Adnan Sami's first wife’s son Azaan says Pakistan is his home

Agencies
September 4, 2019

Mumbai, Sept 4: Singer-composer Adnan Sami might have opted for Indian citizenship, but his son Azaan Sami Khan insists on calling Pakistan his home. "The reason I have never really spoken about it before is because he is my father. I love him and respect him. He has made certain decisions of where he wants to live and which country he chooses to call home, and I respect that. What I choose to call home now is my choice and I chose to work in Pakistan," said Azaan, in an interview to BBC.

Azaan, a music composer, revealed that although he spent his teenage days in India, he prefers to call Pakistan his home and is proud of the fact.

"I have amazing friends there (in India). I have lived a lot of my life there -- my teen years particularly, but Pakistan is my home. I have grown up there but I feel like the industry in Pakistan is my family. There is immense pride for me, and hope and ambition, that I contribute to an industry which I call home," he said.

Azaan is Adnan Sami's son from from the singer's first wife, Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar.

When Azaan was quizzed on his father's views on the rising tension between India and Pakistan, as well as on the Kashmir issue, he replied, "Yes, there are days when it is very interesting how people around me react when stuff like that happens, because he is my father. Normally, you keep getting messages for different things and there have been days when stuff has happened and there has just been silence."

Asked if he has ever had a debate or discussion with his dad regarding the latter's political views, Azaan replied, "What he and I talk about should remain between us. We have had a very tested relationship over the years. I grew up with my mother. Him and I were more like friends. He is someone I go to for advice. It is a very interesting relationship because we may at times not speak for months but when we do, we just get each other. So, when I say I respect him, I get where he comes from. And as I child I think it is not our place to comment on what our parents do. We can advise, we can suggest, but it is not our place to tell them what to do."

Calling his dad "musically a legend", Azaan shared that Adnan is also one of his best critics. "I share a lot of stuff with him. He is one of the best critics. One thing which I will always be grateful for is that he has never tried to influence my music," he said.

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News Network
March 23,2020

Washington, Mar 23: Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, US media reported Sunday.

Harvey Weinstein, 68, is in prison in northern New York state after being sentenced to 23 years in jail for rape and sexual assault.

The fallen film producer's diagnosis was first reported Sunday evening by local paper the Niagara Gazette.

Harvey Weinstein's spokespeople have declined to comment to US media on the subject.

The New York state Department of Corrections did not respond when contacted by AFP for confirmation of the reports.

Harvey Weinstein was transferred Wednesday to a prison near Buffalo, 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

Prior to his transfer, he stayed at Rikers Island prison and a Manhattan hospital, where he was treated for chest pains.

Crowded US prisons have the potential to become hotbeds for coronavirus infections. Last week, guards at Rikers and New York's Sing Sing prison tested positive for the virus, local media reported.

As of Sunday, the virus has killed 417 people in the US out of more than 33,000 cases, according to a tracker managed by Johns Hopkins University.

Harvey Weinstein was convicted in February of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, while being cleared of predatory sexual assault charges.

He was convicted of raping ex-actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.

Nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, have leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and numerous other critical and box office hits.

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News Network
March 28,2020

Chennai, Mar 28: Chennai City Corporation personnel stuck a home quarantine sticker at the office of actor-politician Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam office on Saturday, leading to speculation that the matinee star was quarantined for the coronavirus.

While there was speculation if Kamal Haasan was quarantined, the Greater Chennai Corporation said their staffers pasted the sticker on the premises because actress Gautami Tadimalli "returned from Dubai recently and her passport has this address (Eldams Road in upscale Alwarpet)."

The present residence of the actress was not known immediately.

The sticker read, "We are in home quarantine to safeguard ourselves and Chennai from the coronavirus." It was removed soon, an official said, declining to elaborate.

Kamal Haasan clarified in a statement that he was not quarantined.

"Based on the notice stuck outside my house, news has been spread saying that I have been quarantined. But most of you already know that I have not been living there for the past few years and the Makkal Needhi Maiam party office has been functioning from there," he said.

Further, the actor said, the news that he has been quarantined "is not true."

As a precautionary measure, he has been maintaining social distancing, he said.

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Agencies
July 8,2020

Mumbai: The 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is going virtual this year due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The festival is coming up with a full-slate of 157 films from 42 countries.

Tipped as South Asia's biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, it is the first Indian film festival to come up with a slate of new programs for this year.

The slate of films include 30 films from India, as well as films from countries like Belarus, Iran, Iceland, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Tunisia, etc.

"We are extremely delighted to launch the registration for the KASHISH 2020 Virtual with a full slate of films as well as panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, etc, almost replicating the ground event. Only this year not only Mumbaikars but people across India and the world can participate in the festival and enjoy amazing LGBTQIA+ films, discussions and performances!", said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.

"We are thrilled by almost 95 per cent of the filmmakers whose films were selected to screen at the ground festival, agreeing to screen with us at our online festival. We are overwhelmed by the response from the filmmakers, and we are really glad to reach their films out to the world. This speaks a lot about their trust and support towards the festival", said Saagar Gupta, Director, Programming.

The registrations to attend the festival is now open and details can be viewed at the festival website http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/attend/ along with information about the film line-up. There are early-bird full-festival passes at a modest price in India and outside India. The early-bird offer will be open for a week.

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