Chris Martin steals the show by singing 'Vande Mataram'

November 20, 2016

Mumbai, Nov 20: Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin ended the Global Citizen Festival India concert on a high note with his band this evening by singing "Vande Mataram" with the music maestro A R Rahman and also waved the national flag.

coldplay2011

The band performed for over an hour at the MMRDA grounds. The singer is in the country as part of the Global Citizen India initiative 2016. The British Rock band performed several memorable songs including Paradise, Viva La Vida, Yellow, Fix You.

Martin invited A R Rahman on stage and both sang "Maa tujhe salaam...Vande maatram". Martin later even waved the national flag. Initially, he also had small tricolour stuck in his back-pocket but later put it away.

Martin also enthralled everyone with his own version of song "Channa Mereya" from Karan Johar's film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".

During his performance, Martin said, "Namaste friends, yeh hamari khushkismati hai ki itne khoobsurat desh mein aaye hain. (We are fortunate that we have come to such beautiful country)."

At the start, Martin was introduced by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar and actress Frieda Pinto. The Global Citizen Festival India 2016 turned out to be the biggest entertainment event of the year in B-town as several Bollywood celebrities and some international artists shared the stage at the MMRDA grounds.

Among the celebrities present at the gala were Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Katrina Kaif, Sonakshi Sinha, Parineeti Chopra, Monali Thakur, Arijit Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Arjun Rampal, Suzanne Khan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was earlier supposed to attend, could not make it to the event. He, however, joined via a video link that was beamed live.

Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra announced the opening of the festival. Singer Arijit Singh began the musical journey by crooning his latest blockbuster track "Ae Dil hai Mushkil" and other chartbusters.

Playback singer Monali Thakur sang her award winning song "Sawaar Loon" from Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha-starrer "Lootera".

British pop rock band "The Vamps" performed their hit tracks. They also had great time working with ace choreographer Farah Khan. "It was great fun meeting Farah Khan. She taught us some cool dance moves," they said.

Arjun introduced megastar Amitabh Bachchan on stage and Big B was joined by the Shillong Chamber Choir. He recited a poem which was a tribute to Indian women and gender equality.

Actress Vidya Balan came on stage and spoke about issues like open defecation, clean water and sanitation.

Dressed in a red dress, fashionista Sonam Kapoor pledged to educate youth about sustainable development, sharing the goal of making Internet reach about 300,000 villages.

While introducing music maestro A R Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan said, "I wouldn't be what I am if it were not for Rahman's "Chaiyya Chaiyya". King Khan later returned to the stage to introduce American rapper Jay Z.

Jay Z made his India debut at the Global Citizen India concert with his hit Bounce, set against a sample of AR Rahman's tune "Chaiya Chaiya". He also crooned his hit songs 'We gonna run this town tonight', '99 Problems', 'In Paris', 'Drunk In Love' and his Panjabi MC collaboration 'Beware Of The Boyz'.

Then came the ever energetic Ranveer Singh who took to stage in his "Bajirao Mastani" costume and danced to "Malhari". Later he changed costume and got in "Befikre" mode as he danced to "Nashe Si Chad Gayi".

Comments

Mohammed SS
 - 
Sunday, 20 Nov 2016

vande mataram or Joney walker wiskey all same for foreigners, we don't have to be much proud about Martin

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
April 25,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 25: Malayalam actor Ravi Vallathol, well-known for his acting in television serials and movies, passed away on Saturday at a hospital here, family sources said.

Vallathol, son of drama legend T N Gopinathan Nair and Soudamini, was the nephew of the famous Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon.

The veteran actor had appeared in around 50 Malayalam movies and more than 50 television serials starting from1986 with the serial 'Vaitharani' on Doordarshan.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi VIjayan expressed condolences on the passing away of the actor.

"He had an extraordinary ability to immortalise the characters with a wide range of emotions," Vijayan said, adding that, his demise was a loss to both theatre, film and TV serial industry.

Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala also condoled the demise of the Vallathol.

Chennithala remembered Vallathol as a brilliant writer and social activist. Vallathol made his film debut in 'Swathi Thirunal' directed by the late Lenin Rajendran in 1987.

He had also played versatile characters in hit movies movies including Godfather, Mathilukal, Sargam, Vidheyan, Kottayam Kunjachan, Naalu Penningal, Idukki Gold among others.

He has penned more than 25 short stories among which two were adapted into television series.

He is survived by his wife Geethalakshmi.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
January 6,2020

Kochi, Jan 6: A trial court on Monday framed charges against Malayalam film actor Dileep and other accused in the case of alleged abduction and molestation of a south Indian actress in 2017.

The actor and nine other accused were present in the additional special sessions court in Ernakulamwhen the charges were framed against them.

All of them have denied the charges.

On Saturday, the Court had dismissed a plea filed by Dileep, seeking to exclude him from the list of accused.

The Court had admitted the prosecution argument that there is prima facie evidence against him in the crime and dismissed the plea of the actor, who is eighth accused in the case.

The court had also not allowed a plea by the actor to grant him 10 days time to file the appeal in a higher court in the light of the Supreme Court order in November 2019 that the trial should be completed in six months.

The court is hearing the case in-camera.

On December 19, Dileep, along with his lawyers and a technical expert, had examined the contents of the electronic records at the closed room of the court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed that the actor be allowed to inspect the records to enable him to present an effective defence during the trial.

In February 2017, the actress was allegedly abducted and molested by the accused.

Seven people, including the key accused 'Pulsar' Suni were arrested in connection with the actress' abduction case.

There are 10 accused in the case.

The entire act had allegedly taken place in a moving vehicle, which was filmed by the accused to blackmail her.

Dileep was subsequently arrested and arrayed as an accused in connection with offences under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and IT Act.

The top court had directed that the trial in case be concluded expeditiously, preferably within six months from the date of the judgement.

A woman judge is hearing the case.

In February 2019, the High Court, while considering a plea seeking to transfer the case to a Sessions Court headed by a woman judge to conduct the trial, had ordered the CBI special court Judge-III Ernakulam Honey M Varghese to complete the trial expeditiously.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 24,2020

Paris, Jan 24: Rahul Mishra and Imane Ayissi made history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian and black African designers to show their clothes on the elite Paris haute couture catwalk.

Only a little more than a dozen of the world's most prestigious luxury labels -- including Dior, Chanel and Givenchy -- have a right to call their clothes haute couture.

All the clothes must be handmade -- and go on to sell for tens of thousands of euros (dollars) to some of the richest and most famous women in the world.

Mishra, an advocate of ethical "slow fashion" who blames mechanisation for much of the world's ills, said "it felt amazing and very surreal to be the first Indian to be chosen." "They see a great future for us -- which will make us push ourselves even harder," the 40-year-old told AFP after his debut show was cheered by fashionistas.

Both Mishra and Cameroon-born Ayissi, 51, are champions of traditional fabrics and techniques from their homelands and are famous for their classy lines.

Ayissi said his selection was "immense" both for Africa and himself.

"I am so proud that I can show my work and showcase real African fabrics and African heritage," he told AFP backstage as celebrities, including the chic head of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay, congratulated him.

Mishra broke through on the Paris ready-to-wear scene after winning the International Woolmark Prize in 2014, the top award that also launched the careers of such greats as Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent.

The purity of his often white creations with their detailed but understated embroidery has won him many fans, including Vogue's legendary critic Suzy Menkes.

The doyenne of fashion's front row called him an Indian "national treasure".

But this time, Mishra turned up the colour palette somewhat with dresses that subtly evoked the jungle paradises and pristine underwater world off the Maldives he worries that one day we might lose.

Appalled by the smoke and pollution that meant he had to keep his four-year-old daughter indoors in Delhi for nearly 20 days in November, Mishra said he imagined a "pure virginal and untamed planet... with ecosystems crafted out of embroidered flora and fauna".

"I am very emotional about it. Sometimes it makes me cry. All our children should be growing up in a better world," he added.

"When I take Aarna (his daughter) to the foothills of the Himalayas and the sky turns blue, she is so happy.

"Once, when she saw the River Ganges, she said: 'Can you please clean it for us so can go for a swim?'"

Mishra said he was reducing the quantity of clothes he was producing while at the same time increasing their quality, with humming birds, koalas and other animals hidden in the hundreds of hand worked embroidered leaves and flowers of his "jungle dresses".

The designer has won ethical and sustainability awards for his work supporting local crafts people in rural India.

"My objective is to create jobs which help people in their own villages," Mishra said.

"If villages are stronger, you will have a stronger country, a stronger nation, and a stronger world," he added.

Ayissi takes a similar stand, refusing to use wax prints popular in West Africa which he dismisses as "colonial".

Dutch mills flooded Africa with cotton printed with colourful patterns borrowed from Indonesian batik in the 19th century, and still dominate the market.

"When we talk about African fashion, it's always wax, which is a real pity," he told AFP, "because it's killing our own African heritage."

Ayissi, a former dancer who worked with singers such as Sting and Seal, told AFP he wanted to open up "a new path for Africa" and find an "alternative way of doing luxury fashion".

He has gone back to using prestigious local materials, like the strip fabric kente woven by the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which was originally worn only by nobles.

The son of an undefeated African boxing champ and a former Miss Cameroon, he also uses appliqued techniques from Benin and Ghana.

Haute couture shows only take place in Paris and the criteria to enter and remain in fashion's elite club are strictly enforced by French law.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.