Akshay Kumar and Tamannah support YODA's Charity exhibition on Saturday, 2nd Aug, organised by Varsha Taurani! Akshay donates Rs. 3,60,000 to YODA!

A special sale of garments was held on Saturday, 2nd August. The clothes were worn by the stars of the movie Entertainment in support of Youth Organization in Defence of Animals (YODA) organized by Varsha Taurani. 

Starring Akshay Kumar and a gorgeous Golden Retriever who plays the title role in Entertainment, this year’s August release by Tips Industries doesn’t just promise to be a mega entertainer, but is also contributing to the cause of our loyal furry friends! An event full of fashion, fun and lots of love, the 2^nd Shop with Heart sale presented one the wardrobe of the stars from Entertainment (Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah, Sonu Sood, Krushna Abhishek & Prakash Raaj) along with personal pieces from Akshay Kumar, the lovely Twinkle Khanna, and Varsha and Ramesh Taurani.

Akshay and Tamannah were most clearly the star of the show at this exhibition! They both arrived on time as usual, and spoke about their warm association with YODA and connection to Entertainment! The highlight of the event was Akshay bought a Burberry jacket from the exhibition for Rs. 1,00,000 but he paid Rs. 3,60,000 for the same thereby generously donating the rest to YODA!  

Akshay affirmed that, "People help stray dogs for a few days and then forget about it. It is noble charities like YODA which are dedicated to helping animals throughout the year. It gives me a lot of happiness to know that the clothes worn in the movie by all of us will not go to waste, as they will be sold and the proceeds will all go to YODA. It is a good initiative to ensure that every resource is made useful. I hope all actors will do this and help other NGOs as well." Akshay also spoke about the importance of doing an empty genre like animal based movies and compared Bollywood to Hollywood which has many animal based films such as Planet of the Apes releasing this year! He was visibly very excited that Entertainment has created a positive buzz with its connection to man's best friend, dogs! 

Tamannah Bhatia, lead actress of Entertainment said that, "I am very happy to be associated with YODA. I have now decided that all the clothes I wear in the movies will be sold in such a manner and I will give the proceeds to charities like YODA. I will do this for every film! 

In a first of its kind initiative, this Bollywood and fashion collaboration created a platform to help the cause of the animals that have featured in the film. Entertainment joined hands with Shop with Heart founded in 2013 by two friends - Varsha Taurani of Tips Industries & Shanti Sivaram of Bling Entertainment Solutions, in collaboration with Rachana Nakra of Fuffabulous. Shop with Heart aimed to bring one a sale of the finest pre-owned fashion at accessible prices with all of the proceeds going to a charitable cause. The first sale event raised funds for In Defence of Animals (IDA), which was used to conduct repair work at their Deonar centre.

All the proceeds went to the non-profit animal welfare group YODA (Youth Organization in Defence of Animals). YODA was born out of the minds of 5 young visionaries who were newly exposed to the harsh realities of how animals are treated in India. In particular, animal mills, where the female species are bred over and over until death to produce puppies for monetary gain. 99 percent of the commercial breeders in this country are full-fledged puppy mills. YODA’s method of working towards reducing the number of puppy mills is via adoption, direct action and education. They want to gently alter the Indian mindset towards animals and hope to make our country a safe place for them one day.

Apart from Akshay's generous donation, the hot topic of the event was surely the high end brands that were being sold at amazing rates! 

Mistaken Identity - Ali Zafar v/s Ali Fazal

Ali Fazal and Ali Zafar are namesakes in Bollywood and their common first name is becoming the source of much confusion.

Now the latest is

​that ​

Ali Fazal is receiving a lot of calls on a daily basis to be a part of a special Eid event to be held in Lucknow. The organizers want him to sing a  song for the occasion.

No Ali Fazal is not turning singer,

​i​

n

​ ​

fact, the organizers have mistaken him for Ali Zafar the singer.

"I've been getting calls for

​A​

li

​Z​

afar, (laughs), is funny.... They wanted me to sing at an event.. I said, my events take place in my bathroom.. I am not ali zafar tho

​ugh​

. It

​'​

s

​A​

li

​F​

azal. The guy was quite the fighter. He thought

​I​

 was dodging him.. I said we actors do that. Hehe, but not this time.." says Ali fazal

Despite of repeated efforts to explain

​ the situation,​

 this organiser is now adamant to not budge! S

​o​

much so that Ali's management too has been trying their very best to make this person believe that Ali Fazal andAli Zafar aren't the same people.

We are sure that these two are not the only ones facing this problem. Celebs such as Akshay Kumar and Akshaye Khanna & Emraan Hashmi and Imran Khan must have faced the same issues.

Simon Cowell & Shah Rukh Khan come together for a live television extravaganza.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan & TV Svengali Simon Cowell join forces for the first-of-its-kind live television extravaganza that will change the face of television and live events in India.

While details of the huge live TV event , remain under wraps, official sources reveal that television moghul Simon Cowell has joined forces with Shah Rukh Khan and close friend Rav Singh of  RFS Entertainment to create a huge live TV event that will be revolutionary in Mumbai.

Says a source, " It's big news when Simon Cowell one of the most powerful and influential names in the world joins forces with Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan, an actor who has a massive fan following both in India and oversees for a live ,first-of-its-kind show with global appeal.This will be one of the most ambitious projects in terms of the capital involved as well as vision in the history of Indian television and this announcement will change the face of TV and live events in India".

Rav Singh, Director RFS Entertainment confirmed the news, "Simon Cowell and Shah Rukh Khan will be teaming up for a live extravaganza that will redefine Indian television.We are bringing these two global household names together".

Kangana Ranaut Approached For International Film!

Bollywood’s Queen Bee Kangana Ranaut, who wowed everyone with her performances in ‘Queen’ and ‘Revolver Rani’, seems to have impressed the right people not only in Bollywood, but also on the international cinema scene.

Sources close to the actress state that international filmmaker, Edoardo De Angelis, recently approached Kangana to play the lead opposite actor Massimiliano Gallo for an Italian film. Kangana, who recently returned from the US, where she had gone to study screen-play writing, is in talks with the filmmaker to discuss the role and the script. Though the actress has not given her nod to the project yet, it is quite an exciting offer and speculations are rife that Kangana might take it up.

When contacted Kangana confirmed, “Yes I have been offered the role opposite Massimiliano Gallo in the film but I am still contemplating it.It feels nice that after Queen, producers as such as those onboard Divine Lovers are offering projects to me.I think the European market has opened up for me”.

Kangana Ranaut, who has been in the news recently for back to back hits like ‘Krrish 3’, ‘Queen’ and ‘Revolver Rani’, will be next seen in Aanand L Rai’s ‘Tanu Weds Manu 2’ and Sai Kabir's Divine Lovers.

This Janmashtami singer "Vandana Somaya "pours her heart out in a musical rendition Bhakti Vandana composed by maestro Anup Jalota

The word devotion is often described as religious worship or love and loyalty towards a higher being. My devotion to music is synonymous with that of a devotee to the Lord, and it is from this sentiment that Bhakti Vandana has been conceived.

My yearning to learn and perform Hindustani vocal was apparent from a young age. My father, Mansukhlal Kotak, who is an accomplished harmonium and vocal artist, had a prominent name in the London network, and this presented me with a wealth of opportunities to perform and cultivate my talent. I would perform at live shows and competitions as a young girl but over time, as with any woman’s life, my priorities shifted and I devoted many years to being a loyal wife and mother. My thirst to become an accomplished singer remained inside of me, so with the support and encouragement of my family, I was able to follow my passion.

I began the pivotal part of my musical journey a decade ago, where I would leave my husband and two daughters behind weeks at a time in order to come to Mumbai in search of the right Guru to pursue my passion. The feeling of loneliness and being away from home was like no other, but with the focus, discipline, and devotion inside me, I continued on my chosen path. I was fortunate along the way to meet some very senior and inspirational personalities within the field, who have helped to guide me and open up a plethora of opportunities for me to perform and grow as an artist. Of notable mention is Padmashri Anup Jalota-ji, who has taken me under his wing to give me the most selfless mentoring and support. It is with his creative flair and deep rooted knowledge of hindustani classical music that we are presenting the Bhakti Vandana album.

Bhakti Vandana is a special dedication to my husband and two beautiful daughters, and to those that have a burning desire to follow their dream but circumstances or society rules may act as a hurdle. So there is only one thought I shall part with….

"To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France