Zarina Wahab to feature in music video on motherhood
Mumbai–Actress Zarina Wahab, the mother of actor Sooraj Pancholi, has featured in a music video titled “With Love Maa”. The song, a dedication to motherhood, will be unveiled on Tuesday. The music video is directed by actor Rajith Menon, and Ranjith Unni has composed music for it. Sapthavarna has sung the Hindi version and Shwetha Mohan has crooned the Tamil version, both of which will be released online by Times Music.
“It’s a dedication to motherhood,” Rajith, who will be seen in Sameer Iqbal Patel’s upcoming comedy film ‘Hotel Beautfiool’, said in a statement. Talking about the film, he said: “While dubbing of the film, I enjoyed my scenes a lot and I feel the audience will enjoy it too considering I watched it in a raw stage… The film will create a laugh riot.” The film’s director is all praise for Rajith.
“Rajith is a very promising, talented, hard-working guy and has done a great job in the film. I wish him all the luck for his music video as a director,” he said. “Hotel Beautifool”, also featuring Johnny Lever, Brijendra Kala, Rohit Khurana and Imam Siddique, is in the post production stage. It will hit the screens on April 1.
Why blame cinema for violence, rape, asks Javed Akhtar
Kolkata–Veteran lyricist-scriptwriter Javed Akhtar on Monday came down heavily on the view that cinema spreads violence and criticised the trend of connecting incidences of rape to cinema. “Our violence is caste-based, economic-based. I am not defending cinema. I am telling you let us not have a wrong diagnosis of a national problem because we will not be able to correct it then,” Akhtar said at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.
He was asked by an audience member on the impact of the ‘angry young man’ image of megastar Amitabh Bachchan, created by Akhtar and Salim Khan (of the duo Salim-Javed). “This is a fallacy, an excuse to think that cinema is spreading violence. There is no sociological study or survey which says how cinema influences society,” he stressed.
Backing his claim, Akhtar said: “In places where there are less theatres, there is more violence. So how can we believe cinema is spreading violence in the society?” The Sahitya Akademi awardee attributed the “clash of civilisation within our society” due to immigration to a culture shock for some. “There is lot of immigration in the cities.
Priyanka celebrates Padma Shri honour with mother in Montreal
New Delhi–Monday morning turned out to be exceptionally bright and beautiful for actress Priyanka Chopra in Montreal when she woke up to the news of the government naming her for the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour. She says the fact that she’s an Indian Army officer’s daughter makes it “extremely special”. “What a fabulous January to begin my year with,” Priyanka told IANS over phone from Montreal, where she has been living to fulfil her shooting commitments for American TV show “Quantico”.
“I’m a daughter of an Army man, and so the feeling to get this civilian award is extremely special,” she added. Her father, the late Lt. Col. Ashok Chopra was a doctor and had retired from the Indian Army in 1997. Priyanka was extremely close to him and even sports a ‘Daddy’s lil girl’ tattoo on her wrist. As much as she was missing her father, Priyanka was glad that her mother Madhu Chopra woke her up with the news of the Padma Shri in Montreal.
“I am so happy… My mother woke me up with this wonderful news, and we’ve had a little celebration here,” said the National Award winning actress, adding that her mother had joined her in Montreal earlier this month ahead of the People’s Choice Awards where Priyanka became the first South Asian actress to win an honour.
State censorship bizarre: Zoya Akhtar
Kolkata–Bollywood filmmaker Zoya Akhtar on Monday termed the state censoring a piece of work as “bizarre” and called for stricter law enforcement. “The state censoring a piece of work is bizarre because every time the government changes, the morality changes. So it doesn’t make sense.
“We need to enforce the law that if it’s an adult film, then children don’t go and watch the film, which happens everywhere in our country,” Akhtar explained during an audience interaction at the Kolkata Literary Meet. She also said parents have a responsibility to know what their children should not watch. Asked about her views on censorship, the “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” director supported the choice of filmmakers to make an adult or universal film.
“I don’t believe in censorship at all. I think it is a certification body. I think it has to be classified ‘If you show this, this is your rating’. “It is the filmmaker’s choice whether he or she wants to make an adult film or universal film and then self censor.”
Saala Khadoos’ to be screened for B-Town on Republic Day
Mumbai–The makers of “Saala Khadoos” are organising a special screening of the forthcoming film here for Bollywood celebrities on Republic Day on Tuesday. The screening will be attended by directors, singers and actors of the film industry. Amongst those present will be Parineeti Chopra, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Imtiaz Ali, Bejoy Nambiar, Ram Madhvani, Gul Panag, Monali Thakur, Vishal Dadlani and Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, read a statement from the film’s makers.
Two real life boxers Sarjubala Devi and Sarita Devi from Manipur will also be attending the preview of the film.”Saala Khadoos” is a sports film, featuring R. Madhavan as a strict coach who relentlessly pushes his protege — played by Ritika Singh — to overcome obstacles and achieve her boxing goals. The film is a production by Rajkumar Hirani, and he will be present with the cast of the film at the screening.
The Sudha Kongara directorial is all set to release on Friday.
