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.

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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".

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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

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: Hoping her cinematic voice can help bring about lasting change in how society perceives acid attack survivors, actor Deepika Padukone says her latest film Chhapaak should ideally be so impactful that there won't be need for another story on acid violence.

After all, cinema is in itself such a powerful medium, Deepika told news agency ahead of the release of the film, which is based on the life of acid attack survivor and activist Laxmi Agarwal.

The idea behind the social drama is to invoke empathy and understanding rather than paint women who have undergone the ordeal as victims, the actor, who has also produced the film, said in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

"Beyond the gruesomeness, the violence and all of that, there is a story of the human spirit and hope. That's why we're telling the story," she said.

Deepika, 33, said it was a story that spoke to her and she felt pride in attaching herself to the project.

Chhapaak, directed by Meghna Gulzar and featuring Vikrant Massey, is the second mainstream film to focus on the subject after 2019 Malayalam movie Uyare starring Parvathy Thiruvothu.

"I hope we won't have to constantly tell stories on acid attack survivors for us to see change. I hope with our film we begin to see that change for ourselves as a society and for acid attack survivors.

"If we don't, then we've done something wrong as a society. Cinema in itself is such a powerful medium that hopefully just through this one film we will hopefully be able to see that kind of change and impact," Deepika said.

The actor said there was not much planning behind the decision to back the film financially.

"Sometimes certain films need a little more hand holding, a little more love and support. I felt like I would be adding a little more value as a producer.

"This is a film I'm very proud of, not just from the script point of view but even in terms of the story and its message," she said.

The film, which releases on January 10, will be Deepika's first release in two years and comes after her marriage to frequent co-star Ranveer Singh.

The actor said she used the time to creatively replenish herself.

"It was about finding a film worthy of putting out there. It's not that work at my end had stopped. I was constantly looking for scripts that challenged and excited me.

"I would look at it as time for creative fertility. It's important to nurture yourself. The work that goes on behind the scenes... most often we're constantly on a film set, but whether it's meeting with writers and directors, looking for scripts... That is also part of the creative process and that's what I've been doing."

The title Chhapaak instantly evokes the image of acid being splattered, and Deepika said the director wanted a word for the film's name that could also lend itself to a song.

"I think she said 'chhapaak', which is the sound of a splash, is something that could adapt or lend itself beautifully to a song. Perhaps, it also has to do with fluidity. So on one hand, liquid is known to take different forms, a liquid such as this (acid) can change someone's life forever," she said.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

New York, Aug 4: National Award-winning documentary "Son Rise" and Geetu Mohandas-directed "Moothon" were among the films that took home the big honours at the 20th New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), which switched to a virtual edition this year amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 45 feature-length narratives, shorts and documentaries from the Indian subcontinent were showcased at the festival’s virtual edition that ran for 10 days beginning July 24.

The films programmed were in various languages including Assamese, Bengali, Haryanvi, Hindi, English, Ladakhi, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali and Tamil.

The award ceremony for the festival was held virtually Sunday, with the filmmakers, cast, award winners and festival officials joining from across India and the US.

The award for the Best Documentary (Short) went to Saurav Vishnu-directed "Tailing Pond", which highlights the "horrifying effects of uranium extraction on the health of the indigenous population" of Jadugoda, Jharkhand.

"Son Rise" by Vibha Bakshi won the award for Best Documentary (Feature).

The documentary had won the National Award for the Best non-feature film in 2019 and was among the two centrepieces hosted by the festival this year. NYIFF called "Son Rise" “a powerful documentary about patriarchy in Haryana and efforts by a few good men to bring meaningful change in the society.”

The award for Best Short (Narrative) went to Sanat Ganu's "Arabian Nights". The narrative focuses on a child, his imaginary friend and a family that attends a conference where the attendees believe the earth is flat.

Director and scriptwriter Sudhanshu Saria accepted the award for Best Screenplay for "Knock Knock Knock". Saria’s screenplay “explores the lonely life of a man, an unlikely friendship that may or may not be real.”

Sanjana Dipu won the award for Best Child Actor for "Moothon" for her performance of a teenager in search of a brother.

Garggi Ananthan won the Best Actress award for her role as Kalyani in the film "Run Kalyani" and the Best Actor award went to Malayalam star Nivin Pauly for "Moothon". The award for the Best Director went to 23-year old Achal Mishra for "Gamak Ghar".

"Moothon" won the award for Best Film and its director Mohandas accepted the award for the film, which is "about love and loss that travels from the quiet, lush beaches of Lakshadweep to the mad hustle-bustle of the streets of Mumbai."

Produced by award-winning Indian film director and writer Anurag Kashyap, "Moothon" had premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

NYIFF festival director Aseem Chhabra said that the process of searching for films for the festival began last fall and they were ready to showcase them to audiences in New York in April but had to change plans for the festival due to the pandemic.

"I know the best way to enjoy films is in a theatre with the audience and have live interactions, conversations. But the virtual festival is the next best option and in the process, we have been able to reach out to a much larger audience in the US, North America as well in several other countries.”

NYIFF said that a virtual edition expanded the reach of the festival and audiences from 95 countries were able to access and view the films.

Dr Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman of the Indo-American Arts Council, co-founder and owner of Atlantic Dialysis Management services, the largest private dialysis provider in New York State, said NYIFF works with an independent jury - filmmakers, film professors, writers and critics.

Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), the leading cultural organisation, presents the festival.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the closure of theatres but we believe that in such trying times arts, including films are even more important for the community’s well-being. So, this year we have decided to bring the films directly into your living rooms.” IAAC Vice-Chairman Rakesh Kaul had said.

The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest Indian film event in North America. Over the years, the festival has held New York premieres of a wide range of films, many of them critically acclaimed, including "Monsoon Wedding", "The Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Shahid", "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" and "Gangs of Wasseypur". 

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News Network
April 2,2020

New Delhi, Apr 2: Singer-songwriter Justin Bieber on Thursday announced that he is postponing all of his scheduled 2020 concerts for his 'Changes Tour' due to the global outbreak of coronavirus.

The singer took to Instagram and posted a statement on the platform to make an announcement in the regard.

"In light of the current public health crisis. And with the deepest concern for all those being affected. Justin Bieber will be postponing all currently scheduled 2020 dates for the changes tour," read a statement.

"While Justin -along with his band. Dancers and crew - has been hard at work preparing an amazing show. He has always put the health and well-being of his fans first and foremost," the statement further read.

The statement also said that the 'Cold Water' singer, "is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to get back out on the road and perform in a space that is safe for everyone."
Bieber asked all his fans to hold on to their tickets as the dates of the tour will soon be rescheduled.

According to the World Health Organisation, COVID-19 has affected over 8,27,419 people globally and has spread to almost 206 countries.

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