It was only a few years
ago that the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United
Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.Headquartered at the
United Nations in New York, UN Women promotes women’s empowerment, rights and
gender equality globally.Our very own Huma Qureshi
,who shares the same passion for this endeavor will today visit their HQ in New
York to discuss the changing role of women in Indian films and their
representation in the media. Huma was selected as a young influencer to speak
on the subject for constantly challenging stereotypes and silencing skeptics.With this Huma joins
names like Megan Fontanello among other female trailblazers who are an
inspiration to young women across the world.
The actress is in the
best phase of her career with the stupendous success of Jolly LLB 2 and the
rave reviews coming her way for her international film, Viceroy's House. She
was recently celebrated in London and was a head turner at the London Fashion
Week and the Empire Awards.
Mother- Daughter duo
Manju Bhende & Aishwarya Bhende who just launched the first ever nautical
theme floating restaurant A .B Celestial at Bandra- Worli jetty made a stylish
appearance at the Polo match held on Saturday at the Amateur Riders Club (ARC)
Polo Grounds.
With its heady mix of
fast horses, high risk and handsome men, polo is more popular than ever for
fashion. Manju Bhende & Aishwarya Bhende dressed to impress at the
high-octane event. Personifying & redefining elegance, the duo kept it
simple & commanded the crowd the stylish way in pastel color palazzos &
tops with statement Chanel & Dior bags.
"Polo is about
whatever you feel comfortable with. It’s very inviting. “We believe in the
trans formative power of dressing up. A beautiful attire in a vibrant color
will be an instant confidence booster. As much as we love stilettos, at polo
it’s best to choose a wedge or flat sandal that won’t sink into the grass"
said Manju Bhende & Aishwarya Bhende.
Decca Records will
release ‘CHUCK,’ the final album and first new recordings in nearly four
decades by founding rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, who passed away last week
at the age of 90, on 16th June.
Comprised of ten new
recordings, eight of which were written by Berry, ‘CHUCK’ is his first new
album since 1979’s ‘Rock It.’ It was recorded and produced by Berry in various
studios around St. Louis and features his longtime hometown backing group -
including his children Charles Berry Jr. (guitar) and Ingrid Berry (harmonica,
vocals), plus Jimmy Marsala (Berry’s bassist for forty years), Robert Lohr
(piano), and Keith Robinson (drums) - which supported him for nearly two
decades on over two hundred residency shows at the famed Blueberry Hill club.
The album also includes guest performances from Gary Clark Jr., Tom Morello,
Nathaniel Rateliff and Chuck’s grandson Charles Berry III. Acclaimed author and historian Douglas
Brinkley contributes liner notes.
Both Morello and Rateliff
appear on album track ‘Big Boys,’ which Brinkley calls “a guitar player’s
national anthem” in his notes. The song
is streaming now; listen and share here:
“Working to prepare the
release of this record in recent months and in fact over the last several years
brought him a great sense of joy and satisfaction,” the Berry family said in a
statement posted to Facebook earlier this week.
“While our hearts are very heavy at this time, we know that he had no
greater wish than to see this album released to the world, and we know of no
better way to celebrate and remember his 90 years of life than through his
music.”
Some of the songs on
‘CHUCK’ were originally conceived as far back as the 1980s, with Berry
developing them in his home studio in St. Louis over many years during down
time between tours. He worked on the
album through 2014. When health concerns
forced him to stop touring and recording in 2015, Berry continued to oversee
production and planning for ‘CHUCK,’ enlisting his family and close friend Joe
Edwards, the owner of Blueberry Hill, to fulfill his wishes that the album be
completed and released. And from album highlight ‘Lady B. Goode,’ a spiritual sequel
to the iconic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ featuring ripping solos from three generations
of Berry guitarists, to the poignant country balladry of ‘Darlin’,’ a duet with
his daughter Ingrid, ‘CHUCK’ truly is a family affair.
“Working on my Dad's
record has been one of the best experiences of my life,” said Charles Berry Jr.
“I will forever treasure the musical conversations we had, and the time we
spent together completing it.”
Chuck Berry’s passing on
18th March prompted an outpouring of support and condolences from fans, fellow
musicians, and world leaders – from members of The Rolling Stones and Beatles,
to former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The Times commented, “Berry
created a set of riffs that remain the core building blocks of rock guitar-playing.
He combined them with smart, sassy, sly and playful lyrics that painted
incisive vignettes of teenage life. The result was a series of perfect
three-minute pop masterpieces.” The Daily Telegraph reflected, “Chuck Berry was
one of the undisputed, all-time greats of rock and roll, a founding father of
the music that shook and shaped the world. His influence on Elvis, The Beatles
and Stones (as well as every other star of the rock and roll firmament, from
Buddy Holly to Bruce Springsteen) is enough to guarantee musical immortality”.
Rolling Stone claimed
that Berry “defined rock & roll during it’s early years and for decades to
come.” The New York Times called Berry rock’s “master theorist and conceptual
genius, the songwriter who understood what the kids wanted before they knew
themselves,” adding that after 60 years, his earliest music “still sounds
reckless and audacious.”
Kunal Kapoor's love
affair with Shakespeare seems set to continue. After a total body
transformation to play the anti hero Macbeth in the trilingual Veeram, Kunal is
all set to visit the world of Shakespeare again, but albeit with a completely
contrasting character. The new role has him playing a drama teacher, teaching
Shakespeare, in debutant director Vandana Kataria's 'The Noblemen'
Talking about the film
the actor says "I have had the opportunity to play such varied characters
in the last year. This again, is very different from anything I have done before.
The character is rebellious, and his teaching methods unique and
unconventional. I connected deeply with that rebellion. With the need to break
stereotypical ideas about how things should be done"
Ask him about what draws
so many actors to Shakespeare, the actor says "The range of Shakespeare's
characters is just enormous. Each character, whether it's a man or woman,
prince or pauper, hero or anti hero, is so complex, layered and yet deeply
identifiable. And his stories are timeless. Audiences, actors and readers
across generations can relate to them. In Fact the first play I was ever part
of, was Hamlet"
The unit recently wrapped
the film after a month long schedule in Mussoorie, followed by a shoot in
Mumbai. The film is produced by Saregama, Shivani Saran and well-known casting
director Seher Latif.
