India and Cannes: An enduring relationship

Suman Bhuchar

INDIA is the ‘guest country’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival which runs from May 15-26, as the country marks 100 years of feature film production.
Interestingly, it was the French, who introduced moving picture to India, when the frères Lumiere made an appearance at the Watsons Hotel, Bombay (Mumbai) on July 7, 1896 and displayed their ‘marvel of the century’ to the local elite.
The Indians took to this invention like a duck to water, and have been producing features films since the first one, Raja Harishchandra by DadaSaheb Phalke.......

What do Indian women want? Film on culture clash

Sailesh Ram

IN the current febrile state that India has lathered itself into over this subject, that’s no easy question.
The simple answer is freedom, but as with anything of this nature, what should be the terms of this freedom? It’s not like women can do just anything they want. What would the world come to, say those who fear women’s right to choose.
Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja has made an arresting film, called The World Before Her, about precisely this subject and has done so by showing almost two very ‘extreme’ options open to.......

How much does love cost? An author's take...

Sailesh Ram

PUT aside the slightly jokey and ironic title, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, and instead give yourself to the author as a voice of reason and knowledge.
This is pretty much what anyone does when they read a manual or a textbook – after all, it is something to be learnt and ingested without reflection or thought.
Of course, Mohsin Hamid’s new novel, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, wants the reader to engage at a different level altogether – it is still a novel, a work.......

What price has love in Asia...

ACCLAIMED author Mohsin Hamid reveals what themes drove him to write his latest book, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia.
Speaking to BBC arts correspondent, Razia Iqbal, on Wednesday (3) he covered a multitude of subjects and agreed the book has a vision of love that is precipitated by something much larger than the idea of possession and want.
Hamid was appearing at the first pre-festival event at the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature.
The Festival takes place at Asia House in London 7-22 May 2013 with well-known authors, TV personalities, travellers, historians.......

Singer explains Birdman's secret to success

 Jay Sean explains how Cash Money Records, which is home to four of last years top hip-hop earners including Drake, Birdman, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj has helped them find success with their hands off management style.

Bryan “Birdman” Williams along with his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams funded Cash Money Records in 1991 and seven years later scored a distribution deal with Universal Music.

The boy band are set to be the new Kardashians

 Boy band The Wanted are set to become the new Kardashians with their brand new series – The Wanted Life.

Irish member Siva Kaneswaran and his band mates in an attempt to get into the US market landed a lucrative reality TBV deal with E!.

The executive producer of Keeping Up With the Kardashians – Ryan Seacrest  will act as their executive producer....

Zayn Malik's sister has deleted her merchandise webpage after breaking the band's copyright rules

POPSTAR Zayn Malik's sister has deleted her merchandise webpage as she didn't having permission to use the band's copyrighted design.

Psychology student Doniya was making extra cash selling handmade One Direction merchandise she had decorated with the band’s logo.

One direction go the organic way

Boy band shuns booze for tea

The One Direction boys have demanded a plentiful tea in their dressing rooms to boost their performance at their sell-out Manchester gigs.

After a taste of peppermint tea at last months Brits – the low maintenance lads have shunned booze and organic tea blenders Higher Living have been brought in to create a special tea dispensing device in case of an emergency.

Though Higher Living has....

Coronation Street character Sunita Alahan will die in a fire at Rovers Return

CORONATION Street star Shobna Gulati is about to leave the TV series as the life of her character, Sunita Alahan, will be endangered in the episode on March 18 on ITV.

The soap's story line is about a fire at Rovers Return, the series' famous pub, where Sunita will die.

Smashing a light on dark practices

Sailesh Ram

HE is nothing if not fearless and a champion of all those in India who don’t have a voice.
Award-winning and feted around the world, Anand Patwardhan is that rare breed of filmmaker - at least for India – as his work covers the dark underbelly of a nation basking in its spotlight as a country on the make.
The British Film Institute at the National Film Theatre on the South Bank in London, paid tribute to his documentary work with a weekend of films and talks last week which ended on.......

Jay Sean's fourth album is called Neon and will be released within the next month

BRITISH Asian singer Jay Sean is ready to release his fourth album called Neon which is the follow-up to All or Nothing from 2009.

The first British Asian daily soap

WHEN Trinidad boy Valmike Rampersad came to London, little did he know he would one day become a part of one of the UK’s biggest Asian TV shows.

Playing Ajay Shah in the Cloud 9 daily series on Zing channel not only gave Rampersad a chance to work with renowned director Gunjan Hazarika, but also an opportunity to get closer to his fans.

Released last month, Cloud 9 is the first British Asian daily soap to be produced in the UK and features characters of different ethnicities.

Rampersad plays a student.......

Actress Madhuri Dixit launches app on the iPat

ACTRESS Madhuri Dixit has now launched application - Madhuri Dixit HD on the iPad to connect with her fans.

The high definition app allows its users to get the latest updates and interact with the "Devdas" actress.

The 45-year-old, who is very active on Twitter and Facebook, decided to launch her app so that she can stay in touch with her fans.

Anoushka Shankar reveals sexual abuse

Sitar player talks about how she was abused as a child

In remembrance of the Delhi gang rape victim, celebrated Sitar player Anoushka Shankar revealed she was sexually abused as a child.

The daughter of late sitar player Ravi Shankar spoke while supporting the One Billion Rising Campaign to highlight violence against women on Valentine's Day.

She said: "As a child I suffered sexual and emotional abuse for several years at the hands of a man whom my parents trusted implicitly. Growing up like most women I know, I suffered various formcs of groping, touching, verbal abuse and other things I didn't know how to.......

A fire inside the Rovers Return pub will cause the death of Sunita Alahan in one of the next episodes

Veteran actor becomes target for internet miscreants

SOCIAL networking sites were abuzz with rumours that veteran actor Kader Khan had died.

The 77-year-old actor was the latest victim to fall prey to an internet hoax as a Facebook page – ‘RIP Kader Khan’ set about an internet frenzy.

Fans posted messages on Twitter and Facebook to express their grief but the air was cleared soon.
.......

Climax of Osama Bin Laden's capture in Zero Dark Thirty doesn't live up to the build up

Picture: Jessica Chastain as CIA agent Maya

By Imran Choudhury

INTERESTING as it is, Zero Dark Thirty is long winded and only saved through Jessica Chastain's engaging portrayal of a formidable CIA agent.

The thriller follows fiery red head Maya, played by Chastain, who is based on an actual female CIA agent who helped to capture Osama Bin Laden back in 2011.

Zero Dark Thirty is very blunt – it gets straight to the point in its first few minutes with scenes of torture which maybe difficult to.......

Out of this world or all at sea: Life of Pi

Sailesh Ram

THERE has been a lot of hype about the Life of Pi, the new film by one of the world’s great directors, Ang Lee.
Inspired by the Man Booker prize-winning novel by Canadian writer Yann Martel, there is much to admire in this film but somehow it falls short of something.
Whether blame for that can be put at Lee’s door is very questionable for he is impressively faithful to the philosophical ethos of the book, though he does take some licence with it.
Gone is the talking tiger, Richard Parker, and.......

COMIC Paul Sinha has revealed
the secrets of his success
on one of Britain's most
popular quiz shows - learning
pointless lists and an addiction
to Wikipedia.

From India or have Indian heritage…will argue…

YOU would think that being Indian is a matter simply of having an Indian passport or having some Indian roots, but things are never that simple as a debut play to the UK explores.
Who would ever believe that? An Indian, my friend.
Salaam India is written by playwright Nicholas Kharkongor, who was inspired by writer-diplomat Pavan Varma’s bestselling book, Being Indian, published a few years ago.
The play, staged at the Waterman’s in Brentford, south west London last night (27) and on there until Saturday (1), shows there is really no such thing as an.......