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Anup Jalota sad and shattered by buddy Pankaj Udhas' passing

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Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) This was totally unexpected, a rude shock, learning of the sad demise of my dear friend and elder brother, Pankaj Udhas, when he still had a lot of singing to do and give much more to the people and his art.

We were close friends for over 45 years, though we hailed from different cultural backgrounds – Pankaj was from Gujarat while I was from Lucknow. However, we both hit it off instantly after our first casual meeting decades ago in Mumbai, we both progressed in our chosen field of singing, he specialised in ghazals and I specialised in bhajans.

Though he hailed from a very wealthy background (of landlords) of Jetpur (Gujarat), I noticed that he did not have the ‘airs’ of an aristocrat. Most people surprisingly found him to be very humble, down-to-earth, practical and of an extremely helpful nature, to one and all, always.

I recall many decades ago, one of his singing Gurus (Master) in Mumbai, under whom he trained for almost 8 years, had mentioned a problem of accommodation. Pankaj quietly resolved to do something, and after speaking to me and all other friends, organising a few special music concerts, he managed to collect sufficient funds to gift his Guru a decent house in Mumbai.

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Even today, his Guru – who I do not wish to identify – considers it as the most sincere ‘Guru-Dakshina’ he ever received from any of his disciples.

That was the greatness of my elder brother Pankaj…

As a singer, he had a remarkable talent of ‘simplicity’, no complications, he adopted a very lucid style of singing that directly pierced into the hearts of the audiences. I can cite many such songs that he rendered in a very simple style, but that have become memorable, and indeed, synonymous with Pankaj’s persona.

Another noteworthy aspect of Pankaj was his sheer professionalism and dedication to his work, discipline in anything he did, arriving on time for performances or recordings, no tantrums despite his status, he knew his singing range and remained within it. All the signs of true greatness in a person… Whenever we sang together, it was always in a ‘supportive’ manner, never attempting to overshadow each other and that was the reason for our close bond surviving decades. We even collaborated on a joint album “Zindagi Har Lamha” (2016) which was released by Amitabh Bachchan and it was also very popular.

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Over the years, Pankaj and I managed to tour the world, performing jointly or solo in groups of artists at hundreds of concerts that were packed with music lovers. I was pleased to witness how Pankaj was not only popular in India but equally adored abroad, especially the Indian community which thronged his stage shows wherever he went.

Then, we spent many evenings together, at his home or mine, or elsewhere… Of course, singing our favourite songs was always on the menu, plus we discussed other big singers and those who influenced us. We shared a joint passion – on how to encourage the younger generation to our styles of creative, classical and pure form of music like Ghazals, Bhajans, etc, which seem to be overshadowed by the modern musical forms.

Some 20 years ago, it gave birth to our initiative, ‘Khazana Ghazal Festival’, which introduced, encouraged and presented new, promising talent to the country, and we pursued it like a mission; now I will vigorously take it forward alone… I am happy that till date, we managed to dig up over 100 young gems of artistes, who are not only highly talented – like Pooja Gaitonde or Sumeet Tappoo, and others – but have the potential to keep alive the traditions of Ghazal-Bhajan singing for many more years.

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Today, as I am left with a treasure of Pankaj Udhas’ memories and jewels of his music, I also vow to continue our dream project, as long as I can…

(As told to Quaid Najmi: q.najmi@ians.in)

–IANS

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Akshay greets 'power house' Ranveer on his 39th b'day with a dance video

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Bollywood’s ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar on Saturday shared a fun dancing video with Ranveer Singh on his 39th birthday, expressing his hope that the actor’s infectious energy will always keep him going places.

Taking to Instagram, Akshay shared a Reel video in which he and his ‘Singham Again’ co-star can be seen dancing to Karan Aujla and Ikky’s song ‘Softly’.

Ranveer is wearing a black sleeveless T-shirt and matching joggers, complemented by a black cap and sneakers.

The birthday boy holds his boombox on his shoulder while grooving with Akshay on the street at night.

Akshay, on the other hand, is dressed in a black half-sleeve T-shirt and lavender pajamas.

The duo candidly dances to the tunes of ‘Softly’.

The post is captioned: “Happy birthday Ranveer Singh, you powerhouse of a man! Hope your infectious energy always keeps you going places. Enjoy your day. Love and prayers.”

Actress Rakul Preet also took to Instagram Stories to pen a birthday note for Ranveer.

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She wrote: “Cheers to the man who brings boundless energy and unparalleled passion to everything he does. Happy birthday Ranveer Singh.”

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar shared a monochrome selfie with Ranveer and posted: “Happy birthday to the man whose energy can light up an entire city! You’re a supernova of an actor. Keep dazzling the world with your awesomeness!! Love you, my brother!!”

On the work front, Ranveer made his Bollywood debut in 2010 with the romantic comedy ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’, alongside Anushka Sharma. The film was directed by Maneesh Sharma in his directorial debut and produced by Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films.

He has since featured in movies like ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’, ‘Lootera’, ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’, ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Gully Boy’, and the most recent film ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’.

Ranveer’s next project is ‘Singham Again’, which also stars his wife, actress Deepika Padukone.

The multi-starrer film features Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff in lead roles.

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It is directed by Rohit Shetty, who co-produced it under Rohit Shetty Picturez with Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios, and Devgn Films.

The movie is set to be released this Diwali.

–IANS

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Eddie Murphy wants to go ‘quietly’, doesn’t want a funeral

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Los Angeles, July 6 (IANS) Hollywood star Eddie Murphy has said that he does not wish to have a funeral and would like to go “quietly”.

Murphy shared a video, where he revealed that he doesn’t want a funeral after joking that people should play the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ theme music at the event to make people “smile.”

He re-enacted his own acapella version of the jingle, saying that it should be played as he is being buried, reports people.com.

“That’s just a joke, ’cause I’m never having a funeral,” he clarified in the video.

Murphy further explained his preference: “I mean, I’m gonna die like everyone else. But (my loved ones) know…no funeral. Just let me go quietly.”

The actor was promoting his latest film, ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’, the fourth instalment in the action-comedy franchise, which was released on July 3.

In the film, Murphy returns as Axel Foley, a cop who returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s life is threatened, marking a return to the role after a decade since the third film.

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Murphy quipped that he’s been asked how he feels about playing “the Black James Bond” and tells whoever asks him: “I don’t have to be some Black James Bond. I have Axel Foley, and he has theme music and everything.”

After the success of ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and its sequel, the Oscar-nominated star featured in the 1998 classic ‘Coming to America’. The sequel, ‘Coming 2 America’, was released in 2021.

In 1996, he was seen essaying the role of Professor Sherman Klump in ‘The Nutty Professor’.

Murphy was then seen in the ‘Dr. Dolittle’ franchise, playing the titular character, who can talk to animals. Most recently, Murphy voiced Shrek’s sidekick Donkey in four ‘Shrek’ films.

–IANS

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Aakkash Ahuja shares his plans of settling down: 'My current focus is on doing good work'

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Aakkash Ahuja, the lead actor of ‘Badall Pe Paon Hai’, has shared insights about the recent wedding sequence in the show and discussed his future plans regarding settling down.

The grand wedding celebration in ‘Badall Pe Paon Hai’ has not only added a new dimension to the storyline, but has also drawn significant attention from the audience.

The lead actors — Aakkash and Amandeep Sidhu, have left fans in awe with their stunning wedding attire, creating a perfect on-screen couple that fans are eagerly shipping. Weddings hold a special place in the hearts of Indian families, making the sequence highly relatable and emotionally resonant for viewers.

Reflecting on the wedding sequence, Aakkash said: “We have been putting in a lot of effort and giving our best. I can also relate because Indian families believe in a lot of traditions, which is why they can relate more. On set, shooting wedding sequences is hectic, but I must say it’s a lot of fun.”

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Speaking about his own plans for marriage, the actor added: “In real life, I haven’t thought of settling down at the moment. My current focus is on doing good work, and that’s about it. When I do decide to get married in real life, everyone will get to know.”

Produced by Sargun Mehta and Ravi Dubey under their banner Dreamiyata Entertainment Private Limited, the show features Amandeep in the lead role as Bani.

The ensemble cast includes Bhaweeka Chaudhary as Lavanya, Shefali Rana as Poonam Khanna, Raman Dhagga as Satish Arora, Swati Tarar as Charan, Aasim Khan as Cherry, Sooraj Thappar as Bishan, Mansi Sharma as Shilpa, Lokesh Batta as Gaurav, Gurnoor Sodhi as Minti, and Aman Sutdhar as Balwant, among others.

‘Badall Pe Paon Hai’ airs on Sony SAB.

On the work front, Aakkash made his Bollywood debut in the 2019 romantic film ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’, starring Karan Deol and Sahher Bambba in the lead roles.

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He has also featured in shows like ‘Thapki Pyar Ki 2’, ‘Qubool Hai’, and ‘Dil Buffering’.

–IANS

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Hina Khan is manifesting her healing, says she embraces her ‘scars’

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Actress Hina Khan, amid her battle with stage three breast cancer, said that she embraces her scars because they are the first sign of progress.

Hina took to Instagram and shared a series of photos dressed in an electric pink racerback paired with black bottoms.

In the selfies, she smiles and poses with a victory sign.

“What do you see in this Picture? The Scars on my body or the Hope in my Eyes? The scars are mine, I embrace them with love because they’re the first sign of the Progress I deserve,” she wrote.

The actress said that she is manifesting her healing.

“The Hope in my Eyes is the reflection of my Soul, I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am manifesting my healing. And I am praying for yours too. #SacredNotScared #DaddysStrongGirl.”

On July 4, Hina chose to let go of her ‘beautiful hair before it starts falling off’.

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The actress, who is undergoing chemotherapy to treat her stage three breast cancer, shared a reel while she was getting a haircut.

Hina, who disclosed her diagnosis on June 28, wrote: “You can hear my mother’s wailing voice in Kashmiri (blessing me) in the background as she prepared herself to witness something she never dared to imagine. Not all of us have the same tools at our disposal to manage heartbreaking emotions.”

“To all the beautiful people out there, especially women who are fighting the same battle, I know it’s hard, I know for most of us, our hair is the crown we never take off. But what if you’re facing a battle so tough that you have to lose your hair – your pride, your crown?”

“And I choose to win. I have decided to give myself every chance possible to win this battle. I choose to let go of my beautiful hair before it starts falling off. I didn’t want to endure this mental breakdown for weeks.”

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She added: “I have decided to use my own hair to make a nice Wig for this phase.”

–IANS

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'Bigg Boss OTT 3’: Rapper Naezy fulminates about his verbal battle with Lovekesh Kataria

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Rapper Naezy and Lovekesh Kataria engaged in a serious altercation in the ‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’ house, which nearly escalated into a fistfight.

During the heated exchange, housemates like Sana Makbul intervened promptly, diffusing the tension and calming both individuals down. Subsequently, Naezy and Lovekesh avoided each other for the remainder of the day.

Later in the evening, during a conversation with Ranvir Shorey, Naezy shared the actual reason behind the fight.

“Vishal complained that he wouldn’t do the work twice. I, as an elder brother figure, approached Vishal and told him not to run from his responsibilities,” Naezy explained to Ranvir.

Naezy said that he told Vishal not to be childish.

“I said, ‘You have the strength to do it, so don’t act childish.’ I said this to him, but someone else got involved. I got angry and said some harsh words. That’s not who I am, and I don’t want to show that side of me,” he said.

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Naezy added: “I was talking to someone else, and another person intervened. They are both playing as one candidate. Anger should be shown only when necessary.”

This week, eight contestants face nominations, including Armaan Malik, Vishal Panday, Sana Makbul, Sana Sultan, Sai Ketan Rao, Deepak Chaurasia, Munisha Khatwani, and Ranvir Shorey.

Poulomi Das exited the house earlier in the week.

In the upcoming ‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’ Weekend Ka Vaar episode, contestant Payal Malik will make an appearance on the show. Additionally, stars Vicky Kaushal and Ammy Virk will promote their upcoming film ‘Bad Newz’ and interact with the contestants.

‘Bigg Boss OTT 3’ streams on JioCinema Premium.

–IANS

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