Thursday, December 13, 2012

Vidya Balan-Siddharth Roy Kapur tied the knot today



Actress Vidya Balan and Disney ( UTV Motion Pictures) CEO, Siddharth Roy Kapur finally tied the knot today morning in a very private affair.

Not just the media, even Bollywood celebrities were not a part of the marriage festivities. The wedding was kept a very private affair with only family members and close friends present. Earlier this week, the couple had hosted a private family dinner, followed by a mehendi ceremony on December 12.

There was quite confusion on the venue of the marriage ceremony. Some reports suggested that it happened in Bandra but latest updates reveal that it happened in a temple in Chembur. Vidya Balan's residence is also at Chembur. Sources reveal that Vidya was wearing a sari designed by her favourite designer, Sabyasachi.


The wedding functions of sangeet and mehendi were attended by family members - Vidya's parents Saraswathy and P R Balan. The actress' elder sister Priya and brother-in-law Kedar.

A tweet from UTV Stars: "Bollywood Vidya Balan married Siddharth Roy Kapoor earlier in the morning today! We wish them a happy married life!"
The entire wedding has been hush-hush affair with only Rekha being invited for mehendi.


There is a possibility that the couple could have a separate reception event where possibly Bollywood industry could be invited.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar dies at 92 in California

Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar has died in a hospital in the US, aged 92.
His family said he had been admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego last week, but had failed to recover fully from surgery.
Shankar gained widespread international recognition through his association with The Beatles.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as a "national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage".
In a statement quoted by Reuters, Shankar's wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka said he had recently undergone surgery which would have "potentially given him a new lease of life".
"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery," they said.
"We were at his side when he passed away.
"Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. He will live forever in our hearts and in his music."
Ravi Shankar teaches George Harrison the sitar
Anoushka Shankar is herself a sitar player. Shankar's other daughter is Grammy award winning singer Norah Jones.
'Respect for music'
George Harrison of the Beatles once called Shankar "the godfather of world music".
He played at Woodstock and the 1967 Monterey Pop festival, and also collaborated with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.
Shankar also composed a number of film scores - notably Satyajit Ray's celebrated Apu trilogy (1951-55) and Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) - and collaborated with US composer Philip Glass in Passages in 1990.
Ravi Shankar promoted India and and Indian music to the world, his influence in western music was inspirational, he went on to win Grammy's, the nomination for an Oscar for Gandhi in 1982 and various accolades.
He also pioneered the concept of the rock benefit with the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh. To later generations, he was known as the estranged father of popular American singer Norah Jones.
Shankar collaborated with Harrison, violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane as he worked to bridge the musical gap between the West and East.
He was a hippie musical icon of the 1960s. He played Woodstock and hobnobbed with The Beatles.
Beatle George Harrison labelled him "the godfather of world music".
Talking in later life about his experiences at the influential Monterey Pop festival, Ravi Shankar said he was "shocked to see people dressing so flamboyantly".
He told Rolling Stone magazine that he was horrified when Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire on stage.
"That was too much for me. In our culture, we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God," he said.
In 1999, Shankar was awarded the highest civilian citation in India - the Bharat Ratna, or Jewel of India.

George Harrison, Ravi Shankar and Patti Boyd
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Born into a Bengali family in the ancient Indian city of Varanasi, Ravi Shankar was originally a dancer with his brother's troupe.
He gave up dancing to study the sitar at the age of 18.
For seven years Shankar studied under Baba Allauddin Khan, founder of the Maihar Gharana style of Hindustani classical music, and became well-known in India for his virtuoso sitar playing.
For the last years of his life, Ravi Shankar lived in Encinitas, California, with his wife.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

From Talaash to Talaash, Kareena's extraordinary turnaround

Kareena Kapoor must be basking in the glory of Taalash's success for now. But, many may not be aware that back in 2003 she had done a film, which was also titled 'Taalash'.

The Suneel Darshan-directed film had Akshay Kumar in the lead role, in which Kareena was supposedly a glamorous character named Tina. However, her appearance in the film was pretty shoddy as evident from the movie’s stills. Not surprisingly, the film went on to become a major disaster at the box office.

From then till now, however, Kareena has come a really long way, and today is one of the most sought after actresses in the industry. Not only has she improved her acting skills, but has also worked exceedingly on her on-screen looks. The contrasting pictures of her two ‘Talaash’ films say it all.

For Kareena Kapoor it could be an Outlier moment as when she had enacted the role of a hooker for the first time in CHAMELI she had taken her first step forward towards stardom and as an actor to watch out for. After her marriage, TALAASH could turn out to be her consolidation status moment of her standing in the industry.


Kareena Kapoor manages to hold Rosy’s mysterious aura quite well. One scene – when she tells Suri about her missing friend – particularly stands out for just how perfectly she allows only a sliver of sorrow to show on her face.

Without doubt, Kareena’s ‘hunt’ for success has borne fruit.

Talaash crosses Rs 100 cr mark at worldwide Box Office


Director Reema Kagti's latest venture Talaash starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee in leads, has fetched fantastic collection figures at the global Box Office in the first week. The psychological suspense thriller has surpassed Rs 100 crore mark at the collection centres worldwide in seven days.

Talaash, which was released in 2,600 screens on November 30 after six months delay, started with a bang at the Indian Box Office on Friday and its business went upwards over weekend. The movie raked in Rs 47.1 crores nett in the first weekend. Its collection dropped considerably on weekdays with the film adding Rs 20.8 crores to its seven days total Rs 67.9 crores nett in the country.

Talaash was released in 520 screens in 43 countries in overseas markets, just a day before it hit the screens in India. The suspense thriller has got very good response in the countries like USA, UK, UAE, GCC, Australia and New Zealand. It collected Rs 27.57 crore nett at the international Box Office. And it raked in Rs 9.18 crores on weekdays, taking its first week overseas total to Rs 36.75 crores nett ($ 6.75 million).

Stay locked to this space to read more updates on Talaash's collection.