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Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain salute Pankaj Udhas: 'Took ghazal to masses'

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Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain salute Pankaj Udhas: 'Took ghazal to masses'

Mumbai, Feb 27 (IANS) Grammy-winning singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan expressed his condolences and remembered the late singer Pankaj Udhas, sharing how he took the ghazal singing to the masses, and said how during any important decision of the musical fraternity, he used to be always present.

Shankar was present at the residence — 6A, Hill Side, here, on Tuesday to pay last respects to the Padma Shri awardee.

Talking to media persons, Shankar, who had teamed up with Pankaj for the album ‘Woh Ladki Yaad Aati Hai’ said: “Pankaj Udhas took ghazal singing to the masses. He used to always encourage us and give us blessings. He always had a positive approach towards everything. Whenever the musical fraternity had to take any important decision, Pankaj ji used to be always there with us. We will all miss him a lot.”

“His children Nayaab and Ojas are such fabulous children. May god give them the strength to bear this big loss. We are all in a state of shock till now and I pray that May God give strength to his wife, his children to bear this loss,” added the ‘Breathless’ fame singer.

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Tabla maestro and percussionist Zakir Hussain, who was also present at Pankaj’s residence, paid a heartfelt tribute to the departed soul.

“You all know why we have come here. Pankaj bhaiya is not only a diamond of our country, but a renowned artist. But above all he was a great human being. The love he has given to all of you, and the happiness he has given to the entire country through his music, there is no parallel to it. We love Pankaj bhaiya and his family so much,” he said.

“I feel very lucky that I have spent some moments with him in which we have enjoyed his music and his personality. I will pray to god to give his family strength to bear this irreparable loss. We are present at their service, if they need any help. I pray that his music remains alive in our hearts forever,” added Zakir.

His elder brother Nirmal Udhas was seen crying as he arrived to pay last respect to his brother.

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Nirmal is also a well-known ghazal singer and was the first of the three brothers to start singing in the family.

Pankaj passed away at the age of 72 in Mumbai on Monday, after a prolonged illness. He was suffering from cancer and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital for some time.

The funeral will take place in the afternoon around 3 to 5 p.m. in Worli.

–IANS

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Huma Qureshi shares birthday celebration photos with her 'best family'

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Huma Qureshi shares birthday celebration photos with her 'best family'

Huma Qureshi shares birthday celebration photos with her 'best family'

Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) Actress Huma Qureshi, who has recently turned 38, has shared a peek into her birthday celebrations with her ‘best family’, and it includes her brother Saqib Saleem, and actors Rajkummar Rao, and his wife Patralekhaa.

Huma celebrated her 38th birthday on July 28, and now on Tuesday, she has shared celebratory birthday pictures on her Instagram account, where she has 8.3 million followers.

The selfies feature Huma in a black dress, Rajkummar in a blue T-shirt, Patralekhaa in a black tank top, and her brother Saqib.

The pictures also show actor Rachit Singh.

The actors are currently holidaying in Europe.

Huma captioned the post as: “Blessed with the best #mafamily… only remember laughing and singing the whole trip… #love #family #friends #blessed.. Thank you all for making it sooo special.”

On the work front, Huma had made her film debut in 2012 with a supporting role in Anurag Kashyap’s directorial two-part crime drama ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’.

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The movie featured Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda, Reema Sen, Piyush Mishra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, and Tigmanshu Dhulia.

She has then starred in movies like ‘Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana’, ‘Ek Thi Daayan’, ‘Badlapur’, ‘Jolly LLB 2’, ‘Bell Bottom’, ‘Double XL’.

Huma was last seen in the biopic ‘Tarla’, which is based on Indian chef and cookbook author Tarla Dalal.

It features Huma in the titular role, and is directed by Piyush Gupta and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari.

The film is streaming on ZEE5.

She also featured as ‘Madness ki Malkin’ in the comedy show ‘Madness Machayenge-India Ko Hasayenge’.

Huma will next be seen in comedy film ‘Jolly LLB 3’, starring Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao and Saurabh Shukla.

She also has ‘Pooja Meri Jaan’, ‘Gulabi’, and ‘Bayaan’ in the pipeline.

On the other hand, Rajkummar was last seen in romantic sports drama ‘Mr. & Mrs. Mahi’. He next has ‘Stree 2’, ‘Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video’, and ‘Bhul Chul Maaf’ in the kitty.

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–IANS

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Josh Hartnett hopes he 'learned a lot' since his days of early stardom

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Josh Hartnett hopes he 'learned a lot' since his days of early stardom

Josh Hartnett hopes he 'learned a lot' since his days of early stardom

Los Angeles, July 30 (IANS) Actor Josh Hartnett hopes he has “learned a lot” since his days of early stardom he achieved as a teen idol in the late 1990s.

Hartnett found fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s as he featured in several popular films such as “40 Days and 40 Nights” and “Pearl Harbor”.

“I hope I’ve learned a lot since then. It was all just brand-new, very shiny, and very interesting. I look back on it all fondly, but I also see someone just trying to figure it out,” the actor told Men’s Health, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Following the years where he was known as a teen idol, he decided to take further control of his career.

He said: “I never wanted to chase the hottest property and be one of the guys who could have gotten it but didn’t get it, or whatever… don’t want to be a part of that game. As soon as people see that you’re working in movies that are getting more attention, you become more viable.”

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“It’s probably just a reflection of who I am. I’m annoyed by people that play the numbers and game the system and just do the safe thing. Generally, I find that kind of… I’ve always wanted to try to do things that are a little bit more off-centre.”

Recently, the actor appeared in a string of blockbusters such as “Oppenheimer” and “Wrath of Man”.

However, he said he would love to make something like an animation so his children could be involved in his career.

–IANS

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It was Sanjay Dutt who motivated David Dhawan to become a director

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It was Sanjay Dutt who motivated David Dhawan to become a director

It was Sanjay Dutt who motivated David Dhawan to become a director

Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) Director David Dhawan, who ruled the Bollywood of the 1990s, has revealed that it was Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt who motivated him to take up direction.

David Dhawan, who is an Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) graduate, went through many courses during his career.

Although he initially thought of becoming an actor, he enrolled in FTII Pune for the course of film editing.

However, it was during the editing of the film ‘Naam’ when Sanjay told him to explore possibilities as a director.

David, who appeared on the chat show ‘The Invincibles’, told show host Arbaaz Khan, “‘Naam’ has another very big thing in my life. I was editing ‘Naam’, the actor in the film ‘Naam’ was Sanjay Dutt, and Sanjay used to always be extremely friendly, he would come and watch the rushes and one day he said, ‘David yaar tu director Kyun nahi Banta?.'”

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“I said, ‘Kaun banayega Mujhe director’ and he said ‘Ban Gaya tu, 3 days ago I signed a film and Tu usko Direct karega’, can you believe it?,” he added.

At this point in the episode, Arbaaz said, “Kya baat hai! Unbelievable but were you prepared for that when this happened? Were you already talking about it?”

David said, “No nothing.”

Arbaaz then said, “So Sanjay Dutt came as a blessing in disguise.”

To which David said, “He was like ‘Tu Kar na yaar, I will be there’.”

–IANS

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Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Nikeet Dhillon-starrer 'Tujhpe Main Fida' S2 revolves around mystery hidden in Cole Town

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Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Nikeet Dhillon-starrer 'Tujhpe Main Fida' S2 revolves around mystery hidden in Cole Town

Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) The makers of Rudhraksh Jaiswal and Nikeet Dhillon-starrer ‘Tujhpe Main Fida’ Season two on Tuesday unveiled the trailer of the modern-day fairytale show, which is a journey filled with love, heartbreak, and mystery.

The one-minute and 35-second trailer takes the audiences back to Cole Town, featuring Rudhraksh as Marcus, and Nikeet as Aaira.

The video gives a peek into how the spark that had once burned so brightly between Marcus and Aaira still lingers.

It further shows the characters mending their hearts post breakup.

Speaking about the series, Rudhraksh said in a statement: “I am stoked to embark on Marcus’s journey once again in Season two. My character experiences profound growth, diving deeper into his personal life and the intricate mysteries of Cole Town. As Marcus navigates the painful process of healing from a severe heartbreak, he must reconstruct and redefine himself before he can fully embrace his path forward.”

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“My passion for storytelling and unwavering dedication to my craft propel me to infuse Marcus’s journey with genuine authenticity and intensity, ensuring that every moment resonates deeply with our devoted audience,” he shared.

Rudhraksh added: “I am deeply committed to bringing a rich, nuanced performance that captures the essence of Marcus’s evolution, and I am eager to share this compelling chapter with our viewers. Thank you for all the love and support you have showered us with, it means the world to us.”

Amogh Dusad, Head of Content, Amazon miniTV, commented: “The second season of ‘Tujhpe Main Fida’ is the perfect blend of intense romance, mystery, and intrigue. The narrative and the plot will definitely keep the viewers at the edge of their seats with the evolving mystery that hides in the silent lanes of Cole Town. A stellar cast, engrossing story, and excellent screenplay will undoubtedly appeal to audiences.”

Sameer Gogate, General Manager, BBC Studios Productions India, added: “‘Tujhpe Main Fida’ has really captured the hearts and minds of our viewers and we’re excited to bring Marcus and Aaira back for more romance and intrigue.”

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Produced by BBC Studios Productions India, ‘Tujhpe Main Fida’ S2 will stream on Amazon miniTV from August 2.

–IANS

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Indian celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha shoots 'nice, funny' Ryan Reynolds

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Indian celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha shoots 'nice, funny' Ryan Reynolds

Indian celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha shoots 'nice, funny' Ryan Reynolds

Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) Renowned celebrity photographer Rohan Shrestha recently completed an exclusive photoshoot with Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds.

This is not the first time Shrestha has clicked pictures of global head-turners, including names such as Lionel Messi, Kevin Hart and Oprah Winfrey.

The photographer, who has worked with Bollywood bigwigs such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli, ‘White T Series’ features celebrities in simple white T-Shirts, has become particularly iconic, capturing the essence of stars like Oprah Winfrey with striking simplicity.

The series began in 2012 with actor Abhay Deol, reports variety.com.

For Reynolds’ shoot, Shrestha implemented his signature style, creating a series of black and white portraits.

The photographer shared an anecdote about bonding with the star over his early role in “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place”.

“The first thing I spoke to him about was a show that he was a part of when he was much younger,” Shrestha said.

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“I told him about his character Berg and how I used to watch that growing up in India. He laughed and said, ‘Oh, that’s awesome, man, that’s still one of my most favorite roles that I’ve played.'”

Shrestha added that Reynolds is “genuinely nice and funny”.

He added: “He made everybody on the crew laugh. For me personally, I was kind of nervous just because it’s always nervy to shoot someone you’re in awe of.”

–IANS

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