Bollywood's first Saudi filmmaker works on maiden venture

satheeshmankulamk@outlook.com (Agencies)
November 15, 2015

Hyderabad, Nov 15: Sameera Aziz, the first Saudi filmmaker in Bollywood, wants the world to know about Saudi Arabia and is currently in India working on pre-production of 'Reem', her maiden Bollywood venture.

Sameera-Aziz

"My aim is to introduce Saudi Arabia to the outside world. Saudi Arabia is a hidden society. They have not come out and told the world about themselves and this created misconceptions," Sameera told IANS in an interview.

'Reem' is the story of a Saudi girl who comes to India in search of her mother. "The story is about the challenges she faces in India whose culture is a new experience for her. Whether she finds her mother and love in India is something which you have to watch out," she said.

Sameera, 35, journalist, Urdu writer, novelist, poetess and activist, is the director, producer and writer of the movie, which she plans to release worldwide by the end of next year.

She took up filmmaking as she believes it is the most powerful medium of 21st century and this will help her introduce Saudi Arabia to the world.

Sameera, who has written the script, has been coming to India for the last three years for pre-production work.

"This a true story which I came across during my journalistic career. I want to give a message of peace and love through this film and show Saudi Arabia to the world because people don't know much except the holy cities of Makkah and Madina," she said.

It's not lost and found story. "The story is powerful and with all twists and turns surprise the audience and engage them," she said.

'Reem' will be a complete commercial film with all Bollywood elements. It will also have an item song, which will be belly dance. It also features a ghazal written by her.
Sameera Aziz Productions, formed by her, will finance the film along with some financiers from Bollywood.

She has already finalised the Saudi cast for the film and plans to soon announce the Bollywood actors for the movie.

Sameera, who has learnt filmmaking from experienced British and American filmmakers, feels working in Bollywood is easy.

"There is no film industry in Saudi Arabia. It's difficult to work because there is no trained manpower, equipment or atmosphere. I also used to feel embarrassed because I was the only woman. Working there was tough as one person had to handle several works simultaneously," said Sameera who worked on five projects in Saudi Arabia.

"When I came to Bollywood I found everything is organised. People are totally professional and qualified. I found working here is easy," she said.

About her film projects in Saudi Arabia, she said they were all about human and women's rights.

Also an activist, Sameera is fighting for women's rights, especially taking up the cases of NRI women who are victims of domestic violence.

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News Network
June 8,2020

Jun 8: The Shiv Sena has sought to take a different stand on Bollywood actor Sonu Sood’s help in ferrying migrants back home in the midst of the nationwide lockdown induced by the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday evening, the actor met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at his residence ‘Matoshree’. The CM’s son and Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray and MLA Aslam Shaikh were also present during the meeting.

Sonu Sood’s visit to the Shiv Sena supremo’s residence came after Sanjay Raut, one of the most vocal leaders of the party, criticised the actor and sought to draw a BJP link to his help to migrants in order to show the ruling dispensation in poor light.

“Sood is an actor whose profession is to deliver dialogues scripted by someone else and make a living out of it. There are many people like Sood who would promote any political party if paid well,” Raut wrote in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna.

Referring to the actor’s help to migrants, Raut wondered if the sudden generosity of “Mahatma” Sood in Mumbai was at BJP’s behest and said that he would “soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and become the celebrity manager of Mumbai.”

As Raut’s remarks fuelled a controversy in political circles, Aaditya Thackeray tweeted in praise of Sood in an apparent attempt to distance the party and its leadership from the leader’s remarks.

“This evening Sonu Sood met up with Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray ji along with Minister Aslam Shaikh ji and me. Better Together, Stronger Together to assist as many people through as many people. Good to have met a good soul to work for the people together.”

“The CM was glad to meet Sonu Sood and discussed the work everyone is doing for the people during covid relief. Misunderstandings don’t exist but what does is a commitment to help people,” Aaditya tweeted.

Sonu Sood too sought to downplay Raut’s remarks and expressed gratitude to all political parties for having supported him. “They (Shiv Sena) are also supporting it and it’s not about any particular party. We have to support all the people who are suffering. Every party from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari has supported me,” the actor told reporters after his meeting with the Chief Minister.

Sonu Sood has earned immense praise for providing help to stranded migrant workers during the Covid-19 lockdown. He has launched a helpline for migrants and has helped hundreds of migrants return to their native places in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

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News Network
July 25,2020

Bhubaneswar, Jul 25: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many people hard, and the latest victim of the pandemic is Bollywood actor Kartika Sahoo from Odisha. With the entertainment industry almost non-functional and most productions on hold, the actor is forced to sell vegetables for a living.

Sahoo, who hails from the from Garadpur block of the Kendrapada district in Odisha, said that he went to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood at the age of 17. For many years he worked as a bodyguard to film stars and cricketers such as Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, among others.

Lady luck shone on him in 2018, and he landed noticeable roles in the action sequences of many movies, he said while speaking with news agency. He also has a fight sequence with Akshay Kumar in his upcoming film 'Sooryavanshi'.

Just before the nationwide lockdown which started on March 22, Sahoo had returned home to Odisha after shooting a fight sequence in Jaipur. Since then, with no work, the actor has been living off his savings to sustain his family. But, after four months of no work, and a medical emergency, a major part of his savings was drained.

To find work, he moved to state capital Bhubaneswar, but to no avail. In the end, Sahoo had to resort to selling vegetables in Rasulgad there.

Sahoo is still hopeful and said that he'll again try his luck in Bollywood once the situation is back to normal, till then he'll struggle, like others, for survival.

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News Network
February 2,2020

Feb 2: After creating a buzz with her recent low-key marriage, actor and model Pamela Anderson recently broke off her marriage with famous movie mogul Jon Peters, after just 12 days the wedding, reported Fox News.

The couple got married on January 20 in Malibu, California in a private marriage ceremony.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the couple's split on Saturday stating that the pair has decided to "uncouple."

"I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon and my union. We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to reevaluate what we want from life and from one another," Fox News quoted Anderson saying.

"Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalization of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process, "she added.

Fox News further quoted a source close to Anderson as saying, "She's known Jon forever, but she never lived with him, contrary to some reports. And until you live with someone... Well, let's just say Pamela asked for a break. She is heading back to her compound in Ladysmith, Canada, to be with her family."

According to Fox News, the couple did not have any official marriage license.

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