Neil carries on working with broken finger

Neil Nitin Mukesh fractured his finger in three places but he bore the pain and continued shooting for his next film ‘Players’. The talented actor is also excited about his possessive lover act in ‘7 Khoon Maaf’.

His hand injury that he suffered in New Zealand may require surgery as it was made worse by his insistence on continuing the shoot.

‘I’m not a reckless person. But one has to be professional and weigh the pros and cons. When a heap of things fell on my hand during an action sequence that Allan Amin was directing in New Zealand, and I insisted on doing my own stunts, I knew my finger was hurt...It had gone numb. But to cancel shooting would have meant immense losses for (directors) Abbas-Mustan. I couldn’t bear that. So I bore the pain instead,’ Neil said.

In addition, he also shot an ad for a product that he endorses with the fractured finger. All of this has taken its toll on the injury and doctors have ordered him to rest the hand in a cast for five weeks.

The young actor said: ‘If it doesn’t heal properly, I’d have to go for surgery. At the moment I’m enjoying wearing a skin-coloured cast. Most people can’t even tell I am injured except for the fact that the affected finger is swollen five times over.’

Being part of the multi-starrer ‘Players’ has not been an easy role for Neil Nitin Mukesh. But he enjoyed every bit of the shooting in New Zealand.

‘I had a ball with the gang. Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol and Sonam Kapoor were so chilled out. Abbas-Mustan are such organised directors. We shot double-quick, no time wasted,’ he said.

After the injury, Neil was looked after by his colleagues. ‘The unit is so organised, I didn’t have the heart to leave the shooting incomplete. To synchronize the stars’ dates would’ve been impossible.’

Neil is looking forward to the release of ‘7 Khoon Maaf’.

‘I play a really bad guy in the film. He is mean, possessive and chauvinistic. Nothing like me. I never stifled my girlfriend Priyanka with my extra-possessiveness. Maybe I should have. Maybe then she wouldn’t have left and I wouldn’t have had a lonely Valentine’s Day with a broken finger for company,’ he added.

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Urdu singing reality TV show set to hit small screen

After a string of music reality shows, a new Urdu singing reality show ‘Talaash...Ek Roohani Awaaz Ki’ is set to hit the small screen.

The show, to be aired on Urdu infotainment channel Zee Salaam, will be launched Saturday.

‘After our initial phase of introductory content offering, the channel now enters year two with programming line-up that showcases reality content, which is the most popular genre in television programming today. The huge response of thousands of kids at the auditions reveals how much young talent there is in India,’ Anil Anand, business head, Zee Salaam, said in a press statement Tuesday.

Comprising 26 episodes, the talent hunt show has participants in the age group of seven to 14 years chosen through auditions held across Muslim schools and madrassas in Delhi and neighbouring towns.

‘Talaash...Ek Roohani Awaaz Ki’ will be hosted by Urdu genre TV personalities Fakhir Adeeb and Shagufta Yasmin.

Eminent Muslim personalities like filmmaker Iqbal Durrani, Islamic scholar Sadia Halima and Bollywood music director-singer Ali Ghani, would be the judges on the show. Urdu writer and poet Abrar Kiratpuri is the programme mentor.

More than 1,000 kids auditioned for the show in the Nation Captial Region, and 26 were short-listed. They will compete on the show for the final title of singing ‘Hamd-o-Naat’, and the winner will be chosen through an audience poll and SMS voting for the top 10 finalists.

The top three finalists will get a chance to be brand ambassadors of Zee Salaam, while the winner will record his or her own album.

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Fans feel let down at aborted Bryan Adams concert

From vexation, confusion, surprise, anger to virtual trauma, emotions rode roller coaster at the sprawling Okhla grounds in the capital, the venue of the Bryan Adams concert, at the news of the concert getting postponed.

Hundreds of clueless people from Delhi and NCR arrived at the NSIC Ground Tuesday evening with their gold and silver tickets, unaware that it had been postponed in the afternoon because of rain and the refusal of the mandatory no objection certificate (NOC) from the Delhi Police.

The disappointment was evident when the police and some volunteers deployed to guide the crowd away from the venue informed them that the concert had been postponed. Several fans of the rock sensation broke down at the venue.

For musician Rahul Ram, the lead vocalist and song-writer of the band Indian Ocean, ‘it was a major disappointment’.

‘It is very stupid. Why the hell did they have to postpone it? I am sure the organisers had applied for the non-objection certificate long ago. Such confusion always has something to do with bureaucratic red tape. It reflects badly on the image of India as a friendly and open country,’ Ram told IANS.

The Canadian rock star, who has a wide following in the country across all age-groups, was scheduled to perform at the 7 p.m. Tuesday after wowing audiences in Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore. He is scheduled to perform in Hyderabad Wednesday, followed by concerts in Dhaka and Kathmandu.

The capital’s police and fire department refused to give their approval for the concert fearing ‘threat to security, inclement weather, oversale of tickets and issuing of VVIP and complementary entry tickets’.

The organisers said the concert ‘has been rescheduled to a later date at an alternative venue’ that will be announced later. They have also promised refund of ticket money.

Sixteen-year-old Sohan Kumar Malhotra, son of a small-time businessman in Karol Bagh, was in tears.

‘I had no clue. No one told me that it had been postponed; I was waiting to hear my favourite musician live on stage. I want my money back. I had saved to buy a ticket for Rs.2,000. I don’t even know when it will be rescheduled,’ the teenager said.

Eighteen-year-old Michael D’Souza, a waiter, student and a budding rockstar, fumbled for words when egged on for reactions.

‘I have been out of home since morning. My job at a McDonald’s in Connaught Place entails long hours...I have to support myself. I really wanted to hear Bryan today (Tuesday). I have all his CDs. Who will compensate for my time and loss,’ said D’Souza, who broke away from work at 3 p.m. to arrive at the venue early.

‘Money is hard to come by for me,’ he said, adding that he had purchased a gold ticket for Rs.4,000 which is almost the whole of monthly pay.

Several traumatised fans wanted to know why rain was a factor in the cancellation of the concert since the weather had cleared by 4 p.m.

‘Rain cannot be a spoilsport. It rains everywhere all the time. I refuse to believe that security had been compromised and rains could mar acoustics. Don’t these people remember the Woodstock concert in US when 50,000 fans braved the rain to fight for a cause with the best of rock music for two days in 1969. Bryan sings of the ‘summer of 69’. The organisers and police probably should take cue from the spirit of Woodstock,’ said Gautam Basu, a 38-year-old bank employee.

Twenty-five year-old S. Jayashree, an electronics engineer from Noida, said: ‘I hope they announce the alternative venue tonight. I don’t want to miss hearing Bryan Adams.’

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New date, venue for Bryan Adams’ Delhi concert

For Bryan Adams’ fans disappointed over his Tuesday Delhi show being cancelled - cheer up! The Canadian rocker will be back in New Delhi soon, the organisers said.

Organisers of the Micromax Bryan Adams Live in Concert India Tour are planning an alternative date and venue for the event in the national capital.

The event in Delhi Tuesday was cancelled as police refused to grant a no objection certificate (NOC) due to security concerns.

‘Netsurf Entertainment are working towards finalising an alternative venue and date to reschedule the Bryan Adams concert in New Delhi since public safety is a priority,’ a spokesperson on behalf of the organisers, said in a statement through SMS.

The Bryan Adams concert in the capital was to be held at the NSIC exhibition grounds in south Delhi’s Okhla industrial area. The unexpected rains coupled with excessive sale of tickets over the ground’s capacity apparently led to the denial of NOC.

‘The unexpected heavy rains in the city have made the venue very unsafe. Due to the success of prior shows in Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore, the police anticipated a huge crowd outside the venue, even though organisers stopped selling tickets after 6,000 were sold,’ said the statement.

However, the organisers have clarified that the five-city tour shall continue as scheduled in other cities.

‘Bryan is keen to perform in New Delhi and does not want to disappoint his fans. He will perform in Hyderabad tomorrow where all formalities have been undertaken,’ the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, actor Arshad Warsi, who along with other actors from the movie ‘F.A.L.T.U.’ was supposed to perform at the Delhi concert, has hinted that the event has now been planned for Sunday.

‘Unfortunately the concert has been postponed to the 20^th so gonna do some press conference n TV interview n head for Hyd tomorrow mrng... (sic),’ Arshad posted on his Twitter page.

Bryan Adams, popular for hits like ‘Everything I do’, ‘Summer of 69’ and ‘18 Till I Die’, has already peformed at Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore, and drew large crowds.

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Priyanka Chopra; Not been approached for ‘Dhoom 3’

Bollywood actres Priyanka Chopra has shot down reports that she has been roped in to star opposite Aamir Khan in Yash Raj’s ‘Dhoom 3’.

‘I have not been approached for ‘Dhoom 3’,’ Priyanka told reports here Tuesday. The actress was present along with director Vishal Bhardwaj at PVR cinemas in Select Citywalk Mall for promoting her upcoming film ‘7 Khoon Maaf’.

Asked if she would like to be a part of the film, Priyanka added, ‘I don’t answer hypothetical questions. If something happens I would definitely let everyone know.’

‘7 Khoon Maaf’ is the big screen adaptation of renowned writer Ruskin Bond’s short story ‘Susanne’s Seven Husbands’, where Priyanka plays the protagonist and her seven husbands are played by Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko, Annu Kapoor and Nasseruddin Shah.

Naseer’s son Vivaan is also making his debut with this film and plays Priyanka’s seventh husband.

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Priyanka Chopra swears by acting prowess of Naseeruddin Shah’s son

Actress Priyanka Chopra is all praise for veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah’s son Vivaan, who forays into Bollywood with Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘7 Khoon Maaf’, and says the newcomer has got acting in his genes.

‘Acting unko viraasat mein mili hai (Acting is in his genes). He is very good at what he does. It didn’t feel like this was his first film. We hung out a lot. I guess we connected. We got to spend a lot of time together because the film is from Vivaan’s character’s point of view,’ Priyanka, who was here to promote the film, told reporters.

‘7 Khoon Maaf’ is the big screen adaptation of renowned author Ruskin Bond’s short story ‘Susanne’s Seven Husbands’.

Both Vivaan and Naseeruddin Shah play one of the seven husbands of Priyanka in the movie.

When asked about the experience working with the father-son duo, Priyanka said: ‘Both the actors were cast for their credibility as actors in individual...because they fit the character they were playing. I don’t think it has anything to do with the relationship they share in real life. Moreover, they don’t even cross paths in the film. But yes it was something interesting and different.’

The film also stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Russian actor Aleksandr Dyachenko and Annu Kapoor.

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Salman-Himesh patch up!

Himesh Reshammiya recently met Salman Khan at his residence and patched up all differences they had in the past.

It seems Salman Khan has decided to forgive those who had ruffled feathers with him at some point of time in life. According to an industry source Salman has seemingly patched up with Himesh Reshammiya with whom he had problems till some time back.

Says the source, “Himesh had a meeting with Salman Khan at his Bandra residence where he patched up with Salman and requested him to forget things that had happened in the past”.

It is believed that the singer-turned-actor wanted to patch up with Salman. After several frantic attempts to meet Salman, Salman finally consented and called Himesh at his place. Taking this opportunity, Himesh expressed his desire to give few songs from his label to Salman’s next films. After parting ways with T-Series, Himesh started his own music label for which he has recorded a bank of songs. He is not only agreed to give songs to Salman but also asked Salman to keep the rights with him.

We tried to get in touch with Himesh but he was unavailable for the comment. It can be recalled that Salman helped Himesh at the beginning of his career. Himesh established his music career with films like ‘ Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya ‘, ‘ Hello Brother ‘ and ‘ Tere Naam ‘.

Let’s hops Himesh’s association with Salman brings success to his music label.

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Imposter upsets Big B

Amitabh Bachchan is known to be the king of the networld and boy he was startled when he bumped into a page of someone who was posing as the real Big B.

Amitabh then got into a witch-hunt to stop the imposter from creating any damage to his reputation by reporting the profile to the authorities and also revealed the fake to the entire world. Way to go Big B!

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Lahore bans Bollywood for showing vulgarity

The performing arts council in Lahore has decided to ban all song and dance performances based on Indian films because of the presence of “vulgarity” in them and to promote only classical dances in Pakistani theatre.

The decision of the Lahore Arts Council (LAC) has, however, infuriated producers and artistes who believe the council was trying to damage their business, the Express Tribune reported.

The decision was made to facilitate quality theatre, a council spokesperson said.

Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ahmad, chairman of the Commercial Theatre Producers’ Association, said: “How many films are made in Pakistan annually? From the handful that are made, how many have songs that we can use in our plays?”

“If we don’t have performances on Indian songs, and cannot include any dance performances other than classical dance, then what are we left with,” he said.

“Some artistes and producers don’t follow certain moral standards when including dance performances in their plays, they should be banned - not the dances.”

“Only a limited section of the audience appreciates classical dances, while large numbers of theatregoers have little or no interest in such performances. This ban will have major financial repercussions on commercial theatre,” Ahmad said.

Suggesting a remedy to the “vulgarity” in commercial theatre, he said the council should strictly censor the scripts and not impose a ban.

“The script of a play is first approved by the LAC and the Punjab Arts Council and only then it is sent to the home department for clearance. Writers on the panel of the council approve the scripts,” he said.

Each submitted script mentions the dance performances included in a play. If the council has objections to any performance, it should censor that, instead of banning all dances featuring Indian songs, he opined.

“As far as Indian songs are concerned, many of them are now sung by Pakistani singers and are popular here. If we can allow them in the form of CDs, DVDs and screen them in our cinemas, why can’t we include them in our stage plays,” asked another producer on the condition of anonymity.

On the other hand, popular Pakistani artistes like Samina Ahmad and Usman Peerzada are supporting the ban on Bollywood dance performances.

“Quite often, the dance performances in these commercial theatre productions are vulgar. The performances have no theme or relevance. It’s better to ban such plays in their entirety instead of allowing them to have dances,” Peerzada said.

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