ALTBalaji Ropes in a Fresh Face Naghma Rizwan for its Upcoming Period Drama ‘It Happened in Calcutta’

ALTBalaji, one of India’s leading homegrown video streaming platform not only 

churns out unique content but also gives a launch pad to many aspiring talents across the board. With there being no compromise in quality, the platform leaves no stone unturned to give audiences the best of the scripts, content and commendable performances by their actors. It was a worthy wait for the makers as they auditioned around 300 females for the lead of their upcoming show ‘It Happened in Calcutta’. The hunt finally ended with Naghma Rizwan, a model, bagging the much-coveted role and will now be seen making her debut opposite the dashing Karan Kundrra in this love saga set in the 60s and 70s of Calcutta. With Indian TV czarina, Ekta Kapoor herself picking up the best face for the role, the series is sure to bring in a breath of fresh air.

All set to make her acting debut, an elated Naghma quipped, “It feels really great that the universe has presented me with such a wonderful opportunity. The whole 60s & 70s vibe, Calcutta and of course getting to play this strong and beautiful character Kusum, seems really magical and I feel really connected to all. I am sure Ekta Kapoor must have seen something in me beyond my exterior beauty and also my potential as an actor and for that, I’m truly grateful to her. If someone sees that spark in you, you got to keep the fire burning. My mother always said I’m a blessed child and now I truly feel it.”

Naghma will be portraying the role of Kusum, a strong-minded girl, who comes to Calcutta Medical College to fulfil her dream. Speaking about her role, she added, “Getting into the skin of the character is going to be exciting. She is like a vast sea to me, chaotic yet calm, strong yet vulnerable. The deeper you dive into her story, the more she is going to surprise you with all the beauty she beholds, just like the sea. To play a character who goes through all kinds of feelings with that intensity is an honor for any actor and I’m all prepared to make them feel proud of their decision for selecting me to be Kusum.”

The story, set in the year 1960s in the ‘City of Joy- Calcutta’, revolves around a young girl who aspires to become an esteemed doctor in the city. She gets into Calcutta Medical College to fulfil her dream, where she comes across a flamboyant, cocky, arrogant and devastatingly handsome boy and falls in love with him. But there is more than meets the eye. What follows is a series of events that further adds to the twist in the tale. The new and interesting saga of love with ALTBalaji’s ‘It Happened in Calcutta’ promises to be a tale that’s sure going to keep you hooked to your screens.

It’s a WAR between Hrithik and Tiger!

It’s official! The title of the much-anticipated action entertainer that pits two of the biggest action superstars of our generation, Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, in a massive showdown against each other has been aptly titled WAR. The biggest action entertainer of the year will see both these incredible action stars push their bodies to the limit to pull off never-seen-before, death-defying action stunts that will keep you on the edge of your seats. YRF again innovated in marketing as it simply dropped the much-awaited teaser without any pre-promotion for maximum surprise and impact. Click to see the teaser here: https://youtu.be/XkHV7ROmIVA

War is set to be a visual spectacle for quintessential action cinema lovers as they would witness Hrithik and Tiger pull off jaw-dropping sequences as they try to beat each other. Director Siddharth Anand says, “When you bring two of the biggest and the best action superstars of India in one film and pit them against each other, you need a title that justifies the promise of a massive showdown. Hrithik and Tiger will be seen going at each other ferociously and mercilessly and audiences will want to see who outwits whom in this incredible fight. WAR is the only title that could have delivered on this big promise and justifies the level of an action spectacle that the film is trying to present to audiences globally.”

Produced by Yash Raj Films, the high-octane film that also stars Vaani Kapoor opposite Hrithik Roshan, is set to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on the big National Holiday of Gandhi Jayanti, October 2.

La Trobe to honour Shah Rukh Khan with An Honorary Doctorate

Global icon, multi-award winning actor, producer and women’s equality advocate, Shah Rukh Khan, will be awarded La Trobe University’s highest accolade during his visit to Australia for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

La Trobe is the first Australian University to award Mr Khan with an Honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), in recognition of his efforts to support underprivileged children, his unwavering dedication to the fight for women’s empowerment through MEER Foundation and his unparalleled achievements in the Indian entertainment industry.

Meer Foundation is a philanthropic foundation named after Shah Rukh Khan’s father Meer Taj Mohammed Khan which aims to effect change at ground level and works to build a world that empowers women. One of the key focus areas under women empowerment has been to support the cause of acid attack survivors. The Foundation provides support to women victims of acid attacks and major burn injuries through a 360-degree approach that helps them with their medical treatment, legal aid, vocational training as well as rehabilitation and livelihood support. The foundation’s efforts are not limited to helping acid attack victims alone. It has sponsored treatment and surgeries for women and children at several hospitals across the country.

Mr Khan said having his humanitarian endeavours recognised for the first time in Australia was a great honour, “I’m proud to be conferred with a great University like La Trobe which has a long-standing relationship with Indian culture and impressive track record in advocating for women’s equality. I feel truly privileged to receive this Honorary Doctorate and I would like to sincerely thank La Trobe for choosing to recognise my achievements in such a humbling way.”

La Trobe will present Mr Khan with his Honorary Doctorate ‪on Friday 9th August at its Melbourne campus in Bundoora.

Times Music Naam Ada Likhna video launched

Times Music have launched Varun Sood and Divya Agarwal’s new video ‘Naam Ada Likhna’ at Sin City Rooftop Resto & Lounge Andheri (W), Mumbai yesterday. The song is sung by Madhubanti Bagchi and Shreyas Puranik. The event was graced by Vikas Gupta, Sahil Anand, Chetna Pande, Krissann Barretto, Sunil Pal, Faisal Khan, Rohit Suchanti and many more.

Times Music exclusive release 'Naam Ada Likhna' is a recreation of Shantanu Moitra's song of the same name, from the movie 'Yahaan'. Originally sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Shaan, the track first released in 2005. The music for the new rendition has been re-produced by Harshit Chauhan and is voiced by Madhubanti Bagchi and Shreyas Puranik.

The music video features the supremely gorgeous Divya Agarwal, and the very handsome Varun Sood. This adorable couple is placed in the picturesque locations of Ladakh and the entire video is a vision to watch. Lyrics written by Gulzaar Sahab come to life as the video explores deeper meaning of love and togetherness.

Character designer Preetisheel Singh's new office showcases fantasy with eye-catching murals

Once upon a time, Mumbai used to be famous for poster art and murals. Even today, we look at Mario Mirinda's paintings at Cafe Mondegar in Colaba and gaze in delight. In recent times, the Mahatama Gandhi mural at Churchgate Station is also looked upon with awe. But from the last few years, not many have explored this art... at least, not in the suburbs.

But that's just changed this week, with National Award-winning makeup, hair and prosthetic designer Preetisheel Singh and her partner-husband Mark D'souza at their company Da Makeup Lab, having set up their new office in Versova with a huge floral mask mural on its two-storied building wall. It's the biggest mural on the building, with a face emerging from a large, vivid and burlesque flower. 

Mark D'souza, business head of Da Makeup Lab explains, "At our company, what we do is transform an actor into a character. The murals depicts that. Here, the art is the flower, and the face is what emerges from this art." 

The ruling queen of prosthetics, Preetisheel Singh, who has designed the looks for Bollywood's topline actors in films like Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, Andhadhun, Mom, Mulk, 102 Not Out, Thackeray and many others, is about to begin 'Preetisheel's School of Character Design' at this place soon. "We intend to let the calm of our surroundings in Versova inspire the imagination of our students when we roll with the school in September,” says Mark.

Made by Delhi artist Amrai Dua, the murals are quite a sight for passerbys. So catchy are they, that they can give any eclectic Hollywood studio a run for its money. Apart from the humungous floral mask mural on the front, the second mural is of a fantasy-based devilish creature. The third has three masks, all emoting differently. A portion of the wall has a mural of Preetisheel doing what she knows best, transforming someone with a brush in her hand. 

“Prosthetic is quite new to Bollywood. But we have got rave reviews for our work in the last few years. So our aim is to let filmmakers know that drastic transformation of characters are also possible in India. And the artworks are trying to convey that. One of the murals -- the creature -- is our way of telling people we can do world-class fantasy-based transformations, so the industry should start thinking about it,” says Mark.