SONU NIGAM'S MESSAGE !!

To all the fans of Vijay's blog, a very happy Christmas and a great new year to u. Keep blessing and supporting genuine music and genuine music lovers.. Lots of love and prayers. Sonu Niigaam 18/12/09
"I know now Oh Lord, how much You love me, after I see my own self love my son !" (Sonu Niigaam (080708 0830am IST, Bangkok, Millionaire Hilton, room 2328)

Namaste, Salaam, Sat Shri Akaal & Welcome !!

Latest News !! Music now released !! Breaking News (Mumbai Mirror) (Music Out Now) (Simpallaag Ond Love Story) (Music Out Now) (Zila Ghaziabad) (Music Out Now) (8.20) (Malayalam Movie) (Bloody Isshq)(Music Out Now) (Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga - Music Out Now!) (Sonu Nigam's 'Vayuputras' Now Released!) (Chashme Baddoor - Music Out Now!) (I Love NY - Music Out Now) (Shootout At Wadala - Music Out Now) (Ale - Music Out Now) (Bulbul - Music Out Now) (Rangeelay (Punjabi OST)- Music Out Now) (Kaddipudi - Music Out Now) (Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 - Music Out Now)

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SONU NIGAM AT EVENTS

SONU NIGAM AT EVENTS
Sonu Nigam At Ajmer Sharif 12-04-13

Friday 29 October 2010

Global Celebritites Raise Over 100k Pounds


Sonu Niigaam, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Christian Louboutin, Gurinder Chadha, Nina Wadia and George Alagiah were just some of the well known attendees.

London’s Grosvenor House last night played host to an array of leading figures in film, sport and politics as they celebrated the launch of The Asian Awards, a prestigious new global celebration of Asian achievement and excellence. The event raised over £100,000 for leading children’s charity Save the Children’s work in Asia. The supported work will help Pakistan flood victims and help stop preventable child deaths across the continent from diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Christian Louboutin, Sonu Niigaam, Gurinder Chadha, Nina Wadia and George Alagiah were just some of the well known attendees. Open to individuals born in or with direct family origin from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh, The Asian Awards highlighted exceptional achievement across all disciplines of life from business to the arts, sport, culture and public service, rewarding success from across the world.

The winners (full list below) were selected by a panel of independent judges chaired by Baroness Verma of Leicester, a Government Spokesperson in the House of Lords. Born in Amritsar in Punjab, India, Lady Verma said: “This remarkable event recognises the incredible talent of incredible people through a judging process that is open and transparent and carried out by well known people that are hugely respected in the own fields. I feel honoured to be associated with The Asian Awards.”

Gurinder Chadha OBE, one of the UK’s most successful film directors (Bend it Like Beckham, It’s a Wonderful Afterlife) presented Yash Chopra with the Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. Gurinder said: “Our Communities have taken enormous strides in all fields. It is vital we celebrate our success together and make sure we pat ourselves on the back. A victory for one is really for all.”

Over £100,000 was raised for Save the Children’s work delivering vital healthcare across Asia to help prevent the 8.8 million lives lost of children under the age of five every year and for the flood victims in Pakistan. An auction helped raise funds, selling a series of money-can’t-buy-prizes including a pair of bespoke Christian Louboutin shoes originally designed for Kylie Minogue. More donations were given as a reaction to watching a video of Director, Gurinder Chadha taken during a recent trip to India with Save the Children. United Business Media, the co-founders of the evening, also made a generous donation to take the total over the £100,000 mark.

Speaking about her trip to India with Save the Children, Gurinder said, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if tonight we can raise over £80,000 – with this amount Save the Children will then buy, equip and run a brand new mobile health clinic for two years in West Bengal. This will provide 30 of the most under-served villages – and 50,000 people – with life-saving, basic healthcare.”

Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said: “We were thrilled at the success of the event last night. Save the Children was delighted at being given the chance to portray the struggles that children are having to survive across Asia to such a large crowd of some of the continent’s most influential and well-known celebrities. We want to thank The Asian Awards and Gurinder Chadha for their support in giving children in Asia this platform, and for the vital funds that this event raised to help Save the Children deliver vital healthcare”.

Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Global-celebritites-raise-over-100k-pound/4977606634

No Meet & Greet Party !!


A man called Atif Malik is running a fraudulent ad on the Internet inviting people for a "Break Ke Baad dinner party". Wonder what he has on mind...

Fraudsters in the media keep redefining themselves with time.

Here's a shocking example. A few days before Danish Aslam's Break Ke Baad is set to hit the theatres, a person who calls himself Atif Malik, is running an ad on You Tube , which says that "A Meet and Greet Dinner party of Break Kay Baad is going to be held on November 12 at Chak 89 Hall, 105 Bond Road, Cr 4 Hg."

The ad strikes you as a fraudulent one when you realise that the name of the film has not been spelt correctly. The ad spells it as 'Break Kay Baad'. But it is definitely the Imran-Deepika starrer Break Ke Baad that Atif is referring to; you can clearly see some scenes from the film being run in the background.

When Mumbai Mirror checked with some sources from the actual Break Ke Baad team, the truth surfaced.

A source close to the film says, "How can anybody advertise like this? This is so unethical. Who is the so-called meet and greet party of Break Ke Baad being sold to? No member of the cast and crew is going to attend any event at 89 Hall on November 12."

The ad mentions that singer Sonu Nigam will make a special appearance at the party. So, we checked with Sonu's business manager, Ben Thomas about the authenticity of this ad. Ben said, "No. Sonu is not scheduled to make any such appearance on November 12."

The official spokesperson of Break Ke Baad said, "We are going to UK around the same time, but we are not aware of this."

Sorry Atif, no meetings or greetings for you!

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Theres-no-Meet-and-Greet-party/articleshow/6826993.cms

Announcing The Worldwide Release Of The Micheal Jackson Tribute CD


We are very excited to announce the worldwide release of our exclusive tribute CD, The Beat of Our Hearts: A Musical Tribute to Michael. This amazing album is a compilation of music written and performed by some incredibly talented singers/songwriters who have honored Michael through their music. This is a truly wonderful and unprecedented collection of eighteen original songs written and performed by Michael’s friends and fans.

What makes this album so special is that each song represents a talented artist who was greatly inspired by Michael and deeply affected by his loss. For many of them, their song was their saving grace.

These touching musical tributes were written out of a profound place of love and respect for Michael. Some of the featured artists sing about the things he taught us, such as forgiveness. Others sing about how much we miss him. Tony Wilson, who knew Michael personally, wrote a song titled, “We Call Him Peter Pan,” meant to defend and honor his love for children. Every song tells a story of love.

These talented artists have taken their gifts and expressed feelings for Michael with lyrics that speak for millions of fans all over the globe. Their words, so genuine and poignant, express beautifully the impact he had on the world. Every song takes you to an emotional place where you remember and reflect on what an amazing human being he was, and how he continues to inspire and move us. They reflect on how many hearts he touched. They remind us of his strength through troubled times, and they bring tears to our eyes as they remember the man in the mirror.

The artists who have contributed their wonderful music to this CD collection, represent nine countries, including Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Africa, Russia, Sweden, Romania, India(Sonu Niigaam)and the United States. Within the United States, artists from Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida have contributed. This first-time-ever collection truly demonstrates the global love that exists for Michael Jackson.

Music was Michael’s life. The song “Music and Me” describes perfectly the special relationship they had: “We’ve been together for such a long time …music and me. We’re as close as two friends can be. There have been others, but never two lovers like music and me.”

He was an entertainer who achieved unprecedented success, an icon in the music industry. He created the biggest selling album of all time, and yet, remained humble enough to sing backup for other singers. This tribute CD honors the special love Michael had for music. It’s a must have for all Michael Jackson fans because every artist carries a piece of him through their music; many credit him as being the sole reason for becoming a performer.

Download your copy of The Beat of Our Hearts: A Musical Tribute to Michael. Exclusive to the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait – your heart will love it!

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Yash Chopra To Attend The Asian Awards


Tomorrow, October 26th, London will play host to The Asian Awards. The Asian Awards recognises and rewards exemplary achievement across 11 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by an independent judging panel consisting of highly respected figures chaired by Baroness Verma of Leicester. The awards also support Save the Children as its official charity.

As we reported Sonu Niigaam will be there to give a special live performance. We also gave you the scoop that Amitabh Bachchan is being given a Lifetime Achievement Award and we even let you in on a bit of rumor about AR Rahman and what he might be bringing back with him. Now we have more little tidbits to tell you.

It seems The Asian Awards are going to make a big splash across the pond in New York City, because we hear that the winners are going to be announced in Times Square! Founder Paul Sagoo wrote on Facebook, "This just gets better and better.... on the night of the Asian Awards on the 26th, the winners pictures will be broadcast live in Times Square New York.... we are going seriously international with this..."

A little bird also told us that Yash Chopra will be there and not just to attend the prestigious evening, we hear he is going to be going home with a Outstanding Achievement in Cinema award, which recognises "outstanding contributions from both sides of the camera, embracing all genres of cinema across the world."

Among the awards being given out, one is the highly coveted Lebara People's Choice award. Be sure and check out our exclusive interview with Jay Sean where he talks about being nominated in that category, "It's always flattering to be nominated for an award for doing your job, especially one that you love." Adding,"UK is my home, it's where I was born and raised and success and recognition from your own people from your own land will always mean so much." You can read more of what Jay Sean had to say about music and more here!

We will have a full report of who took home the prize at The Asian Awards, and more so check back here soon!

Wanted Dance Groups For Sonu Niigaam Concert


Wanted Dance Groups for Sonu Nigam Concert.

Rivetting Events Group - Production House
Category: Artists / Performers
Gender: Both
Wanted Dance Groups for Sonu Niigaam Concert.

We are looking for dance groups who can perform in front of a live audience.
This is for a Sonu Niigaam live concert.

No solo dancers will be entertained.

PS: They should be from Karnataka only.

To apply go to below link & click on green icon (apply for casting job)
Interested people get in touch asap via email or phone

http://www.hoonur.com/jason-smith/wanted-dance-groups-for-sonu-nigam-concert/j28385314e18a5243264f7966c767ab97/

Monday 25 October 2010

Sonu Niigaam & Yash Chopra Presents Awards!


33rd National Music Contest: Kerala bags two awards

Varsha S Krishnan from Trivandrum and Asha S Pai from Cochin won the second and third places in 33rd All India Light and Film Vocal Music Contest organised by Sangam Kala Group at New Delhi .Varsha represented junior film song section while Asha won in senior non film song.nd Arou800 singers from 70 cities in India participated in the preliminary round while 18 were selected for National Finals which was held at Siri fort auditorium. Six member team with Singer Mercy Mathew represented Kerala in Nationals.

Varsha and Asha are the only two singers who entered the finals from South India.

Play back singer Sonu Niigaam and director Yash Chopra presented the prizes to the winners

Chhote Ustaad Moves To Pakistan !


Second season of 'Chhote Ustaad' to be held in Pakistan

The second season of kids talent show 'Chhote Ustaad – Do Deshon ki Ek Awaz' will be held in Pakistan next year, singer and co-judge Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has said.


"We will have young singers from India visiting Pakistan for the competition, just like the Pakistani children did for the inaugural show," Khan said at a Singapore press conference last night.

"We have established a platform in India for the show and it is now time to do so in Pakistan," added Khan, who was a selector and judge alongside Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam for the first season of the Star Plus show which wrapped up a few days ago.
Technical details were being worked out regarding the next season, including which channel would be airing the show, 36-year-old singer said.

The 'Ore Piya' hitmaker was in the city for a two-concert event, the second of which would be for the Pakistan flood victim relief. Khan was impressed by the joint hosting of his two concerts here by the Singapore Pakistani Association (SPA) and sponsored by Pakistani and Indian businesses.

"I am pleased to see how overseas Pakistani and Indian brothers work together here and wish to see the same in their respective countries," said Khan.

Talking about the new songs he has sung in Bollywood, Khan said he has recorded some 10 to 12 songs for yet-to-be announced films, the names of which he could not divulge.
"I am usually signing one song per picture," he added.

Khan's both concerts, today and tomorrow, has been sold out with requests for more tickets still coming, said SPA.

Speaker of Singapore Parliament, Abdullah Tarmugi, would be the guest of honor on the second concert for the flood relief victims, said SPA president Abdul Ghani Mohammed.

Profit from the concert as well as SPA's share of the profit from the first concert would be sent to Pakistan flood victims through Singapore's Mercy Relief, a government approved agency in handling such international help and aid, Ghani told PTI.

SPA secretary Imran J Nasrullah said he expected to raise more than SGD 100,000 for the flood victims from the concerts, which is expected to be attended by more than 2,000 people, some of whom have come from the neighbouring countries.

Besides being a social and cultural body of Pakistanis living in Singapore, SPA regularly contributes to relief measures to their parental country. It has already raised and sent through Mercy Relief SGD 66,000 for the flood victims in Pakistan.

Sunday 24 October 2010

Sonu Niigaam Wins The Central European Bollywood Awards Again !


The Annual Central European Bollywood Awards (ACEBA) are fan awards with the voters mostly from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They are users of the Bollywood Forum belonging to the film website www.molodezhnaja.ch, organizer of the ACEBAs. The 2009 awards were a bit delayed because film fans in Central Europe usually cannot watch Hindi films when they first release... only very few of them are screened in the cinemas there, so they have to wait patiently for the DVD releases. Since 3 Idiots one of 2009’s most potential award winning films wasn’t released on DVD until pretty late, it was a matter of fairness for the organizers to wait until it was so that it had its chance to be watched by the voters.

So, now the votes have been tabulated and the results of the 7th Annual Central European Bollywood Awards are out. 3 Idiots actually turned out to be the big winner, bagging six ACEBA Awards including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Script. Toughest competitor was Luck By Chance with five awards, including Best Actress.

The results:

Best Singer male
Kurbaan - Sonu Nigam (Shukran Allah) - 35.9%
Ajab Prem Ki ... - Atif Aslam (Tu Jaane Na) - 17.9%
Delhi 6 - Javed Ali (Maula Maula) - 14.5%
Luck by Chance - S. Ravjiani (Yeh Zindagi Bhi) - 10.7%
Delhi-6 - Mohit Chauhan (Masakali) - 10.3%
De Dana Dan - Rahat F. A. Khan (Rishte Naate) -
7.9%

Best Singer female
3 Idiots - Shreya Ghoshal (Zoobi Doobi) - 39.3%
Delhi 6 - Rekha Bhardwaj (Genda Phool) - 22.1%
Wake Up Sid - Kavita Seth (Iktara) - 14.7%
Kisaan - Shreya Goshal (Humko Kehna Hai) - 13.0%
Paa - Shilpa Rao (Mudi Mudi) - 8.8%
Aagey Se Right - D. Bhattacharya (More Piya) - 2.1%

Best Film
3 Idiots - 23.6%
Luck by Chance - 15.7%
Kaminey - 13.5%
Love Aaj Kal - 13.0%
Delhi-6 - 12.6%
Wake Up, Sid - 9.4%
Paa - 4.6%
Dev.D - 3.3%
Firaaq - 1.9%
The President Is Coming - 0.7%

Best Actor
3 Idiots - Aamir Khan - 27.5%
Kaminey - Shahid Kapoor - 26.8%
Kurbaan - Saif Ali Khan - 14.2%
Wake Up Sid - Ranbir Kapoor - 12.9%
Luck by Chance - Farhan Akhtar - 9.5%
Paa - Amitabh Bachchan - 9.2%

Best Actress
Luck by Chance - Konkona Sen Sharma - 40.3%
Kurbaan - Kareena Kapoor - 19.7%
What’s Your Raashee? - Priyanka Chopra - 14.6%
New York - Katrina Kaif - 13.6%
Dil Bole Hadippa! - Rani Mukherjee - 6.1%
Paa - Vidya Balan - 5.8%

Best Director
3 Idiots - Rajkumar Hirani - 28.9%
Luck by Chance - Zoya Akhtar - 22.0%
Kaminey - Vishal Bharadwaj - 17.5%
Delhi 6 - Rakesh Omprakash Mehra - 16.8%
Wake Up Sid - Ayan Mukerji - 8.5%
Dev.D - Anurag Kashyap - 6.2%

Best Supporting Actor
Luck by Chance - Hrithik Roshan - 20.3%
3 Idiots - Boman Irani - 19.3%
3 Idiots – Sharman Joshi - 17.9%
Kurbaan - Vivek Oberoi - 17.2%
Paa - Abhishek Bachchan - 14.9%
Luck By Chance - Rishi Kapoor - 10.5%

Best Supporting Actress
Kurbaan - Kirron Kher - 56.9%
Luck by Chance - Dimple Kapadia - 16.2%
Firaaq - Shahana Goswami - 10.7%
Yeh Mera India - Seema Biswas - 6.6%
Wake Up Sid - Supriya Pathak - 6.2%
Paa - Arundhati Naag - 3.4%

Breakthrough female
Aladin - Jaqueline Fernandes - 34.7%
Rocket Singh - Gauhar Khan - 18.1%
Dev.D - Mahie Gill - 15.9%
Luck - Shruti Haasan - 15.6%
Dev.D - Kalki Koechlin - 11.9%
President Is Coming, The - Shivani Tanksale - 3.6%

Breakthrough male
Luck by Chance - Arjun Mathur - 35.6%
3 Idiots - Omi Vaidya - 32.2%
Kaminey - Amol Gupte - 13.1%
Agyaat - Nitin Reddy - 8.0%
Rocket Singh - D. Santosh - 7.6%
Rocket Singh - Naveen Santosh - 3.4%

Best Script
3 Idiots - 42.2%
Luck by Chance - 33.9%
Wake Up Sid - 11.1%
Firaaq - 3.1%
Dev.D - 6.9%
The President Is Coming - 2.8%

Best Music
Love Aaj Kal - Pritam - 31.7%
Delhi 6 - A.R. Rahman - 30.3%
Kaminey - Vishal Bhardwaj - 15.0%
Wake Up Sid - Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - 10.6%
Luck by Chance - Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy - 8.2%
Dev.D - Amit Trivedi - 4.1%

Best Song
Kaminey - Dhan Te Nan - 27.9%
3 Idiots - Zoobi Doobi - 25.2%
Luck by Chance - Yeh Zindagi Bhi - 15.5%
Delhi 6 - Delhi 6 - 11.7%
Wake Up Sid - Kya Karoon - 11.7%
Delhi 6 - Genda Phool - 7.9%

See more & source at: http://www.bollyspice.com/view.php/5744-central-european-bollywood-awards-winners.html

Bollywood In Holland!


Kailash Kher, Sonu Niigaam, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Goshal. They all have on thing in common in 2010. Wondering what that is? Well, they have all performed in The Netherlands this year. The Netherlands or Holland is a small country in North-Europe, where the people speak Dutch and many times are referred to as the Dutch. It's almost invisible on the map, but 2010 has been the best year for this country in terms of entertainment from Bollywood. This small country has seen so many outstanding and big name concerts in just 2010 and they are still counting. The year isn't over yet.

Rising Popularity
In the last couple of years Bollywood has gained much more popularity in Holland. The films are played at regular theatres, Bollywood gets a mention in Dutch magazines, and several festivals bring in Bollywood entertainment. Not only is it getting bigger and better, Bollywood is getting noticed outside the Indian community as well. Earlier it was Turkish, Moroccan, Afghani and Pakistani people who were interested, but now the Dutch community is also noticing its glitter and glamour. A friend of mine is a dance teacher and she gives a class in Bollywood dancing, and the best part for her; all her students are Dutch people. "They really enjoy Bollywood dancing. They like the movements, the expressions. When I started this class, I had never expected this kind of response from the Dutch Community."

One of the reasons for this rise in interest is because the movie Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner at the Oscars. "Slumdog Millionaire may not have been an Indian film, but it made India popular in Holland", said Zhunaysha Gajadhar.

Movies shot in Holland
Several Indian movies contain scenes or songs, which have been shot in Holland. You probably know the songs 'Bhanwre Ne Khilaya Phool Phool' from Prem Rog and 'Dekha Ek Khwab' from Silsila. These have been shot in the tulip fields of Holland. The cast and crew of Hello Brother, starring Salman Khan and Rani Mukerjee, went to the same fields for the song 'Teri Chunariya Dil Le Gayi'. And in 2004, Hum Tum was shot in Amsterdam. More recently you could see Holland in the video of the Imran Khan hit song 'Amplifier'. Recently an Indian delegation was invited to Holland to look at shooting locations and studios. One of the directors who came along was Rahul Dholakia. You can read an interview with him soon.

Even Dutch film production companies are now looking at India and want to work on formats and films. Dutch production houses like Endemol have already made their mark in India with tv-shows as Indian Idol. Now others want to enjoy the same success.

The shows
In the 90's, Holland would only have one or two shows a year, which mostly had big movie stars, who would come and perform. Singers were rarely seen. However, in the last seven to eight years, Holland has seen rising and shifting focus from movie stars to singers. 2010 has been the most entertaining year ever for this country.

The year kicked off with Kailash Kher giving an amazing performance in The Hague in February, which was SRO(standing room only). He was followed by Sonu Nigam, who came only two weeks later and again the show was sold out. Niigaam was followed by Atif Aslam who came for an Easter party. Then Rahat Fateh Ali Khan paid a visit to The Hague. He was suppose to be in Holland for only one concert, but so many people were so eager to see him that the organizers had to arrange for a second show the next day. Both shows were completely sold out. Atif Aslam returned within two months to entertain the Dutch audience, this time in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. And for the lovers of yesteryears music, Usha Mangeshar and Amit Kumar came along for a special show. And just two weeks ago Shreya Goshal visited Holland. And the year isn't over yet.

Holland is expecting actors Shah Rukh Khan, Arjun Rampal and Dino Morea in November. Then there is Sunidhi Chauhan coming on the 6th of November and in December Adnan Sami will visit Holland for the umpteenth time.

Expectations are huge
It's a big thing for such a relatively small country to bring in such huge stars and especially one after the other. "It's not easy to bring the stars to a small country called Holland," says Soleiman Tsjardiwal from Cufax Entertainment. "It is difficult. They want to know everything. From what you have in mind as marketing strategy to how many people are coming to see the show?" In London or any place in America, it's easy to get around 50,000 people who will visit a concert, but in Holland the maximum is around 10,000 in a huge auditorium. "People don't realize what goes on behind the scenes. They have huge expectations, so when the public is demanding, one has to deliver."

According to Tsjardiwal, after 2000 a lot has changed in the Bollywood scene. "The stars are making more money, are paying more attention to details and professionalism. They want to give a full entertainment to their audience."

Cufax Entertainment had organized the Sonu Niigaam concert in February. The expectations were huge with the most popular singer from India coming to Holland. "People always expect more from a Sonu Niigaam concert. He represents quality and expects the same from the organizers." Cufax got a lot of good comments after the concert from the public as well as Sonu Niigaam. "It was one of the few which was organized in a proper way and we hope to continue and even better ourselves with the next shows." Now with Sonu Niigaam behind him, he has begun to focus on Sunidhi Chauhan, who will be performing on the 6th of November. "Here the expectations are also rising. People had a good time with the Sonu Niigaam show, so they are hoping for the same here."

Ticket prices can go up to 500 dollar
One of the things the organizers changed this time is the price of the tickets. The price of a ticket is not only a problem in Holland, but all over the world. "Sometimes organizers start charging $500 for some VIP arrangement, which turns out to be a quick hand shake and a picture", says Ritika. She thinks it's ridiculous.

The prices for tickets used to be very high, especially when the show has big names, but when your audience is growing you cannot afford to charge the same prices. The usual ticket prices now start at 30/35 Euro's and the expensive ones are around 100 euro's, sometimes even less.

For Chauhan, Cufax Entertainment decided on another approach: the same price for everyone and the audience will be standing in front of the stage, just like with every other concert of an artist from the West. Tsjardiwal explained: "Sunidhi told us of a great experience she had at a concert where everyone was standing and they were dancing and having fun. She wanted to see that here. That is why we decided on one price for all, and we will have no seats." The price of tickets has been rising, but Tsjardiwal thinks it is better to keep the prices low, because there are a lot of people who want to visit a concert and by keeping the prices at an all time high, one is shutting out a large group.

It looks like this small country has finally joined in on the Bollyaction that has been going on for years in America and England and the fans here are ecstatic! We will all have to watch and watch to see what happens next!

Source: http://www.bollyspice.com/view.php/5847-bollywood-in-holland.html

Discordant Notes!


There has been a furore over the inclusion of Pakistani participants in ‘Big Boss’. Srabanti chakrabarti shows us the other side to the controversy on how such reality shows are only trying to bridge the gap between India and Pakistan.

It may not be an overstatement to say that within the fourth estate, the electronic media has metamorphosed itself to become the most powerful one. Be it the internet or television, electronic media’s penetration rate has by far outpaced any other traditional mode and continues to grow daily. As a result, everyone has understood that the easiest way to achieve fame and grab headlines is to be featured in the electronic media
by hook or crook. A tweet on the Net, a video on a sharing site or a byte to a popular channel is all you need to grab attention today.

Therefore, almost anyone and everyone who wants to be in power is trying exercise control over the electronic media. If you can whip up a sentimental, critical and relevant issue relating to something like the Indo-Pak relations, you have a winner in hand. A recent case is the controversy surrounding the presence of Pakistani participants in Colors’ popular show Bigg Boss. Political parties created a lot of trouble at the shooting spot near Lonavala as a mark of their protest against the makers of the show.

They even forced cable operators to block the channel for a day. But somehow, technology got the better of these protestors. DTH operators continued beaming the channel as politicians could not extend the ban to the companies operating across India.

And considering the market share DTH operators have, the protestors realised that it was not making the desired impact and thus everything was ‘amicably’ settled in a few days time. Was it really worth the trouble? What is the harm if television makes an attempt bridge the gap between these two nations?

Nowadays, more and more television channels are churning out shows that are trying their bit towards re-establishing amicable relations between the two countries. Bigg Boss, Chhote Ustaad, Saregamapa Singing Superstar are using the electronic media to try and reduce the hatred and bitterness that exists between India and Pakistan.

While there is no doubt that it makes immense business sense (after all who would not like to hear Sonu Nigam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan perform on the same stage) for the producers and broadcasters as well. Also, the entire industry seems to be loving it and is giving a thumbs up to such shows.

Consider what Abbas Kazmi (former lawyer of Kasab) had to say after being evicted from the Bigg Boss house. “Since we were cut off from the rest of the world, I was not aware of what was going on outside, but I must admit that it was a nice experience staying with Veena Malik and Begum (the two Pakistani participants). We got along very well and stayed like a family. Never ever did any one of us feel that we are from different countries. There was never a sense of enmity between us.”

Apparently simple, but Kazmi’s point has deep implications. The two countries that were divided on the basis of religion more than a half-a-century back still share so much in common. Our food habits, cultural diversity, rituals — it is impossible to separate the two.
Another show that made a significant attempt towards bridging the gap was Chhote Ustaad. It came out with a very novel concept — it had teams with equal number of participants from India and Pakistan and put them together to compete in a talent hunt show.

This was not an Indo-Pak match, but was a contest where India and Pakistan were coming together and participating. It was a praiseworthy attempt by Gajendra Singh (the producer of the show) and he did succeed to a great extent. The success of the show even prompted Mahesh Bhatt to comment, “Chhote Ustaad is the most successful attempt till date at bridging the gap between the two countries.”

On the show, even the Pakistanis were pretty positive about the various attempts being made via television towards establishing peace between the two countries. Says Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, famous singer and mentor on Chhote Ustaad, “I strongly believe that we singers should be away from the prevailing political tension and perform wherever people want us to.” He believes that cultural exchange can pave the way for reducing tension between the two nations.

In fact, Sonu Nigam (one of the mentors on the show) had even gone to say that it is difficult to change adults, but if we start such measures with children, it will definitely bring some change in our perceptions towards each other. Perhaps, he is right.

Srabanti chakrabarti

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/106919/discordant-notes.html

Friday 22 October 2010

Tracklist: Tees Maar Khan - Music Out Soon!


Banner : Hari Om Productions, Three's Company, UTV Motion Pictures
Release Date : December 24, 2010
Star Cast : Akshay Kumar, Akshaye Khanna, Katrina Kaif, Raghu Ram, Rajiv Laxman, Arya Babbar, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Diva, Anya, Czar
Producer : Shirish Kunder, Ronnie Screwvala, Twinkle Khanna
Music : Vishal Dadlani-Shekhar Ravijani & Shirish Kunder
Director : Farah Khan

01 - Tees Maar Khan - Sonu Niigaam, Gino Banks & Mikey McClearyu
02 - He's A Smart-Ass - Vishal Dadlani & Rhys D'Souza
03 - Laakhon Laakhdein - Bappi Lahiri, Mikey McClearyu
04 - Aji Shukriya - Shiraz Uppal, Shaan, Abhi & Suzzane D'Mello
05 - Chulbhuli - Sunidhi Chauhan & Piyush Mishra
06 - Chimak Chuum - Rana Mazumder, Shekhar Ravjiani
Vasundhara Das, Kirthi Sagathia(Backing Vocals: Suzzane D'Mello)
07 - Sheela Ki Jawaani - Sowmya Raoh & Nikhil D'Souza
08 - Wallah Re Wallah - Mika Singh, K.K & Himani Kapoor
09 - Na Jaane Kyun Dil - Nandini Srikar & Vishal Dadlani
10 - Tees Maar Khan (Steal Your Soul Mix) - Sonu Niigaam
Gino Banks, & Mikey McClearyu
11 - Wallah Re Wallah (Dhol Beat) - Mika Singh, K.K, Himani Kapoor & Mikey McClearyu

I Was Diehard Sonu Niigaam Fan - Prachi Shah


I have always loved performing arts — be it singing, dancing or acting.

Thus when it came to watching television, I never used to miss even a single episode of Sa re ga ma, at that time the only reality based talent show. It was a different thing all together.

I remember watching every episode of the program and if I ever missed any show, I would catch hold of the repeat telecast. At that time my friend and I were diehard Sonu Niigaam fans, who used to host the show at that point of time.

His voice and charisma was something that teenaged girls like us were crazy about. We even went on the sets of the show and found a way of meeting with up Sonu.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/I-was-diehard-Sonu-Nigam-fan-Prachi/articleshow/6787144.cms

TV Wardrobes Go Expensive


With Bollywood A-listers being seen on TV as show hosts and judges, they ensure their look and wardrobe make headlines .

Whether it is Akshay Kumar flaunting a diamond and pearl studded sherwani for the special episode of "MasterChef India", Amitabh Bachchan's much-talked about look in "Kaun Banega Crorepati 4", or Salman Khan donning about seven looks in the " Bigg Boss 4" promo, it is evident where the focus is – the star and obviously his looks. While many would think these outfits would cost them a bomb, designers tell us it is all about getting the star's look and not necessarily the outfits they sport.

Explains designer Ravi Bajaj, who has designed Big B's wardrobe in "Kaun Banega Crorepati 4", "In the show, Amitabh Bachchan is not playing any character, but being himself. So before I began designing his wardrobe, I had to see what he is like in reality, which is a classic dresser. For KBC, I have taken few liberties with him. Amitabhji is usually seen sporting white shirt and a double breasted black suit. So I made sure I didn't give him any white shirt." Even though the suits that he has designed for Big B are "channel's property, which have already gone to the channel. I remember, at the show's press conference in Mumbai, he loved the suit that I was wearing and he instantly said, 'This is gorgeous, make me this.' I told him I will but it isn't camera friendly for it has small checks, which can get the picture pixilated. But I know I have to design that suit for him," he says.

And the red outfit that singer Sonu Niigaam has sported in the title song of "Chhote Ustaad" was presented to him as a gift. Monica Mehla Parmar from Sai Baba Telefilms says, "Yes, that outfit is a part of his wardrobe." But this doesn't hold true for every celebrity judge. For instance, Mehul, Shekhar Ravjiani's designer in "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar" says the Shekhar has never accepted any of the outfits.

Ashley Rebello, who had designed Salman's outfits for "Dabangg", wasn't too keen on experimenting with Salman's look in "Bigg Boss 4". But why, wouldn't the viewers have loved a different Salman? "We have done that in "Dabangg" and the idea in the show is to have Salman the way he is. Hence, you find him sporting leather jackets, t-shirts that give him a grunge look and even if people want to buy, it wouldn't cost them a bomb," he says.

Where can a common man get the same look from? "What Amitabh Bachchan wears on the show is not a particular outfit but a look. One wouldn't get the same piece but the look is available. One could also go to popular brands which wouldn't burn a hole in the consumer's pocket. They can get suits that are much cheaper but have the same impact. Our suits start from Rs30,000, shirts from Rs5000, neckties from Rs3000, and that completes the look," says Ravi Bajaj.

Monica explains the factors that determine the cost of a celebrity's outfit. "The cost varies, depending on the silhouette and the embellishments used. So the price could also range between one or two lacs, or could be as low as Rs 40,000 per costume of the judge. For instance, what Rahatji and Sonu had worn in the final episode of "Chhote Ustaad" were the most expensive outfits of the show for the price was about over Rs 80,000 and both the judges had to change twice," she says. While the sherwani which Akshay Kumar wore to meet ruler of Udaipur, Sriji Arvind Mewar was worth Rs 17 lakh, the actor's outfits in "MasterChef India" ranges from designer wear to top brands like Armani and personal stuff, for which, as many can guess, one has to shell out money.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/TV-wardrobes-go-expensive/articleshow/6787251.cms

Amjad Bobby’s Work Proves His Class


The life of a film musician is like that of the movies he composes songs for — it has happy moments, others that see him struggle to survive and the end which comes suddenly and takes a talented soul from the world. Amjad Bobby’s life was no different. He began his career in 1969, composed songs for some good, bad and ugly films in the early part of his career, before becoming the number one choice for some of filmdom’s best directors in the later on in his career.

The sudden and tragic demise of the 62-year-old musician due to a cardiac arrest on April 15, 2005 brought an end to a 36-year long career where he made the finest playback singers sing to the best of their abilities. Not many might remember the genius he was since he rarely appeared on TV or gave interviews, but his work is proof of his class. If A. Nayyar’s Beena Tera Naam is still known to all as a classic ’70s number, Eik Baar Milo Hum Se by Ghulam Abbas and Salma Agha remains an ’80s classic, while a number of his songs made him the key player in the revival of filmi music in the ’90s.

Born Amjad Hussain to Ustad Ghulam Hussain Khan in 1942, Amjad ventured into films in an era when Sohail Rana, Nisar Bazmi, Robin Ghosh and M. Ashraf ruled film music and the music scene welcomed newcomers. Initially, like all musicians, he achieved fame after struggling and assisted renowned musicians like A. Hameed, Nashaad, Nisar Bazmi, Khawaja Khursheed Anwar and Rasheed Attrey. He changed his name to Bobby after a handful of films and later came to be known as Amjad Bobby. The last change helped as the movies that featured Amjad Bobby in the credits were his most successful ones, starting from Nazar Shabab’s Kabhi Alwida Na Kehna (1983) which earned him his first of the two Nigar Awards (he got his other one for Deewane Tere Pyar Ke in 1997). The last film he composed music for was Rauf Khalid’s Laaj in 2003.

For TV, his compositions for Javed Sheikh’s telefilm Khoobsurat Jahan in the mid ’90s were liked by all while he was also responsible for the success of Aangan Aangan Taray, a Lahore Television musical programme for kids where, along with Hadiqa Kiyani, he taught kids to sing on the lines of Sohail Rana’s Kaliyon Ki Mala, Saray Dost Hamaray and Sang Sang Chalain. Like Sohail Rana and Robin Ghosh, Bobby was a tandem lover and most of his hit numbers appeared twice in the film like Beena Tera Naam (Naqshe Qadam), Mushkil Hai (Mushkil) Main Ne Tujhe Khoya (Chief Saab), Aik Baar Milo Hum Se (Bobby), and Woh Larki Hai (Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua ). He was also fond of singing and rendered his vocals in Benazir Qurbani, Toofani Bijlian, Nadia and Mushkil with the latter’s Mushkil hai bara mushkil hai being his most famous rendition, alongside Mehnaz.

Shehzad Gul’s Ghar Kab Aao Gay and Tere Pyar Main were the pinnacle of his career as he made Indian playback singers Sonu Niigaam, Udit Narayan, Jaspinder Narula, Kavita Krishnamurthy (under pseudonyms) render their vocals for Lollywood for the first time. Bobby, Inteha, Sangam and Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua were his other most memorable films as all the songs went on to become popular hits.

Bobby also had the unique distinction of making the greatest playback singers of the subcontinent render their voices for him. From Sonu Niigaam, Ahmed Rushdi to A. Nayyar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Akhlaq Ahmed, Tehseen Javed, Madam Noor Jehan, Naseem Begum, Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Abbas, Arshad Mehmood, Waris Baig, Runa Laila, Naheed Akhtar, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet, Mehnaz, Fariha Parvez, Mala, Salma Agha, Saira Naseem, Reshmaan, Saadhna Sargam, Shreya Ghoshal, Humera Channa and Shazia Manzoor, all sang for Amjad Bobby. Some are due to be released like Shehzad Gul’s Eman, Javaid Sheikh’s Khulay Asmaan Ke Neeche , Reema’s Koi Tujh Sa Kahan and Javaid Raza’s Kabhi Piyar Na Karna.

His first hit song for Lollywood was sung by Ahmed Rushdi in 1969 for Waheed Murad in S.A. Hafiz’s Aik Nagina. It triggered a journey that ended 36 years, 57 films and 20 awards (two Nigar, six National, six Graduate, four Bolan, one Agfa and one Indian Gold Disc) later. Incidentally, it was in April 1983 that Ahmed Rushdi passed away and Amjad Bobby, who had so much to deliver, followed the great playback singer 22 years later.

Source: http://dailymailnews.com/1010/22/ShowBiz/index.php?id=1

Chhote Ustaad, Bigg Boss & Reality Of Indo-Pak Relations


Indian television has suddenly seen a surge of Indo-Pak bonding in the last month. What started off as a peace-building initiative through music, by singers
Sonu Niigaam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in the form of Chhote Ustaad, seemed to set a trend. Bigg Boss 4 had two Pakistani artists on its show soon afterward.

However, while the first was a novel, brilliant idea, the second I have a problem with.

Chhote Ustaad, as we all know, had one Indian and one Pakistani singer team up and compete with 11 other such pairs of children. While Sonu Niigaam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan played mentors, special guests on the show ranged from Abida Parveen, Shankar Mahadevan, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Sonam Kapoor, Shaan, Priyanka Chopra and Mahesh Bhatt, who lauded the effort.

Building peace through music

The show was unique in many ways. Firstly, it made Indians and Pakistanis team up, rather than compete. Secondly, many Pakistani families managed to accomplish things they had only dreamt of, like visiting the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, watching their children share the same platform with big names like Asha Bhosle and meeting stars like Rishi Kapoor, which otherwise they would only have seen on screen. Thirdly, it propagated peace and promoted talent. Finally, it was a show which ran on talent and a message, rather than on controversy, drama and sleaze. Yes, it was high on emotion, but in the right way.

Chhote Ustad not only gave a great opportunity to the young singers to showcase their talent, it also portrayed Pakistanis in a good light in India. For a change, Pakistanis weren’t looked down upon. Most Indians realised that people across the border are not terrorists or fundamentalists like they are made out to be-they can be nice, they too have emotions, they are friendly and talented and basically, they are the same as Indians. Also, when the voices of contestants from both countries met in unison, the songs just sounded more soulful and melodious.

Scandals and sleaze

On the other hand, you have Veena Malik and Begum Nawazish Ali entering Bigg Boss. Firstly, Veena Malik has had a scandal-ridden career. I hope they realise that they are putting an entire country’s reputation at stake. Unlike the other contestants who are just representing themselves, these two have an extra burden of representing their country. Yes, for two weeks, it’s easy playing Mother Teresa, but putting up a farce for ninety days is kind of difficult. And to top it all off, one small mistake of theirs will be lapped up by the media like there is no tomorrow.

Unfortunately, thanks to the relations between both the countries, not many Indians get to visit Pakistan and vice-versa; hence the level of misconceptions about both the countries is quite high. Shows like Bigg Boss cater to the masses, who will believe everything they see. At the end of the show, most people will turn around and say that Veena Malika and Begum Nawazish Ali represent the average Pakistani. Well, I don’t know how they or any ordinary Pakistani would take that, but as an Indian who has visited friends and relatives in Pakistan, I know it’s not true.

Less than noble motives

For once I would like to suggest that the Colors channel should listen to Shiv Sena and get those two out of the show as soon as possible. Okay, maybe that’s going a bit too far, because I don’t actually support Shiv Sena. The reason I want them out of there is not because they are Pakistani, but because Colors’ editing skills and sensationalism might just end up straining relations-not on a diplomatic level, but on a people to people level. I agree the two are there for their personal gains, like maybe getting into the Indian television industry and so on but hello, you are kind of maligning the image of your country in return.

On one hand, you have people like Wasim Akram, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and so many Pakistani children creating a positive image. On the other hand, you have two people in Bigg Boss, which is known for sleaze and controversies. Until now, nobody one has exited the show with a positive image, not even the winner, so what makes them think they will?

So, kudos to shows like Chhote Ustaad. Let’s hope many more such shows are introduced to build healthy relations between the people of our countries.

Source: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/2432/chhote-ustaad-bigg-boss-and-reality-of-indo-pak-relations/

Wednesday 20 October 2010

I Am Next Superstar To Showcase North American Musical Talent On STAR India PLUS US


'I Am Next Superstar' to Showcase North American Musical Talent on STAR India PLUS US
Judged by Suresh Wadkar and Sonu Niigaam, finals of talent search contest to air on STAR India PLUS
NEW YORK, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- South Asians in North America will now be able to showcase their musical talent on "I Am Next Superstar," a talent search contest that will air on STAR India PLUS in the US and Canada.

US and Canada residents can submit auditions of their singing or playing an instrument at www.iamnextsuperstar.com.

India's music luminaries Suresh Wadkar and Sonu Niigaam will mentor the participants and judge auditions in both categories.

Semi-final events in New York and California will produce finalists who will compete in a concert-style grand finale to be held in New Jersey, and aired on STAR India PLUS in North America.

The winner will record a single and feature in a music video. A contest to search for a 'new face' for the music video is also being hosted on www.iamnextsuperstar.com.

Suresh Wadkar and Sonu Niigaam have been eagerly involved since the inception of
"I Am Next Superstar."

"It's a great opportunity for participants to learn the nuances of music and hone their skills through this contest and claim deserving fame," said Wadkar.

"The contest will go a long way in rightfully identifying singing talent among South Asians in North America, for both amateurs and professionals," said Sonu Nigam. "We want to pursue the dual objective of providing entertainment to fans in America while bringing them in sync with music reality shows in India."

STAR India PLUS, which is one of the most-watched Hindi general entertainment channel in the US and the number one rated general entertainment channel in India for most of the last 10 years, is the launch partner for the talent search contest. STAR's involvement gives the contest a major television platform, also giving the winners a chance to showcase their talent to a national audience.

"STAR is constantly striving to provide its viewers with the highest quality entertainment out there—be it via top-notch movies, reality shows or its highest rated dramas. Simultaneous to this, we also understand the strong need to nurture and showcase our own local talent within the Diaspora," said David Wisnia, STAR's Senior Vice President of Distribution, Sales and Marketing and head of STAR's North American office. "Our association with Third Eye Ventures is a reflection of STAR's commitment to showcase, to all our viewers, the best South Asian musical talent on view in North America."

The contest has been put together by Third Eye Ventures, a team with 50 years of combined senior level experience in television and entertainment companies in India, South East Asia and the US.

"Third Eye's effort is to raise the bar of entertainment programming targeted at South Asians in North America, and provide content that matches mainstream programs that North American South Asians are so used to watching on national television," said Sanjay Chitale, president of Third Eye.

Third Eye is a media production venture by Ace Open (www.aceopen.com), an online music education portal offering intensive coaching by renowned musical luminaries.

New York-based Anhad Inc, the leading South Asian-focused fully-integrated media agency, will manage the events. Anhad will also market and promote the shows, and raise sponsorships.

The talent search has a pan-US footprint through aggressive TV, online and offline marketing and ground participation, aimed at creating social buzz and fan participation promising sponsors unprecedented exposure and brand value.

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Sonu Niigaam Sings For Cricket, Girls And Beer!


Umesh Shirupalli has just finished with the post-production of his second film Cricket, Girls and Beer. He is extremely euphoric at the way the film shaped out and says that he has three more scripts ready and is in the process of finalizing the third film. For Cricket, Girls and Beer he has chosen a newcomer Naga Shourya who is very good looking and touts him to be the find of the year. "He will be one of the top three artistes in Telugu cinema soon," he expresses confidently. Aadarsh Balakrishna's career will open up, he hasn't been given much recognition in his previous films and Surya Tej who played Krishnudu's friend in Vinayakudu and is currently doing a significant role in a Rajendra Prasad, Suhasini starrer (Bhale Mogudu Bhale Pellam) has a romantic angle which leads to a thrilling situation in this project.

Umesh an MBA grad, went abroad and after twenty years realized his dream of making his kind of film. His first project was based on kids, 'Circus Circus' which was released by Suresh Productions last year and won rave reviews. Cricket, Girls and Beer is about three siblings, each one find their interest in the game, love and a happy life with friends and drink. This is actually based on his life. Umesh has two brothers and all of them like the characters in the movie are passionate about their interests. The next half of the story is pure fiction, it is about how the family and the siblings react when one character is entangled in a problem. The film begins amidst fun and frolic in a college campus and ends on a thrilling note. A two hour twenty minute drama, it has two songs sung each by Sonu Nigam and Shankar Mahadevan.

When there are so many Telugu singers around, why did he choose Sonu and Shankar? Umesh says there isn't much to read in it, it's just that they were accessible. All the music directors are his friends who are from BITS, Pilani. They work in US in their Companies and spend time in the evenings working on the music for this film. Is he taking newcomers for his next film as well? "Of course," says Umesh. He is not running behind stars for the simple reason that his boys are going to be stars soon. He has an interesting banner name too..Saggitarius Films. He signs off, "Both me, my wife share the same sun sign!"

Sonu Niigaam At The Success Party Of Four Play


A comedy Play by Vandana Sajnani Khattar starring some of the most appreciated artist like Rajesh Khattar, Gaurav Chopra, Mouni Roy, Akshay Kapoor and Payal Rohatgi (making her debut in theatre) was something all enjoyed and appreciated

Vandana Sajnani, Proprietor of Moksh Creations in association with Provogue presented Four Play at Rangsharda Auditorium, Bandra; after the success of humorous plays like Perfect Wedding and Perfect Divorce came another fantastic play called Four play. A comedy Play by Vandana Sajnani Khattar starring some of the most appreciated artist like Rajesh Khattar, Gaurav Chopra, Mouni Roy, Akshay Kapoor and Payal Rohatgi (making her debut in theatre) was something all enjoyed and appreciated.

After the successful screening of Four Play Fashion Partner Provogue in association with Moksh Creations had a Post Premiere Party of the newest lounge/club in Bandra called “RED ANTZ” owned by Krishna Tamang. The Provogue star-studded evening saw celebrities from Film and Television industry gracing the occasion and the perfect evening commenced from the play till the party in perfect harmony and the celebrities present enjoyed all the way till the end. All were in great spirits and it was a night where Art met Fashion in great style.

The night saw Udita Goswami, Payal Rohatagi, Aseem Merchant, Gaurav Chopra, Mouni Roy, Narayani Shastri, Akshay Kapoor, Ashok Chopra, Rajesh Khattar, Vandana Sajnani, Sai Deodhar, Nasir, Sonu Nigam, Narayani Shashtri, Asif Bhamla, Jagmohan Mundra, Pawan Malhotra, Dr.Ajeenkya D.Y. Patil, Dilawer Nency, Natasha Suri, Mona Kapoor, Siddhart Kanan, Munisha Khatwani and many more.

After a hearty laugh, the guests were treated to a sumptuous fare of exotic dishes, by chef Rashmiraj Rego (Red Antz). Exciting multi-cuisine fare of the likes of Parmesan tuiles with cream cheese, enokitake mushrooms with chicken, goat cheese and walnut bruschetta made it a perfect evening for everyone present.

Four play is a story of 4 couples together in 1mad house for 1 night and the funny trail of incidents that follow. The play is an adaptation of British hilarious Super Hit play “Move over Markham” by Ray Cooney and John Chapman. Rajesh & Vandana are going to be seen in completely different characters. Watch out for the sizzling dance number by Payal Rohatgi. Popular real life couple Gaurav Chopra & Mouni Roy will also be seen on stage for the first-time together.
Source:http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Provogue-Celebrates-the-success-of-Four-Play-in-style/4967605412

Friday 15 October 2010

Sonu Niigaam Rocks Mysore!


Lilting voice of Sonu Nigam cast a spell, at Maharaja College grounds that was jampacked with audience at Manaranjana Dasara in the city on Thursday. With this curtains were also drawn on ‘Manaranjana Dasara’.

The gifted singer he is, Sonu who has also given several hit numbers in Kannada didn’t disappoint his fans who clammered for Kannada songs. He had just finished rendering ‘Zoobi dubu...’ from ‘3 Idiots’ and pat resumed with ‘E sanje yaakagide..’ from ‘Geleya’.
Obviously, one couldn’t stop youngsters from shaking their legs. He went on to sing several other chartbusters like ‘Nee sanihake bandare...’ from ‘Maleyali Jotheyali’, ‘Neene neene... from his first ever Kannada album ‘Neene’, ‘Ninnindale’, from ‘Milana’ and of course ‘Anisuthide Yako Indu...’ from ‘Mungarumale’ that firmly cemented his position in Kannada filmdom too.

Clad in black and white tad resembling a british officer, Sonu sang ‘Rang de basanthi chola...’ from “The legend of Bhagat Singh’ that is still rated among the best songs from his stable. Medley of songs like ‘Mere sapnon ki rani...’, ‘Bholo shivashankar...’, ‘Bachna ae haseeno..’, ‘duniya tere peeche...’ proved a perfect treat for young and old alike who couldn’t stop themselves from applauding, truly it was Sonu’s magic.

How can he forget the title track of ‘Saathiya..’ Sonu sang it to the thunderous applause of the gathering.

He not only sang but also showed his skill on dancing too making ample use of the dais. Meanwhile, he was taken aback when a frenzied young girl made a sudden appearance on the stage hoodwinking the cops. Sonu appealed to the cops to let her go free, even as she was lifted off the stage. However, it couldn’t stop that girl from going berserk who continued to enjoy the evening, dancing according to her whims and fancies. Earlier, noted Kathak exponent Nirupama Rajendra performed giving a cultural treat. Unlike the previous days events, Sonu’s live concert saw huge flow of his fans that also included VIPs families.

They were Director general, Administrative Training Institute (ATI) Amitha Prasad, Deputy Commissioner, Mandya, P C Jaffer, Deputy Commissioner Harsh Gupta, Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal, Additional DC Dr C J Betsurmath, CEO, ZP, Sathyavathi to name a few.
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/104926/fans-go-amuck-sonu-nigam.html

Monday 11 October 2010

The Chote Ustad 2010 Winners - Akansha & Rouhan


Amul Chote Ustad, a music reality show specially meant for little wonders yesterday night that was the 10th of October was the winning night as contestants Akansha Sharma from India and Rouhan Abbas from Pakistan were declared the winners of the music competition.

The Chote Ustad 2010 winners were overwhelmed by their winning and this was joy for both the brother nations India and Pakistan.

The 13 year old enthusiastic Akansha who hails from Amritsar, Punjab and Rouhan Abbas who is also of the same age hailing from Lahore, Pakistan gave tough competition to the other pair of finalists which included Rishabh Chaturvedi-Farrukh Ali Moon and the second pair was Sayantan Paul-Ahsan Ali.

By winning the title of Chhote ustaad 2010 Rouhan and Akansha not only take away the name and the pride that comes along with such a prestigious title but also bagged a cash prize of Rs.20 Lakh.

Amul chotte Ustaad was featured on the Star Plus channel and had renowned judges like Sonu Nigam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. The motive of the show was to bring in little talented wonders from the two nations India and Pakistan together at the same ground for equal opportunities.

Keeping this in mind the raw talent that the reality show portrayed had kids between the age group of 8-13 years. Beginning with a pair of 10 the finals short listed 3 pairs of the best talent across the nation. As for the special guests present at the event it was Asha Bhosle the legend along with Golmaal 3 cast who graced the finales.

Thursday 7 October 2010

Sonu Niigaam To Perform At The Dasara Flower Show from Oct 8 to 18


For the first time, Mysoreans and tourists can enjoy a musical extravaganza in the form of Entertainment Dasara at Maharaja's College grounds from Oct. 9 to Oct. 14.

Entertainment Dasara will be inaugurated by Kannada film actors Sudeep and Prem.

Well-known singers from Bollywood and Kannada Film Industry like Sonu Niigaam, Kailash Kher, Vijaya Prakash, Rajesh Krishnan, Adil Hussain, Hamsalekha, Archana Udupa, M.D. Pallavi and others will perform at the Entertain- ment Dasara.

Kikkeri Krishnamurthy and troupe will present a progra-mme 'Ashwath Nenapu' in memory of late Sugama Sangeetha singer C. Ashwath who used to present Kannadave Sathya programme every year during Dasara.

As a good news to the visitors, the organisers have done away with the practice of reserving seats for pass holders. There will be a free entry to the venue. However, Entertainment Dasara will be a paid event for three days when star performers will present their programmes.

Dasara Flower Show from Oct.8 to 18

'Gandabherunda' special attraction

Mysore, Oct. 7 (BRS)- This year's Dasara Flower Show, organised by Mysore District Horticulture Society and the Department of Horticulture, will be held from October 8 to 18, said Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer G. Satyavathi who is also the President of the Society.

Addressing a press meet in the Zilla Panchayat Hall here yesterday, she disclosed that Horticulture Minister S.A. Ravindranath will inaugurate the Flower Show at Curzon Park near the Palace at 4 pm tomorrow.

The venue of the Flower Show will be adorned with about 35,000 different kinds of plants bearing flowers and vegetables, she added.

Encouraged by the appreciation of visitors in previous years towards rose designs of Nandi, howdah-carrying elephant, Mahishasura etc., this time the design of Gandabherunda (double-headed eagle) will be created using more than 30,000 multi-coloured roses, she disclosed.

Carvings of various kinds of vegetables by Shashikumar of Mysore will also be exhibited.

Flower arrangement with dried flowers of various kinds will also feature in the show this time.

Private gardens, public parks, industrial establishments, educational institutions and many other organisations have sent entries for the Flower Show and the event is expected to be more glittering and competitive than in the previous years, she said.

In addition, many kinds of decorative leafy plants, palms, agaves and medicinal plants will also be on display. The glass house will be decorated with colourful ikebana and unique arrangements with flowers from Ooty and KRS, she added.

Source: http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=news&item=26104

STAR India PLUS To Launch I Am Next Superstar In US & Canada


Close on the heels of music reality shows capturing the imagination of TV fans in India, South Asians in North America will now be able to showcase their talent on the soon-to-be-launched “I Am Next Superstar,” a talent search contest that will air on STAR India PLUS in the US and Canada.

Eligible US and Canadian residents will have the opportunity to submit auditions online of their singing or playing an instrument at www.iamnextsuperstar.com. The contest aims to harness the musical talent of participants, from singing to playing a tabla, harmonium or guitar and so forth.

India’s music luminaries Suresh Wadkar and Sonu Niigaam, who will also be available to mentor the participants, will judge the online auditions in both categories.

The top 20 participants judged from online entries will compete in two semi-final events in New York and California. Winners from the semi-finals will then compete in New Jersey in a concert-style grand finale in the presence of judges and audiences that will be aired on STAR India PLUS.

The winner will have a chance to record a single and feature in a music video.

Suresh Wadkar and Sonu Niigaam have been eagerly involved since the inception of “I Am Next Superstar,” as partners as well as mentors.

“It’s a great opportunity for participants to learn the nuances of music and hone their skills through this contest and claim deserving fame,” said Wadkar.

“The contest will go a long way in rightfully identifying singing talent among South Asians in North America, for both amateurs and professionals,” said
Sonu Niigaam. “We want to pursue the dual objective of providing entertainment to fans in America while bringing them in sync with music reality shows in India.”

STAR India PLUS, which is one of the most-watched Hindi general entertainment channel in the US and the number one rated general entertainment channel in India for most of the last 10 years, is the launch partner for the talent search contest. STAR’S involvement gives the contest a major television platform, also giving the winners a chance to showcase their talent to a national audience.

“Star is constantly striving to provide its viewers with the highest quality entertainment out there—be it via top-notch movies, reality shows or its highest rated dramas. Simultaneous to this, we also understand the strong need to nurture and showcase our own local talent within the Diaspora.” said David Wisnia, STAR’s Senior Vice President of Distribution, Sales and Marketing and head of STAR’s North American office. “Our association with Third Eye Ventures is a reflection of STAR’S commitment to showcase, to all our viewers, the best South Asian musical talent on view in North America.

The talent contest has been put together by Third Eye Ventures, whose team brings together 50 years of combined senior level experience in television and entertainment companies in India, South East Asia and the US.

”Third Eye’s effort is to raise the bar of entertainment programming targeted at South Asians in North America, and provide content that matches mainstream programs that North American South Asians are so used to watching on national television,” said Sanjay Chitale, president of Third Eye.

Third Eye is a media production venture by Ace Open (www.aceopen.com), an online music education portal offering intensive coaching by renowned musical luminaries.

New York-based Anhad Inc, the leading South Asian-focused fully- integrated media agency, will manage the semi-finals and the grand finale events. Anhad will also market and promote the shows and raise sponsorships.

Once launched, the talent search will initiate a national footprint through aggressive TV, online and offline marketing and ground participation aimed at creating social buzz and fan participation, promising sponsors unprecedented exposure and brand value

Source:http://www.adgully.com/media/television/star-india-plus-to-launch-i-am-next-superstar-in-us-and-canada.html

No Free Entry For Star Studded Shows!


With Yuva Dasara acting as a prelude to the grand nine-day festivities, the Dasara organising committee is all geared up for the successful hosting of ‘Naada Habba’.

Dr D Veerendra Heggade, Dharamadikari of Dharmasthala Kshethra would open the grand festivities at the auspicious time between 8.31 am and 9.01 am at Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi hill on Oct 8. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will be the chief guest. Harsh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner and Dasara Special Officer told reporters on Wednesday that the Chief Minister and the other guests would walk in a procession to offer pooja at Chamundeshwari temple and then light the lamp before the Goddess near the inaugural stage.

Briefing about the other events, he said there would be no free pass for Manoranjan Dasara (the star studded event carved out of Yuva Dasara) to be held at Maharaja College grounds. Instead, there would be tickets of various denominations for that event. Noted playback singer Sonu Niigaam would perform on any one day between Oct 9 and Oct 14.

However, the entry will be free for other three days. “It has been an expensive affair for the administration hosting to stars. The public should also bear the cost. About 5,000 chairs facilities can be availed on tickets. Whereas the event will be open freely for common public but sans chairs,” he added.

In yet another significant step, the ratio of number of passes to the tickets has been reduced. Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal said that all these years the ratio between tickets for palace and torchlight parade at Bannimantap grounds used to be 70:30. It was felt that the right of common public was denied for the privileged ones. In the wake of this, from this year, the ratio of tickets for both the events will be 50:50. All passes and tickets would be bar coded and unique. Tickets will be sold at palace, the Mysore zoo and other important tourist places in city. The gold cards are also ready for sale, he said.
A 12-member Pakistani Qawali team from Karachi would perform at the Palace on Oct 16, while a team from Botswana will perform on Oct 17.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/102667/no-free-entry-star-studded.html

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Sonu Niigaam To Attend Durga Puja!


Following actor Bipasha Basu’s reported unpleasant experience with the crowd at the Durga puja pandal last year,actor Rani Mukerji’s family is leaving no stone unturned to cordon the place with a strong security for their Durga puja celebrations this year. The celebrations with DNA, as the organising partner (for the fourth year), begin on October 13.

“The cultural events have an audience of over 4000 comprising of the crème-de-la-crème of Mumbai, which include non-Bengalis. We are expecting an excess of three lakh footfalls during the four-day event this year,” says an organising member of the The North Bombay Sarbajanin Durga Puja Charitable Trust & DNA Durgotsav 2010.

Elaborating on the security arrangements of the pandal at All-India Balkanji-Bari Compound, Santa Cruz, the organizer revealed, “A multi-tier security will be in place at the pandal with an exclusive VIP enclosure. We are expecting celebs like Jaya Bachchan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Kajol, Sushmita Sen, Bappi Lahiri, Ashutosh Gowarikar etc.”

Debu Mukherjee, Secretary, DNA Durgotsav says, “This year we plan to invite the corporate honchos and therefore our security planning has gained further importance. We plan to hire 50 security staff in each of the three shifts to control and monitor the vi

We have been distributing identity cards to the sponsors with proper identification so that we have a control on the sponsor officials who will be engaged in promotional activities in the premises.”

The décor of the puja pandal will be based on Rabindranath Tagore's works since it is his 150th birth anniversary. The entire pandal will be decorated with replicas of his paintings. “The area where the cultural functions will be held will be fully air-conditioned. There'll be performances by Sonu Niigaam, Alka Yagnik, Pritam and his band and Bhoomi(a leading Bengali band,” informs the organiser.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Sonu Niigaam Live UK Concerts 2010


Sonu Niigaam Live At The LG Arena 13th Nov 2010
Venue: LG Arena, The NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT
Tel: +44 (0) 121 780 4141 - Email: info@necgroup.co.uk
Ticket Hotline - 0844 338 8000












Sonu Niigaam Live At The Wembley Arena 14th Nov 2010

Venue: Arena Square, Engineers Way, London, United Kingdom, HA9 0AA
Tel: +44 (0) 208 782 5500 • Email: customerservices.wembley@livenation.co.uk
Buy Tickets Now !! http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/2200453DF8EBA8AA?brand=cce2&camefrom=CFC_UKAFF_CCE1_CLEAR












PERFECT HARMONY PRODUCTIONS , along with FIRE WORKS AND JAY’S ENTERTAINMENT are presenting ‘’ALL IZZ WELL’’ a concert, featuring the biggest Bollywood singing sensation from India ‘’SONU NIIGAAM’’, for the first time with his own Band of fantastic musicians, co singers, mimicry artiste from India and the most advanced Light, Sound and Audio Visual presentation that has ever been produced by any Bollywood concert.

The concerts will be 3hrs and will include the most popular numbers sung in films and albums by the singer himself. There is going to be a lucky draw at each concert where the winner will be presented the prize from Sonu Niigaam and a photo opportunity with the Artiste himself.

Sonu Niigaam is universally acclaimed as the finest Indian singer and the golden voice of Indi pop but he has proved time and again that he is a complete musician and an institution in himself with extra-ordinary talent and a voice to die for. He is a student of music, with a zeal to surpass his own targets and a performer par excellence.

Today he is a superstar, an icon to millions of music lovers across the globe. He is already a legend, and the journey has just begun! To attain this level of completeness, the technical aspects apart from music for a ‘Sonu Niigaam – Live in Concert’ also have been designed after a lot of thought and planning, thereby ensuring a memorable concert!

Ticket Prices
A £70 B £55 C £40 D £30

Dus Tola - Tracklist!


Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Aarti Chhabria, Govind Namdeo & others
Music Director: Sandesh Shandilya
Lyricist: Gulzar - Director: Ajoy







Tracklist :-
01 – Tumse Kya Kahana Hain – Sonu Niigaam (5:32)
02 – Lal Lal Aag Hua Patta Chinar Ka – Sukhwinder Singh (4:15)
03 – Aisa Hota Tha – Mohit Chauhan (4:19)
04 – Jee Na Jalaiyo Re – Sunidhi Chauhan (4:43)
05 – Jee Na Jalaiyo Re – Sukhwinder Singh (4:34 )

Sonu Niigam's Son Imitates Him


Sonu Niigaam and his wife, Madhurima were spotted at a function in Delhi recently and Madhurima got talking about their three-year-old son.

She said, "My son tries to imitate Sonu. He is also into music and loves to sing like his father." When we asked Sonu about his sudden visit to Delhi, he told us, "I keep visiting Delhi regularly, but my wife Madhurima is coming to Delhi after a long time. I'm happy to see so many changes and developments in the city – which, I guess, is due to the Commonwealth Games. Every thing has changed. Delhi looks so different now."

So why didn't we see him performing at the opening ceremony of the games? "Well, I was not invited to perform so I didn't perform. The games committee had sent a letter to me but after that there was no follow up from their end." But Sonu has still sung a song composed for the games along with Shankar Mahadevan, Swapna Mukherjee and Sadhna Sargam. Sonu says that these days he is busy with his new album. He explains, "I'm busy working on my next album. Besides that, I'm eagerly waiting for my title track of "Tees Maar Khan" to go on air."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/Sonu-Nigams-son-imitates-him/articleshow/6691088.cms

Ashok Khenys Birthday Bash Today!!


Over 1,600 religious heads, and personalities from the film industry, will attend Ashok Kheny 's bash today

Religious heads, film stars and politicians will participate in the 61th birthday celebrations of Ashok Kheny, Managing Director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd (NICE), at the High School grounds tomorrow in Davengere.
The maverick road builder is organising a 12-hour birthday celebration, and expects 5 lakh people across the state attending the function. "We are expecting 500 devotees of each pontiff to attend, and by this calculation there must be 8 lakh people in the audience. This is apart from our own people and the moderate estimation is 5 lakh at least," said Kheny.

The Akhila Karnataka Ashok Kheny Youth Movement is organising the function and Nagendra Prasad, president of the movement, said that the cultural programme by film stars would mark the event that would be preceded by an all-religion conclave to be graced by the pontiffs. He said 400 leading artistes, including singer Sonu Niigaam and music director Guru Kiran would perform, while stars from Kannada and Hindi film industry would also attend.

"People attending the function will remember it for a long time because of the cultural programme," said Prasad. He has invited main religious heads including Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Matt, Vishwesh Theertha Swami of Pejawar Math, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, Baba Ramdev, and D Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala.

Source: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/oct/041010-News-Bangalore-film-industry-Ashok-Kheny-NICE-Davengere.htm

Priya Kumar Launches Her 2nd Book, License To Live 03-10-10


License to Live is a fictional book that sends the reader on a journey towards finding greatness within. It is an inspirational thriller and a wonderfully crafted fable about finding the direction you are destined to head in and creating the life of your dreams.

Priya Kumar, India’s No.1 bestselling author, launched her second book, License to Live – A Seeker’s Journey to Greatness at Crossword Kemps Corner amidst much fanfare. Singing superstar, Sonu Niigaam, was present at the launch to lend his support to good friend, Priya. License to Live is Priya Kumar’s second attempt at writing a bestseller after her first offering, I Am Another You, created quite a stir among the literary fraternity.

License to Live is a fictional book that sends the reader on a journey towards finding greatness within. It is an inspirational thriller and a wonderfully crafted fable about finding the direction you are destined to head in and creating the life of your dreams. License to Live tells the tale of a successful corporate guru who enrolls herself in a seminar by one of the finest success coaches in the world. His radical training methods take her on a life-changing odyssey.

A seven day seminar spread over three countries, puts her onto a journey where she is forced to look within and be her own teacher and guide, something she had done so well for others but missed doing for herself. Full of wisdom, wit and spiritual insights, you collect lessons that will change the way you lead your life forever.

The event opened with Priya thanking her fans and Sonu for taking time out to be present on her special day. “I think I was born to be a writer. In writing I have grown so much as a person. With the amount of fan mails I get, it only increases my responsibility and raises the bar for my work. Your support is something that will add the magic to my work. I don’t believe in the concept of bestselling authors, I believe in bestselling teams.”

This was followed by Sonu referring to Priya’s books as “divine” and going on to explain why he thinks Priya Kumar is one of the best Indian authors today and how her words have truly affected his life in several ways. “The beauty about Priya’s writing is that it reaches out to people across every age and strata of society.

Her words always strike a chord with her readers, changing their lives for the better. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading both her books and strongly recommend License to Live to anyone who wishes to fulfill their pursuits and dreams in life.”

The event ended with Priya Kumar’s signature board breaking activity. People from the crowd were called upon stage and made to break a wooden board with nothing but their fists. This, Priya believes, helps people break all the limitations they impose on themselves and ignite peoples minds towards peak performance.

Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Priya-Kumar-launches-her-2nd-book-License-to-Live/4950705991