored by Julius Packiam, who is also responsible for the background score of the period-drama and sung by Vishal Dadlani.Vishal-Shekhar have collaborated on the album of the film.

The other songs relesed are 'Slow Motion', 'Chashni', and 'Aithey Aa'.The song 'Aithey Aa'is a wedding song with an extraordinary electronic twist.In the film this song sets Bharat in a groove so he can make his move.Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are at their grooviest on this  dance number composed by Vishal Dadlani & Shekhar Ravjiani and sung by Akasa Singh, Neeti Mohan and Kamaal Khan.'Slow-Motion' is picturised on an exhilarating moment from the younger days of Bharat and sung by Shreya Ghoshal & Nakash Aziz.The song ‘Chashni’is sung in the soulful voice of Abhijeet Srivastava 

The film is produced by Atul Agnihotri and Bhushan Kumar and co-produced by Nikhil Namit. The story is the journey of a man that starts off in 1947 and continues to the present day. “The journey of a man and a nation together,” says the film’s punchline.The film also stars Disha Patani,Tabu, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Grover, Aasif Sheikh, Sonali Kulkarni and Nora Fatehi in supporting roles.'Bharat' releases this Eid, on 5th June, 2019.

A. R. Rahman now Producer, Composer & Writer

99 Songs is an  Indian romantic musical film where A. R. Rahman has not only composed the original score and songs and also co-written and produced the film. Directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, the film is a sensual story about art and self-discovery of a struggling singer who wants to be a successful Music Composer,starring Ehan Bhat and Edilsy Varghas in the lead roles. A.R.Rahman said film does not have 99 number of songs. Movie will have 14-15 tracks including Hindi, Tamil & Telugu languages. 

The movie took shape in June 2015, under Y. M. Movies, A. R. Rahman had signed advertising filmmaker director Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy to direct his first music-based feature film. The film was titled 99 Songs and the plot would be musically-laden, with film score by Rahman and also penned the script for the first time in his career.The film would have a love story inclined to art, passion and realizing one's true capabilities.The supporting cast will have international musicians and actors.The casting of the film has been done by casting director Mukesh Chhabra.

A. R. Rahman said he has been working on the soundtrack for 4-5 years, & soundtrack features some international artists including Zayn Malik. Lyrics for songs had been given by Navneet Virk.In a tweet Keba Jeremiah confirmed that he has played some instruments for Background Score. Randy Kerber who did some score for La La Land (film), has played some instruments for Background Score A. R. Rahman said he will going to release the Soundtrack very soon and the movie is set to release on 21 June 2019.

B-town celebrities join National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic #DebrisTrackerChallenge

As part of National Geographic’s multi-year global initiative Planet or Plastic?, a women led team of experts is documenting movement of plastic waste from source to sea along the River Ganga in Bangladesh and India. To enable participation from individuals to support the on-going research, National Geographic is urging individuals to join the #DebrisTrackerChallenge, using the Marine Debris Tracker app, which allows individuals to collect the plastic trash and track the items that are being collected.

The #DebrisTrackerChallenge has witnessed support from some of the country’s most celebrated personalities such as Sonu Sood, Neha Dhupia, Ali Asgar, Chetan Bhagat and Moni Roy, among others who collected and tracked plastic items in the Marine Debris Tracker app while plogging – a growing exercise trend that is good for both, environment and individuals’ health. These personalities showed support to the cause on the social media, and further encouraged their followers to keep the environment clean while promoting fitness.

To join the movement, download the Marine Debris Tracker App on Android and iOS and take the challenge

Co-designed by National Geographic’s global explorer, Jenna R. Jambeck, the Marine Debris Tracker is an open-data citizen-science tool to track footprint of global plastic litter. The app is used to compile global data on the amount, distribution and type of debris observed or collected by users. The user simply needs to download the app and capture data by adding the waste to the database while enabling public involvement.  The app is available on Android and iOS. This information gathered using the app is helping build a better picture of marine debris around the world, which could help inform strategies and policies to combat the problem.

Salman Khan to launch Dabangg 3 music album before the trailer

Salman Khan is lovingly known as Bollywood’s Bhaijaan. The superstar is gearing up for his December release Dabangg 3 and we’ve got some fresh news about the same. According to reports in a leading portal, Salman wants to change the way every film goes about releasing their posters, trailer and then songs. However, even before the release of the trailer, Salman is keen on launching the music album of the film.

Salman’s Dabangg 3 also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Kichcha Sudeep and Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter Saiee. The film is set to hit the theatres on December 20 this year and will apparently have a storyline with several flashbacks of the life of Chulbul Pandey. 

seeing the music from the first two Dabangg films, we can’t wait to listen to the album of the third instalment. Songs like Pandeyji Seeti and Mast Mast Nain and more were hits from the previous films. Now, we can’t wait to see what Khan has in store for fans with Dabangg 3’s music album. Dabangg 3 will also launch Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter, Saiee in Bollywood. It also stars Arbaaz Khan and Kichcha Sudeep in pivotal roles. Directed by Prabhudheva, Dabangg 3 is slated to release in multiple languages.

Akshay Kumar unveils Ek Chumma song teaser,

Akshay Kumar has shared the first song for his upcoming film Housefull 4, titled Ek Chumma. It also features Riteish Deshmukh, Kriti Sanon, Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde and Kriti Kharbanda.

Phehle trailer ne dhamaal machaaya, ab Ek Chumma nachayega," claimed Akshay Kumar as he announced the release date of the first song from his upcoming film, Housefull 4. The song, titled Ek Chumma, is shot entirely in London and features all the six leads of the film 

The leading ladies, which include Kriti Sanon, Kriti Kharbanda and Pooja Hegde appear in the opening shot of the teaser video of Ek Chumma. Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Bobby Deol are donning Scottish uniforms and are playing the bagpipes in the song.

In the 19-second video of the song teaser, Akshay is seen kissing Pooja while Bobby kisses Kriti (Sanon), and they both get slapped by them. As Riteish enters in the next scene, Akshay and Bobby grab him and plant kisses on both his cheeks.

The trailer of Housefull 4, which was scheduled to release at 1 pm on September 28, was leaked online. Akshay had later shared the official trailer on social media.

Sonakshi Sinha trolled on Twitter

Sonakshi Sinha being targeted by the social media trolls on Saturday morning, just a day after she made an appearance on the popular TV quiz show kaun banega crorepati 11.  The reason - the actress failed to answer a Ramayana related question that was asked during the show. Sonakshi was the special guest on KBC Karamveer episode, where she extended her support to social activist Ruma Devi. The duo managed to win a whopping prize money of Rs. 12,50,000. However, what caught the Internet's attention the most was the fact that Sonakshi didn't know the answer to a Ramayana related question. The question asked during the show was, "According to Ramayana, Hanuman fetched the Sanjeevani herb for whom?" Sonakshi, who wasn't quite sure of the right answer, guessed Sita and Ram at first. However, she finally resorted to Ask The Expert helpline to get the right answer (which was Lakshman).

A section of the Internet wasn't very impressed with Sonakshi's lack of general knowledge and shared several memes on Twitter. The hashtag '#YoSonakshiSoDumb' has been trending incessantly on Twitter.

Sonakshi Sinha also twitted to saying that

Dear jaage hue trolls.I don't even remember the Pythagoras theorem,Merchant of Venice,Periodic Table,Chronology of the Mughal Dynasty,aur kya kya yaad nahi woh bhi yaad nahi. Agar aapke paas koi kaam nahi aur Itna time hai toh please yeh sab pe bhi memes banao na. I love memes

Armaan Malik releases his first heartbreak song Tootey Khaab

Armaan Malik has given us romantic songs like Bol do na zara, Sab tera, Wajah tum ho, Pehla pyaar from Kabir Singh and many more that have become quite popular among the audience. The singer is now coming up with his first heartbreak song, Tootey khaab in association with T-Series this month. The music single is composed by the duo Kunaal-Rangon with lyrics penned by Kunaal Vermaa. Directed by Shabby, the music video will also feature Malik.

Talking about Tootey khaab, Bhushan Kumar says, "Armaan is the youngest and one of the most successful artists that we have on our label. Having carved a niche for himself with romantic tracks, he is going to surprise us with the depth and pain that he has brought to the fore with his singing in Tootey khaab. What he’s achieved through this song is truly a mark of a versatile artiste. He is bound to move you with this song.”

Armaan says, "After Aaja na ferrari mein and Ghar se nikalte hi, I wanted to challenge myself and go a step further. I’ve never sung a proper breakup song and I was in search of an emotional track that depicted that melancholy in the most honest way possible. When I heard Tootey khaab from Kunaal and Rangon, I immediately knew this was going to be my next single. It’s from the heart and I’m sure it will instantly resonate with the youth.”

The song along with the music video will be officially launched soon on T-Series.

Shraddha Kapoor teases her fans with 'Fikar Not'

After keeping the fans intrigued and waiting for a long time, the makers of ‘Chhichhore’ unveiled the trailer of the Sushant Singh Rajput and Shraddha Kapoor starrer recently. Now, the makers are all set to introduce their first song to the audience. Teasing her fans with the upcoming song, Shraddha Kapoor shared a video of the song without the audio and announced that the song will be unveiled soon. Titked, ‘Fikar Not’, the song is touted to be a college anthem and it is sure to strike a chord with the audience.

Link for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsxemFX0a7k

Extreme Nation

Extreme Nation is a personal, cinematic journey to analyze years of evolution of what people call “the devil’s music”. Shot over a timespan of four years and above, this feature length film delves deep into the lives of those who are die-hard beacons and irrepressible spirits of the subculture, unfolding an awe-inspiring anthology of the emergence of metal underground in the Indian subcontinent. Since time immemorial, mainstream namely popular music in the form of film soundtracks, has been the mainstay in the Indian subcontinent as calibrated by numerous radio plays and record sales.
The project was selected to be presented to national and global commissioners and broadcasters at documentary film forum and workshop - Docedge 2016, Kolkata. Also successfully crowdfunded on Wishberry in 2017 as one of selected projects at The Goa Project 2017.
"It took me five years of traveling across the Indian subcontinent documenting intricate stories of the underground music subculture spanning India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka." said  Roy Dipankar The film delves into known and unknown territories related to music, history, geopolitics, ethnographic and relevant humanitarian issues in a musical way. It's a film about nations and dark music. It's a cinematic journey with measured ounces of robust fun & critique of our times - a loud and clear message against hate, new wave nationalism, religious dogma, border conflict with abrasive and shock-inflicting music, imagery and art.
Abot the movie:
A die hard underground music fan embarks upon a journey across countries, cities & towns of the Indian subcontinent, viz. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, unravelling a gripping tale of diverse and equally discordant but well connected nexus of a volatile & extreme subculture. This is harsh music and lifestyle, emerging from a region steeped in common history & geo-political strife, that reveals a scathing commentary of our times.

Currently it is being showcased at film festivals globally, selections and awards so far:
'Honourable Jury Mention' at Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival.
Jecheon international Music & Film Festival, South Korea (World Premiere).
Wacken Open Air 2019, Germany.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello release joint Single...

Grammy nominated, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes and Grammy nominated Cuban born multi-platinum singer/songwriter Camila Cabello reunite for their fiery new single, “Señorita,” via Island Records. The song was written by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello alongside Andrew Watt, Benny Blanco, Ali Tamposi, Charli XCX, Jack Patterson, and Cashmere Cat. “Señorita” was produced by Andrew Watt & Benny Blanco, with additional production by Cashmere Cat.To coincide with the new single, Shawn and Camila also released the official music video for “Señorita”, directed by Dave Meyers. 
About Shawn Mendes

Grammy nominated Toronto born multi-platinum singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes released his highly anticipated self-titled third album in May 2018. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart as well as multiple additional worldwide markets, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Holland & more and shot to #1 on iTunes in more than 80 countries immediately upon release. The album became one of the top best-selling album debuts of 2018 and made Shawn the third youngest solo artist to ever have three consecutive #1 albums. Shawn was nominated in two categories for the 61st annual GRAMMY® Awards, including “Song of the Year” for “In My Blood” and “Best Pop Vocal Album” for Shawn Mendes. Leading up to the album, he released multiple tracks including “Youth” Featuring Khalid, “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan.” Both “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan” experienced massive success, soaring to the #1 and #2 spots on the overall iTunes chart in the U.S, Top 5 on iTunes in over 50 countries, and held the #1 and #2 spots on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist. With “In My Blood,” Shawn became the first artist to ever have four #1 singles at AC radio before the age of 20.

Most recently, Shawn debuted his new single, “If I Can’t Have You,” at #1 on iTunes and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song currently sits within the top 10 at Top 40 and Hot AC radio and marks Shawn’s biggest debut to date with more than 30 million streams globally on the first day. Since then, the song has garnered 350 million global streams and 100 million video views. With “If I Can’t Have You,” Shawn became the third artist in history to ever close the Pop panel first week with 184 stations across the country reporting. In April 2017, Shawn released his 3x Platinum hit “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” The track scored Shawn his second #1 single at Top 40 radio and on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, joining his 7x Platinum single “Stitches.” Throughout his career, Shawn has achieved 3 consecutive #1 album debuts, 2 platinum albums, and 8 consecutive platinum and multi-platinum singles. Worldwide, he has sold over 16 million albums, 135 million singles, and has amassed over 20 billion song streams and 6 billion YouTube views. Shawn has completed two sold-out world tours with over one million tickets sold, selling out legendary stadiums and arenas including NYC’s Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena in minutes. On his upcoming tour, Shawn Mendes: The Tour, he sold out his first ever stadium show in minutes at Rogers Centre in his hometown of Toronto. The tour began in March 2019, with over 100 dates announced across the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Australia/New Zealand. He topped Billboard’s “21 Under 21” in 2017 and 2018 and has been featured on Forbes “30 Under 30,” Spotify’s “25 Under 25,” and Time Magazine’s “Time 100 Most Influential”. In February 2018, ROI Influencer Media recognized Shawn as the #1 Most Influential Artist and #1 Most Influential Teen across all social media platforms. 

Multi Grammy nominated Cuban born singer/songwriter Camila Cabello (Epic Records / SYCO) released her debut solo album, CAMILA in January 2018 to rave reviews. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart at the same time as her single “Havana” Reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Camila the first solo artist in nearly 15 years to reach the #1 spot on the Hot 100, Billboard 200 and Artist 100 charts in the same week. The RIAA platinum-certified album, CAMILA, launched its debut at #1 on 110 iTunes charts around the world, breaking the record for most #1 positions for a debut album in iTunes history. Camila also became the #1 artist on global Spotify. At the end of 2018, Camila was nominated for two Grammy awards, “Best Pop Vocal Album” for her album, CAMILA, and “Best Pop Solo Performance” for “Havana” (Live). She took home awards for Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for her hit “Havana” at the 2018 Video Music Awards. She also tied Taylor Swift as the most awarded artist at the 2018 American Music Awards bringing home four awards. Beginning her official solo career after four years in Fifth Harmony, Camila released her RIAA 9x platinum smash hit “Havana,” in August 2017 where it obtained the #1 spot on the pop radio chart, marking her second top 40 #1 as a solo artist. Furthermore, “Havana” hit #1 on iTunes overall top songs chart, #2 on the Spotify Global chart and hit #1 in 80 countries around the world. “Havana” is the first song by a female artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, Pop Songs and Rhythmic Songs charts in 22 years, it has earned over 1.1 billion on-demand U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music, and attained the longest run at No. 1 on Pop Songs for any song by a female artist since 2013. Havana became the most streamed song of all time by a female artist and was the number one song of 2018 globally. Her triple-platinum single “Never Be The Same,” was released in January 2018 and peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Camila became the first artist in history to have two multi-format number one singles as the first two singles from their debut album.  Camila had previously earned a chart-topping smash with her recent double platinum-certified hit “Bad Things” with MGK. The track generated over 400 million on-demand streams. As a result of its success, she became the fifth female artist to hit #1 on the Pop songs chart with and without a group. In November 2018, Camila was named the new ambassador for Save the Children.
 

Vipin looking out for Love...

Vipin Patwa is a music composer taking huge strides in Bollywood. He is one of the emerging music directors of Hindi films from the current crop of composers in the industry. He shot to fame with his compositions in Bombay Diaries and Main Aur Charles, Laali Ke Shaadi Mein Laddoo Deewana. He also made a huge mark with his song "Sehmi Hai Dhadkan" from the film Daas Dev. His last release was "Auliya" from the film Hum Chaar under Rajshri productions. Vipin Patwa's song "Vaddi Sharaban" from the very anticipated film "DE DE Pyaar DE" has started off with a bang. The song is a party track sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and shot on Ajay Devgan and Rakulpreet Singh. The song is the first song to be out from the album and already the number are looking good for the song "Vaddi Sharaban". The lyrics of the song is penned by Kumaar.

Vipin Patwa, born in Uttar Pradesh to a business family was brought up in Delhi. He started working on his passion for music at the age of 14 when he would spend endless evenings practicing the ragas of music while his friends played cricket outside. He learned music from Pandit Harish Tiwari of the Kirana Gharana. He finished his graduation and post-graduation in Indian classical music and also secured an M Phil. degree in music from Delhi University. His M’Phil was on Ghazals and their origins and growth, and to their present existence in today’s society. Along with this, he has also finished his six-year course “Sangeet Prabhakar” which is a prestigious music qualification.

In 2002, he joined All India Radio (AIR) as a music composer and began composing jingles and songs for the radio station. After that, he composed many theme songs and promotional songs for the Congress party. In January 2009, he made his big move to the city of dreams, Mumbai, holding in his hand one dream, to make music for Bollywood movies. 

Vipin got his first break with Joe Rajan’s Luv U Soniyo. He recorded with the top Bollywood singers like Sonu Nigam, Mika, KK, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan and much more. Vipin Patwa has also given his voice in the movie Ye Stupid Pyar (2012) besides his Music direction to the same movie. Sonu Nigam, one of Bollywood's most talented and recognized singer has praised Vipin as a composer as well as a singer. Sonu Nigam also called him "Vilakshan". Many known celebs have complimented Vipin's compositions and called him an immense bundle of talent.

Madhuri now to sing

Madhuri Dixit, who won our hearts with her dance moves and acting skills and now is all set to release her album. The actress will be singing English pop songs. Madhuri'will now come up with her own album which includes a mix of songs which would be in the Pop  category.
Talking about the same, she said: "This is the first time I am exploring singing on a professional level. It has been a while since we were ready with the album. However, due to other commitments, we did not get the time to shoot for the videos," . It is important to have a video to go with the song. "It's an English album with six songs. Although each song has a different flavour, they all belong in the realm of pop music," added Madhuri. However, Madhuri is no stranger to recording studio. She lent her voice to a song in her 2014 film Gulaab Gang along with mom Snehlata Dixit. While Rangi Sari Gulabi in Gulaab Gang was a classical song. All the best Madhuri Dixit Nene.

Avengers: Endgame connection with A.R. Rahman...

Marvel India got Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman to create an anthem for the release of Avengers: Endgame specifically for the Indian market. The film is touted to be the last film from the Avengers franchise, starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Josh Brolin in key roles.  Avengers: Endgame is scheduled for a worldwide release on April 26th, 2019. The anthem will be released in three languages, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. In a statement released by the ace Music Composer, he stated that the anthem will be released on April 1st. On being asked about his experience.he said, "Being surrounded by Marvel fans in my own family, there was too much pressure to come with something really satisfying and apt for Avengers: Endgame. I hope Marvel aficionados and Music lovers enjoy the track.".

Meet Bros collaborate with the Bohemia

Meet Bros are coming up with a new single,'Assi Trendsetter'. The song is set to release on April 12, under the flagship of their music label. Assi Trendsetter is a Punjabi pop song about being proud of being desi/Punjabi. Sung by Meet Bros aka Manmeet and Harmeet Singh, the track also features the Punjabi rap sensation Bohemia, rapping in his signature style. The song is in Punjabi and English, and the lyrics have been penned by Kumaar.
Talking about the song, Harmeet says, "It is the first time we are collaborating with Bohemia. For our channel, it is important for us to come up with original songs and this one is a banger."
Manmeet adds, "Bohemia’s rap beautifully adds zing to the high-octane number and keeping pace with him was fun. The music video of our single was shot in Turkey, which gives the video an exotic vibe, Our energies were tapped beautifully on the camera."

Rock Star in Real Life now...

Aditya Roy Kapur played the lead role of a Rockstar in the top-grossing musical romance Aashiqui 2 (2013), which was his first commercial success. It also marked a turning point in his career, garnering him various acting awards and nominations at several award ceremonies.
The star seems to have taken his role too seriously, apart from acting, he also sings as well.He says  “Music was a part of my life even before acting happened. But I mostly play my guitar only for myself and sometimes when jamming with my friends. I write songs and there is a definite need to express myself through my Music. While I am busy now, in six months I will have some time to explore other things, which is when I will be working on my album,”. Taking his love for music a step further, he is set to perform on stage as part of a musical tour in the US, will also feature filmmaker Karan Johar,  Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Katrina Kaif and Aditya, among others.  Aditya will play the guitar, and will also sing on stage. Aditya has hired professional to help and train him with his singing. He spends some time daily on his vocal training. This will be Aditya's first stage performance, and he is very excited about it.

Wedding bells for Farhan Akhtar.

Farhan Akhtar the Singer/Actor,who started his career with the movie 'Rock On' in 2008 has had great success since then  having won National and Filmfare awards for his films 'Rock On',  'Zindagi na Milegi Dobara' in 2011, 'Bhaag Mikha Bhaag' in 2013.and Shibani Dandekar Singer, Model and host of the Music Reality show the'The Voice'. Farhan-Shibani are one of the hottest couples of B-town and are all set to take their relationship to the next level by tying the knot around April-May this year.

They have been spotted hand-in-hand at award functions, family get-togethers, ramp shows and many more events. Farhan has recently flooding his Instagram handle with lovey-dovey pictures of sweetheart Shibani Dandekar revealed in a chat show that he is planning to get married. Recently a report stated that the duo has already exchanged the rings and has already begun preparing for the big day. They are on a lookout for wedding planners and caterers for their wedding, said the report. They are also zeroing out for a destination to tie the knot.

Farhan is all set to collaborate with his Bhaag Milkha Bhaag director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra once again. The duo will be working together on a boxing drama titled Toofan. Farhan will also be seen in Priyanka Chopra starrer The Sky Is Pink. No news of Shibani's future plans but we would like to see her continue hosting 'The Voice', where according to the viewers she is the best part of the show.

Ranveer Singh sets up a Music Label.

After the success of Gully Boy, Ranveer Singh has now taken up upon himself to make Hip Hop huge in India. He has launched his Independent Music Label IncInk , releasing his first single and music video Zeher by Kaam Bhaari. He is a real Hip-Hopper in Gully Boy the Zoya Akhtar fim one of his biggest hits, he has Rapped and lent his voice to a few songs. After he signed Gully boy, his passion for Music grew stronger, he joined hands with Filmmaker and Musician Navzar Eranee and has started this grand project. Ranveer is always vocal about his thoughts, he said "We are first starting with launching some really raw, immensely talented, new Rap and Hip-Hop artists who we believe will be the next superstars of the scene. Rap and Hip-Hop are the biggest things happening in Indian Music today, This poetry is speaking of a revolution, it is speaking of how India is protesting against class structures, injustice, and social atrocities. It is the voice of India, from the country’s streets that you just can’t ignore anymore. Hindustani Rap/Hip-Hop is telling our nation’s story and reality and we, at IncInk, want to bring out the real poets of our generation."
Ranveer has signed, Kaam Bhaari, SlowCheeta and Spitfire to promote their talent through IncInk. He admitted that he is a big fan of the works by these three artists and wants them to come up with more through IncInk. 

A Teen Night Out!

Crescendo Music  &  Films has joined hands with KSM Film Productions to produce India’s first Teen Thriller. The film has been co-produced by Spotlights Creation and is being distributed by Utopia Studios, worldwide. “1978” is a racy, supernatural, terrifying, suspense story that promises keep the hearts of its viewers thumping, right from the beginning till the last scene.

1978 has been directed by Aziz Zee and it features a bunch of young teenage actors who have performed amazingly well. Yash Rajpara, Apurva  Godbole, Gaurav Sharma, Vaishnavi  Kadam,  Rishabh Raj, Muskaan Tomar, Sunny Yadav,  Rohit Mugallu, Maliha Malla.  The film also features renowned TV actress Sonyaa and singer Abuzar Akhtar.

While the songs are completely composed with a retro feel of the 70s, the USP of the film is that all the songs are actually sung by the actors of the film. By sheer coincidence , during auditions,  Suresh Thomas of Crescendo films discovered that some of the actors are brilliant singers. He then decided to create the entire music score using the voices of the actors themselves. This is possibly the first time this has ever been done in any Hindi Film.

Kunal  Shamshare  Malla states , “1978 is a brilliantly made slick horror thriller which is Hollywood films of the same genre.”

Director Aziz Zee says, “With films like Stree , Pari and Ghoul  being widely appreciated , we can be sure that “1978” is bound to draw crowds to theatres. “

Re-live  1978 with a dash of Horror