Iulia Vantur on 'special friend' Salman Khan: Great man with a good heart

December 5, 2016

Mumbai, Dec 5: When her new song with Himesh Reshammiya was launched at a suburban lounge last week, the first thing that everyone noticed about Iulia Vantur was her impressive Hindi. When we complimented her, her face lit up and she responded with 'Shukriya'. "I took Hindi classes. Of course, having people around me speak in Hindi all the time helped. I would practice Bollywood songs, and picked up the pronunciation," she explained.

salamlulThe Romanian beauty, better known here as Salman Khan's rumoured ladylove, is however clear that she doesn't intend to take up music professionally. "I do it for passion." She recalled speaking to Himesh for the first time after Salman made the composer hear out her rendition of 'Teri Meri Kahani' from 'Bodyguard' (2011). "It is actually a Romanian carol which I used to sing for my parents. Himesh felt my voice was divine. I didn't want to miss the opportunity of working with him. This song [Every Night and Day] is beautiful. He was waiting for the right composition to work with me," she added.

Talking about shifting base to India, she said that having worked for many years in Romania as an anchor, it is scary to start from scratch. "But, going back to basics is an experience worth having. It is never too late to reinvent yourself. No one from my home country can ever think of me as a singer. I'm happy about this new journey. Before coming to India, I was worried. But people here are so warm, kind and generous that now it feels like home."

Last month, Iulia's interview with the Romanian press, where she had spoken about 'adjustment issues with the Indian culture and mentality' was much talked about. But, she cleared the air, saying, "I love the vibe and energy of Mumbai and the people I have met so far have only made it better. It is warm and welcoming. They were just incorrect rumours. I am thankful to Salman for introducing me to this country. Every time I leave this place, I have tears in my eyes. It is a good thing that life has brought me back here."

Asked about her equation with Salman, Iulia, not heeding her publicist's advice to keep mum, asserted, "He is a very good friend and not just to me, but to everyone he meets. He is a great man with a good heart." Excited about returning to the screen after having featured in Ummbakkum (O Teri), she said, "The video [of Every Night and Day] is being planned. We are figuring out the story, but Himesh wants me in it."

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Agencies
February 7,2020

Kochi, Feb 7: The younger brother of noted playback singer K J Yesudas was found dead in the backwaters near here, police said.

The body of 62-year old K J Justin, who had reportedly gone missing from his house in Thrikkakara near here on Tuesday evening was found floating in the backwaters near Vallarpadam Container Terminal on Wednesday, they said.

The relatives identified the body, police said adding it was later sent for autopsy at General Hospital here.

A General Hospital spokesperson said the body was handed over to his relatives on Thursday evening after autopsy was performed.

The funeral is expected to be held after the arrival of Yesudas from abroad, police sources said.

Police said the initial investigation suggested it was a case of suicide.

According to police, Jusin's relatives have informed the investigation team that he had been showing signs of suicidal tendency for the last one week as he was allegedly facing some financial problem.

His relatives were not available for comments.

Son of the renowned musician late Augustine Joseph, Justin is survived by his wife.

Justin had been a regular presence at popular ganamela programmes here in the past, sources said.

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News Network
February 24,2020

New Delhi, Feb 24: Indian Idol 11 winner is Bhatinda's Sunny Hindustani. Sunny, who mostly sang Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's songs on the show, won the coveted trophy. The Bhatinda boy took home the Indian Idol 11 trophy along with the prize money of Rs 25 lakh, a car and a singing contract with T-Series.

Sunny's entry on the show was much-talked-about. His soul-soothing voice had mesmerised the judges on the audition day itself as he sang Afreen Afreen. He got a standing ovation and former Indian Idol 11 judge Anu Malik even said that he felt as if Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself was performing on the Indian Idol stage. His audition video had gone viral after Anand Mahindra shared it on social media.

On the finale night, Sunny sang a medley of songs, which included Mere Rashke Qamar and Halka Halka Suroor. Ayushmann got emotional seeing Sunny's journey on screen. He said, "Hum na actor bade self-obsessed hote hain. Humein lagta hai hamari struggle sabse achchi hai, sabse badi hai. Inke saamne toh kuch hai he nahi. Jahaan se aye hai, jitna hunar inke paas hai...mujhe lagta hai inki maa sabse ameer hain."

The first and second runner-up of the show Rohit Raut and Ankona Mukherjee got Rs 5 lakh each, while Ridham Kalyan and Adriz Ghosh who were fourth and fifth on the show, took Rs 3 lakh home. Every finalist also received Rs 1 lakh cheque from Lotus Herbals and gift hampers from the sponsors.

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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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