Yukti Kapoor of Agnifera fame celebrates her very first Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai

Launch of Barrel & Co.

Impressive alehouse, charming watering hole, enticing brewpub; you could describe Barrel & Co. in many different ways. What it is, however, is a fun, exciting combination of a brewery and a public house. Meant to serve hearty fare and delicious brews to builders & businessmen, bloggers & bankers whenever they find themselves in need of an upbeat yet relaxing escape from the everyday. 

Sunday night saw high profile guests at the launch of this neoteric entrant in ever-bustling Andheri. Conceived and owned by businessmen & party enthusiasts Anil Singh, Dharamraj Singh & Vinay Singh who have taken serial F&B entrepreneur and man-about-town Suved Lohia on to manage & bring this creation to life. Barrel is distinctive by its emphasis on the quality and variety of traditional and artisanal brewing techniques along with the food that accompanies its unique brews. Lively interiors, a curated collection of spirits and vintage beauties make this bar a natural charmer. Aside from the extensive F&B selection, expect exciting musical acts and crazy light shows – a clear indicator that interest and expertise have grown in our city when it comes to partying. An elegant play of lights with plush leather seating you can sink into; provide Barrel with a classic Europub feel. 

Various renowned personalities from the film industry and society circles walked through the doors of this venue at this high-powered launch. Seen thoroughly enjoying the party were Arbaaz Khan, Amrita Arora, Shakeel Ladakh, Shriya Saran, Shamita Shetty, Divya Dutta, Harman Baweja, Rinzing Denzongpa, Sudhanshu Pandey, Baba Siddiqui, Shama Sikander, James Millinor, Ankita Lokhande, Siddhant Suryavanshi, Ken Ghosh, Jitu Savlani, Gauri Malhotra Narang, Mikhil Narang, Anita Hassanandani, Rohit Reddy, Suyyash Rai, Mahi Vij, Rashmi Desai, Jay Soni, Karan Veer Mehra, Karan Patel, Ankita Bhargava, Karim Morani, Karishma Tanna, Alesia Raut, Arti Singh, Siddharth Kanan, Neha Ahuja, Sonnalli Seygall, Masumeh Makhija, Cecilia Noi Oldne, Rajesh Khattar, Vandana Khattar, Rowena Baweja, Nisha Harale, Vasuki Sunkavalli, Ashish Sajnani, Shweta Menon, Sunaeyaa Kapur, Gaurav Pandey, Rishabh Sinha, Harsh Limbachiyaa.

Gaon – A tale of two India

Award-winning filmmaker, Gautam Sigdar, this time is coming out with a story of an Indian village, which remained secret for centuries and ultimately finds the course of its destiny changed forever after receiving a visitor. Gautam’s new project Gaon is inspired by the true story of his own village in Jharkhand, India. 

Film revolves around a secret village called Bharatgaon which was founded by revolutionaries during British era to save the culture and civilisation of India. Generations of villagers have upheld the principal rule of Bharatgaon mandating that no one leave, and as a result, the village has remained secret and untouched for centuries. The founders believed that the new Western-modeled civilization emerging within India at the time ran against the human spirit and would ultimately imprison citizens within unshakable chains of slavery. Their intention was to save at least one village.

Explaining the film Gautam says, “This film is inspired by the true story of my village in Jharkhand, India. Once in this remote and isolated community, villagers coexisted like members of a large extended family where they maintained a unique way of life—mellow and harmonious, celebratory and united. With the passage of time and the evolution of modernity, government and private agencies alike made inroads into this simple community, throwing open the floodgates of drastic change which would come to erode the very fabric of village society. With the arrival of new institutions such as government schools, a police force, and a banking system, money began pouring in from this wave of development projects. The village entered a transformatory phase, coming to possess many of the same amenities found in modern urban centers around the world. Citizens disengaged from one another, growing progressively private, limiting interaction, and keeping to themselves and their families. The agricultural way of life and the traditional spirit of self-sufficiency were shunned in favor of reliance on government support or the earnings of a single family member working in the city. With such pervasive change, the very nature of what the village once was seems to have vanished. Regrettably, so many villages across India share the same story of erosion”. 

Gautam further adds, “This film is an attempt to pack 200 years of India’s history into two hours of cinema. Herein, The Village called Bharatgaon, is itself the protagonist whose character unrecognizably transforms given events transpiring around and in it. Bharatgaon and lead male character Bharat serve as metaphors for the state of India, though representing diametrically opposed interpretations while simultaneously residing within one nation - competing, confronting, and falling for each other. This film is the outcome of those encounters”. 

Impressed with Gautam’s story, Aljazeera Media Network has done a documentary on the making of Gaon which is releasing worldwide this September.

Alka Yagnik returns to 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai' nine years later

Alka Yagnik will be seen in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai produced by Rajan Shahi's Director's Kut Productions. The singer makes a special appearance during the sangeet ceremony of Naksh and Keerti (played by Rishi Dev and Mohena Kumari respectively).Yagnik rendered tracks like Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Akhiyaan Millau Akhiyaan Churau besides shaking a leg with the cast. The crooner rendered the show's title track nine years ago. So it was also a homecoming for her.

Sheeba visited lal Baugh Cha Raja

Ganeshji has been coming to my house for the longest time. It's been 20 years now and it's celebrated with great festivity at my place. We keep it for one and a half days and I have lots of family and friends over. There is 24 hours darshan at my place and even at night. I sit with him. I don't sleep till he is in the house. He is the beginning of everything and he starts the whole year on a fantastic note. I take his name before everything else. He is a happy God and makes everyone happy. I connect with him on one-on-one basis. It was a great feelnig to visit Lal Baug Cha Raja