Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Entertainment

  • The Beatles didn’t start musical revolution in US: Study

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    Contrary to popular belief, the so-called “British Invasion” of US pop music by groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones did not start rock revolution, researchers have found. The greatest musical revolution in US pop history was also not 1964 but 1991 when hip-hop arrived in the charts, said the team that studied trends…

  • ‘Mary Kom’ a piece of my heart: Priyanka

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     Actress Priyanka Chopra says her film “Mary Kom” is piece of her heart and she thanks friends and family for making it a successful venture. “Mary Kom” won the Best Popular Film at the 62nd National Film Awards presented by President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday. The actress took to her micro-blogging website Twitter to share…

  • Disney targets mass Indian audience

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    Disney India is creating an experience with “ABCD- AnyBody Can Dance” for all Indian fans. With the “ABCD 2”, sequel to the first successful instalment “ABCD…”, the company is planning to extend the cinematic experience to a television show on bindass; a dance-inspired game and branded merchandise. “Globally, Disney has created some of the biggest…

  • What makes YouTube so popular?

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    The secret of 10-year-old YouTube’s popularity lies in its flexibility that provides its users an opportunity to create their own alternate music videos, says a study. One of the reasons for its popularity is that the user’s own video and the alternative variations from popular artists’ videos may reach an audience of millions, says a…

  • REVIEW: ‘Jai Ho! Democracy’

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    ‘Jai Ho! Democracy’ – pale, frail and stale tale…writes Subhash K. Jha  Film: “Jai Ho! Democracy”; Cast: Om Puri, Seema Biswas, Annu Kapoor, Aamir Bashir, Satish Kaushik, Adil Hussain; Director: Ranjit Kapoor; Rating: ** A farmer hangs himself from a tree at a political rally. And you wonder how much lower the below-the-belt politics of this…

  • REVIEW: Avengers: Age of Ultron

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    The latest edition of Avengers’ secret mission gone awry….writes Troy Ribeiro for Asian Lite  Film: “Avengers: Age of Ultron”; Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Linda Cardellini,…

  • Kiran shines with hybrid music

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    Born in India, raised in Canada and currently living in New York City, Kiran Ahluwalia is a modern exponent of the great vocal traditions of India and Pakistan. Interestingly, her original compositions embody the essence of Indian music while embracing influences from both the West and Africa especially the Sahara, writes Anjana Parikh AL: Why…

  • Shabana Azmi to star in British TV drama ‘Capital’

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    Veteran actress-social activist Shabana Azmi will star in BBC One’s TV series “Capital”. Being directed by Euros Lyn, known for works like “Happy Valley” and “Doctor Who”, the series is an adaptation of John Lanchester’s critically acclaimed and bestselling novel of the same name. “Here is what I’m filming in London for Toby Jones Emma…

  • Stars shine at AA&T premier

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    The much awaited British independent feature – Amar Akbar & Tony by director Atul Malhotra, premiered in London to a star-studded audience. Held at Cineworld Haymarket, in London’s West End, the premiere saw stars of stage and screen join the impressive cast line up which included; Rez Kempton (Amar), Martin Delaney (Tony), Karen David (Meera), Laura…

  • US studio picks up Indian-American sibling’s romcom

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    Alchemy, an American movie studio, has acquired all North American rights to a new true-life romantic comedy “Meet the Patels” made by an Indian-American brother-sister team in the US. Directed by the sibling team of Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel and produced by Janet Eckholm and Geeta V. Patel, “Meet the Patels” will…

  • Bachchan conferred Padma Vibhushan

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    President Pranab Mukherjee  conferred Padma Vibhushan on Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Padma Vibushan was also conferred on Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan for his work in science and engineering and jurist K.K. Venugopal for public affairs. The awards were conferred at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several union…

  • Zayn Malik has quit One Direction

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    Zayn Malik has quit One Direction, the band have confirmed in a statement. Malik said: “My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. “I’d like to apologise to the fans…

  • ‘Blood’ marks Tamasha’s 25th Anniversary

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    Blood is the centerpiece production of Tamasha’s 25th anniversary year. BLOOD TOUR DATES  The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry 27 March – 11 April Box Office: 02476553053 www.belgrade.co.uk/ Set among a Midlands Pakistani community, Blood is 21st century urban love story. It is sparky, funny and heart-wrenchingly honest. A timely and contemporary story, this play cuts through political agendas and goes…

  • A.R. Rahman to embark on US tour

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      Music maestro A. R. Rahman will kick start his three month long North American tour March 21. He promises to deliver “special performances”. The tour will begin May 21 in Huntington, NY at The Paramount before travelling to major cities across the US, including the Beacon Theatre in New York City, Bass Concert Hall…

  • Colors unveils new family drama – Swaragini

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     The new emotional drama to showcase conflicts between Swara and Ragini’s feuding families. Swaragini to go on-air starting 2nd March, 2015 every Monday to Friday at 9:30 PM Some relationships bring joy; some bring sadness and some bring anger just by the virtue of being broken beyond repair. This March, COLORS joins hands with Rashmi Sharma Telefilms to present…

  • ‘Honour Killing’ set for UK premier

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    Delving unflinchingly into subject matter that previous filmmakers and narrators have avoided for fear of reprisal, a hard-hitting new film, ‘Honour Killing’, will get its long-awaited UK premiere on 27th February 2015 at Cineworld Cinema in Feltham. Several VIPs and dignitaries from the UK will be attending the event, including Chief Guest Dr Rami Ranger…

  • ‘Laughter can bring world together’

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    American Sharia tells the story, through action-comedy, of a Muslim detective who has his own prejudices against Islam, following constant exposure to Islamophobia. Pedro Carvalho follows Omar Regan, a renowned Hollywood actor and the protagonist of the tour,  on his transformational journey, which results in ending rising Islamophobic tensions between the police and the community…

  • Beckham to present BAFTA Award

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     David Beckham will take to the stage at the BAFTA Awards ceremony along with actors Henry Cavill and Julie Walters to hand out an allocade. Actors Holliday Grainger, Mark Strong and Martin Freeman will also attend the star-studded EE British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House, reports femalefirst.co.uk .…

  • British Royal Family to watch premiere of ‘…Marigold Hotel’

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    Actress Tina Desai is elated that her Hollywood project “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” has been chosen to be screened at a gala for Britain’s Royal Family next year. The entire cast, including Dev Patel and Tina Desai, will be in attendance at the London gala Feb 17. “It is fantastic to know that…

  • Citizen Khan is a big torture….!

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    Y.Z Patel reviews the latest edition of Adil Ray’s Citizen Khan Having watched the Christmas episode of Citizen Khan I don’t know what’s more excruciating. Having both legs and arms amputated with a blunt hacksaw whilst having your teeth pulled out with a pair of pliers and simultaneously having needles gouged into your eyeballs by…

  • ‘Good scripts make good films’

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    Actress Nita Mistry strongly feels that raising awareness against domestic and sexual violence is vital and need of the hour. Talking about her recently released short film, ‘Elimination of Violence Against Women’, Leicester-born actress tells Anjana Parikh that audiences are always shocked by what they hear. AL: Tell us, how did you get into film?…

  • BBC goes Bolly Way

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    Despite the exit of Suntera, BBC is promoting the its Strictly Come Dancing on a big way – in Bollywood style – to attract the British-Asian audience. The Strictly dancers join Bollywood dancers Bolly Flex to open Strictly’s Around the World Week.

  • SRK joins DDLJ’s 1,000 weeks fest

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    It turned out to be a joyous reunion when the cast members of “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, the Bollywood romantic film which is set to clock a successful run of 1,000 weeks Dec 12, turned up on the set of hit show “Comedy Nights With Kapil”. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Mandira…

  • End of my memoir: Naseeruddin

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      Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who has chronicled his journey in “And Then One Day – A Memoir”, says the book is a mirror reflection of his life and that he has no plans to come out with a second part of the publication. “My book talks about my entire journey from getting into theatre…

  • REVIEW: Chaar Sahibzaade

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    Asha Singh reviews the much acclaimed movie Chaar Sahibzaade A worldly man once said to me “the Sikhs have a great historical story, they just don’t know how to tell it”…. Until now. Is this the beginning of showcasing to the world the struggle that Sikhs have faced to become one of the five major religions…

  • PROMO- Telugu movie Dega

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    Dega is a 2014 bilingual thriller film produced and directed by Kumar Taurani. The film stars Taurani’s son Sujiv and Erica Fernandes in the lead roles, while Pragya Jaiswal, Sai Vishal and Manobala appear in other pivotal roles

  • Looking for next Hamilton!

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    The next Lewis Hamilton could be unearthed at Europe’s biggest motorsport show, Autosport International, through a new and unique competition for aspiring race drivers in conjunction with Formula Kart Stars, the only junior karting series backed by Formula One Management. The initiative is supported by Formula One Management and counts current points-leader and 2008 F1…

  • How to name your film?

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    Southern cinema: Popular dialogues, songs inspire film titles…writes Haricharan Pudipeddi  A film’s title is the first step in grabbing a viewer’s attention much before it hits the screens. And more attention is guaranteed when a popular film dialogue or a line from a chartbuster song becomes the title of a movie. That’s just what a slew…

  • PROMO: ROAR Arrives into UK

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    Ground-breaking cinematic feast by Kamal Sadanah and Abis Rizvi, set in Bengal’s beautiful and forbidding Sundarbans National Park pits man against majestic and mythical beast With its lush mangrove forests and endless square miles of mudflats, wetlands and tidal waterways, the Sundarbans National Park of West Bengal has long been fascinating and forbidding at once, not least…

  • GALLERY: Tokyo Film Fest

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    This year marks the 27th edition of Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), the only Japanese film festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). TIFF started in 1985 as Japan’s first major film festival. Since then, TIFF has grown to become one of the biggest film festivals in Asia. TIFF seeks out…

  • PROMO: Telugu movie Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham

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    Chiranjeevi released the music of “Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham” in the presence of Ram Charan Teja and Allu Arjun.”Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham” is the second movie Chiranjeevi’s nephew Sai Dharam Tej, who made his acting debut through the movie Ray. Sai will be seen romancing Regina Cassandra, who is the lead actress in the film, which…

  • REVIEW: Happy New Year…FLUFF!

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    Troy Ribeiro reviews SRK, Farah Khan’s new movie –  “Happy New Year” Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah and Jackie Shroff; Director: Farah Khan; Rating: *** Packed with humour and fluff, “Happy New Year” is a buoyant revenge saga that revolves around a predictable heist drama, where every character…

  • Deepika was always a star: SRK

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      Shah Rukh Khan, the producer and hero of Deepika Padukone’s debut film “Om Shanti Om”, says she has paved the way for her own success and that she always had it in her to be a “star”. SRK and Deepika worked under Farah Khan’s direction for “Om Shanti Om”, and the team has joined…

  • Cowell to launch regional talent show?

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    TV celebrity Simon Cowell is contemplating several new projects, including a regional talent show. During an interaction at TV entertainment market Mipcom here, Cowell, the man behind shows like “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent”, spoke of his future plans, reports variety.com. Asked whether he sees some potential in a pan-regional entertainment format, he…

  • INTERVIEW: Rekha @ 60

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      She describes herself as a “student of life” and believes in acting upon things. Bollywood’s ageless beauty Rekha, who turns 60 Friday, says she is still put through the practice of warding away the evil eye — a ritual that her mother exercised for her well being. “On my birthday, I remember my amma…

  • REVIEW: Bang Bang

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    Subhash K. Jha reviews Bang Bang’ Film: “Bang Bang”; Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif; Directed by Siddharth Anand; Rating: **(2 stars) There are many beautiful locations in this ….ummm….bang binge. Prague, Greece, London, Shimla, Dehra Dun and…Pizza Hut. Yup, one major action sequence featuring Hrithik and Katrina, the Golden Couple on the run (gee, what fun!)…

  • INTERVIEW: Hema Malini

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    Hema Malini and director Ramesh Sippy are working together after almost 40 years and the actress-politician says he is still the same and is very mischievous with her. The duo have given hits like “Andaz”, “Seeta Aur Geeta” and “Sholay” in the 1970s. Would they again generate the same hysteria with their fourth outing together…

  • STILLS: Govindudu Andarivadele

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    Govindudu Andarivadele is a forthcoming Telugu family drama film directed by Krishna Vamsi and produced by Bandla Ganesh on Parameswara Art Productions banner. It stars Ram Charan, Srikanth, Kajal Aggarwal and Kamalinee Mukherjee in the lead roles while Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Rahman and Adarsh Balakrishna play important roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the music for…

  • STILLS: Telugu movie Boom Boom

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    Nagesh Naradhasi’s new Telugu film Boom Boom is ready for release. Bharthbushan , Meelan , Rithu starrer-film is produced by T.Chalapathi and the music is by Subashanand    

  • INTERVIEW: Geethu Mohandas

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    Haricharan Pudipeddi talks to Geethu Mohandas , director of India’s official Oscar pick for the best foreign language film category. she says my short film helped me make ‘Liar’s Dice’ Actor-filmmaker Geethu Mohandas says it was her short film “Are You Listening” that paved the way for her debut feature film “Liar’s Dice”, which is India’s official…

  • GALLERY: Red Carpet at Rio

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    Stars pose on the red carpet for the opening ceremony of 2014 Rio International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 300 films will be screened in Rio de Janeiro during the 15-day festival.

  • Bang Bang hits London streets

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    This year’s biggest Bollywood release Bang Bang’s promotion hits London streets as the city’s iconic double-deckers buses adorn with the posters of the Hrithik-Roshan starred film. London-based media agency Di5 is handling the promotional campaign in the United Kingdom. Bang Bang! is an action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Fox Star…

  • INTERVIEW: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

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    By Ashok Easwaran   For an actor who has made his mark playing an arrogant Intelligence Bureau officer in “Kahani” and the villain with the heinous laugh in the recent blockbuster “Kick”, one would expect Nawazuddin Siddiqui to project a larger than life image, or at least an air of entitlement that stars of lesser talent…

  • Jaspal Bhatti continues to inspire in death

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    His tragic and untimely death in a car crash nearly two years ago made millions sad but even in his death, satirist-actor Jaspal Bhatti continues to inspire others. This is perhaps the only case in the world that a celebrity has became brand ambassador for a cause after his death. Bhatti, who tickled the funny…

  • INTERVIEW: Boman Irani

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    Nivedita talks to thespian Boman Irani whos says diaspora is a huge market for Bollywood Versatile actor Boman Irani says the Indian diaspora is a huge market for Bollywood films and filmmakers should tap that for a wider reach and bigger business. “Diaspora is a huge market for us (Bollywood films) and we underestimate its power,…

  • PICS: Paris Hilton Show

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    Model, actress and singer Paris Hilton performs during her show “Paris Hilton DJ Set”, in the outskirts of Bogota, capital of Colombia, in the first hours of Sunday. During her second visit to Colombia, Paris Hilton took part in the event with social cause since a charitable contribution will be donated to the Global Art…

  • INTERVIEW: Sonam Kapoor

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    Sonam Kapoor tells Subhash K. Jha that she doesn’t like repeating roles A girl-next-door, a simpleton, a fashionista and a go-getter in different movies — Sonam Kapoor says she has tried to play myriad roles in her career because she doesn’t like to repeat characters. For her latest Bollywood release “Khoobsurat”, she has shed her inhibitions and…

  • REVIEW: A Walk Among The Tombstones

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    Troy Ribeiro says the movie is an over embellished detective thriller  Film: “A Walk Among The Tombstones”; Cast: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Boyd Holbrook, David Harbour, Adam David Thompson, Brian “Astro” Bradley, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Sebastian Roche, Mark Consuelos, and Danielle Rose Russell; Director: Scott Frank; Rating: *** An adaptation of Lawrence Block’s novel, director…

  • REVIEW: Daawat-e-Ishq’

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     Subhash K. Jha says Habib Faisal misses the plot Film: “Daawat-e-Ishq”; Cast: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra and Anupam Kher; Director: Habib Faisal: Rating: ** 1/2 (two and a half stars) There are two different films tucked away into this one big under-cooked biryani of a film. “Daawat-e-Ishq” is not as inviting as the title or…

  • INTERVIEW: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

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    Waadi Animations pushes Pak films into animation space   After unearthing the horrors of acid attacks and recruitment of child terrorists, Pakistan’s Oscar and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has put her creative forces behind “3 Bahadur”, said to be the country’s first animated feature film in Urdu. She says her homeland has a pool…