Sonakshi Performs Disco Song in 'Himmatwala'

Sonakshi Performs Disco Song in 'Himmatwala'

Actress Sonakshi Sinha may have performed a disco song in 'Himmatwala' but in real life she does not go to clubs or disco regularly.

For Sajid Khan's upcoming film 'Himmatwala', Sonakshi has performed a special song - 'Thank God Its Friday', a take on the disco culture of the 80s.

"In today's time we say clubs and not disco. I don't like clubbing much. I am a homely body...

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Sundance Film Festival Awards 2013 Winners

EFT Report, Utah: Check out the winners of 2013 Sundance Film Festival Awards, which was hosted by actor/director Joseph Gordon-Levitt on January 26, 2013 in Park City, Utah.

Winner of the U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic:
Fruitvale, directed by Ryan Coogler

Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary:
Blood Brother, directed by Steve Hoover

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic:
In A World…, written by Lake Bell

Fruitvale Wins US Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic

Winner of the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary:
Cutie and the Boxer, directed by Zachary Heinzerling

Winner of the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Afternoon Delight, directed by Jill Soloway

Winner of the Audience: U.S. Documentary:
Blood Brother, directed by Steve Hoover

Winner of the Audience Award: Dramatic:
Fruitvale, Ryan Coogler

Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award:
Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth

Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award:
American Promise, directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson

The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting:
Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now

The U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound Design:
Upstream Color, Shane Carruth and Johnny Marshall

Winner of the Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary:
Dirty Wars, cinematography by Richard Rowley

Winner of the Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and Mother of George, cinematography by Bradford Young

Winner of the Editing Award: U.S. Documentary:
Gideon’s Army, edited by Matthew Hamachek

Time for the Audience Awards

Winner of the Audience Award: Best of NEXT:
This is Martin Bonner, directed by Chad Hartigan (U.S.)

Winner of the Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary:
The Square, directed by Jehane Noujaim

Winner of the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic:
Metro Manila, directed by Sean Ellis (U.K./Philippines)

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award
Circles, directed by Srdan Golubovic

Winner of the Cinematography Award: World Cinema Dramatic:
Lasting, cinematography by Michal Englert

Winner of the Screenwriting Award: World Cinema Dramatic
Wajma (An Afghan Love Story), written by Barmak Akram

Winner of the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic:
Crystal Fairy, directed by Sebastian Silva

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic:
Jisuel, directed by Muel O (South Korea)

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award:
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer, directed by Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin (Russian Federation/U.K.)

Winner of the Cinematography Award: World Cinema Documentary
Who Is Dayani Cristal?, cinematography by Marc Silver and Pau Esteve Birba (U.K.)

Winner of the Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary:
The Summit, edited by Ben Stark (Ireland/U.K.)

Winner of the Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary:
The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear, directed by Tinatin Gurchiani (Georgia/Germany)

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary:
A River Changes Course, directed by Kalyanee Mam

Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize:
Computer Chess, Andrew Bujalski

The winners were/are:

Short Film Special Jury Award:
Until the Quiet Comes directed by Kahlil Joseph.

Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting:
Joel Nagle for his work in the film Palimpsest.

Short Film Jury Award: Animation:
Irish Folk Furniture directed by Tony Donoghue.

Short Film Jury Award: Non-Fiction
Skinningrove directed by Michael Almereyda.

Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction
The Date directed by Jenni Toiyoniemi.

Short Film Jury Award: US Fiction
Whiplash directed by Damien Chazelle.

Short Film Grand Jury Prize:
The Whistle directed by Grzegorz Zariczny.

Winner of the 2013 Shorts Audience Award, presented by YouTube:
Catnip: Egress to Oblivion directed by Jason Willis

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Stardust Awards 2013: SRK, Priyanka Get 2 Awards Each

EFT Report, Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and diva Priyanka Chopra won two awards each at the Stardust Awards 2013.

Priyanka won the best actress (drama) for her film "Barfi!" and the Star of the Year award (female).

Shah Rukh Khan won the Star of the Year (male) and best actor (editor's choice) trophies for his film "Jab Tak Hai Jaan."

Anurag Basu's "Barfi!" was awarded the "Best Film."

Stardust Awards 2013

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China Spring Festival 2013 Holiday Travel Rush Starts

EFT Report, Beijing: The most important Chinese holiday, Spring Festival 2013 will begin from Feb. 10, 2013. The Ministry of Railways forecast the 40-day holiday travel rush, which starts on Jan. 26, will last until March 6.

The Spring Festival, the most important occasion for a family reunion for the Chinese people, falls on the first day of the first month of traditional Chinese lunar calendar, or Feb. 10 this year. The number of passengers would reach 3.407 billion person-time during the Spring Festival 2013 travel, an 8.6% increase year on year. Airlines in China have arranged 25,000 more flights for the passengers. The flights are mainly added in tourist cities and cities with a great number of migrant workers.

China Spring Festival 2013 Travel Rush

The tickets for the upcoming Spring Festival rush period can be purchased at ticket offices and agencies since Jan. 9.

The Chinese New Year is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals with a one week public holiday.

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Liberty Ross to Divorce Cheating Hubby Rupert Sanders

EFT Report, Los Angeles: Another tinsel town marriage crumbles, six months after her husband of nine-years Rupert Sanders fling with Twilight star Kirsten Stewart was exposed British actress Liberty Ross has filed for divorce in a Los Angeles County Superior Court on Jan. 25, 2013.

The 34-year-old actress has asked for spousal support and joint custody of their two children, Sykla (7) and Tennyson (5).

Filmmaker Rupert Sanders (41) met Kirsten Stewart while directing ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’.

Rupert Sanders and Liberty Ross

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A Free Flowing Dance Event in Delhi on Jan. 27

Report by Santanu Ganguly, New Delhi: The Path of Dance understands emotions - joy, sadness, anger, longing, guilt, desire, fear - simply, as energy in motion. They bubble up from time to time. They are a part of being human. The problem arises when we judge and the energy bubble gets frozen. It becomes a block and affects the body-mind.

Each bubble block needs to be released.

What better way than to groove with each emotion. Sway the anger, breathe into sadness, spin around with joy, kick the fear. We will explore our comfort with each emotion, neither clinging to it, nor shoving it away. Just. Letting it be one of the many peaks, valleys, beaches, volcanoes, rivers … in the dance through our inner landscape.

This is your own dance. Your own story. Written through movement.

No previous experience of dance is required
All age groups can join
Wear loose, comfortable clothes

Program:
Jan 27 Sun, 6:00 pm till 8:00 pm.

Contribution: Rs 1500 per person (Inclusive of Dinner)

Prior registration required
9250361903, 9311902245
info@zorbathebuddha.org

Venue: Zorba the Buddha
7, Tropical Drive, Near Ghitorni Metro Station
New Delhi, Delhi 110030

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Padma Awards 2013 Full List; Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna, Jaspal Bhatti Get Padma Bhushan

EFT Bureau, New Delhi: President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has approved the conferment of 108 Padma Awards. These comprise 4 Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 80 Padma Shri Awards. 24 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 11 persons in the category of Foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and Posthumous awardees.

Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. The awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan sometime around March/ April.

Padma Vibhushan

SlNo.	Name	Discipline	State/ Domicile
1.	Shri RaghunathMohapatra	Art	Orissa
2.	Shri S. Haider Raza	Art	Delhi
3.	Prof. Yash Pal	Science and Engineering	Uttar Pradesh
4.	Prof. RoddamNarasimha	Science and Engineering	Karnataka

Padma Bhushan

Sl No.	Name	Discipline	State/ Domicile
	Dr. Ramanaidu Daggubati	Art	Andhra Pradesh
	Smt. SreeramamurthyJanaki	Art	Tamil Nadu
	Dr. (Smt.) Kanak Rele	Art	Maharashtra
	Smt. Sharmila Tagore	Art	Delhi
	Dr. (Smt.) SarojaVaidyanathan	Art	Delhi
	Shri Abdul Rashid Khan	Art	West Bengal
	Late Rajesh Khanna	Art	Maharashtra #
	Late Jaspal Singh Bhatti	Art	Punjab #
	Shri Shivajirao GirdharPatil	Public Affairs	Maharashtra
	Dr. ApathukathaSivathanu Pillai	Science and Engineering	Delhi
	Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat	Science and Engineering	Delhi
	Dr. Ashoke Sen	Science and Engineering	Uttar Pradesh
	Dr. B.N. Suresh	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
	Prof. Satya N. Atluri	Science and Engineering	USA *
	Prof. Jogesh Chandra Pati	Science and Engineering	USA *
	Shri RamamurthyThyagarajan	Trade and Industry	Tamil Nadu
	Shri Adi Burjor Godrej	Trade and Industry	Maharashtra
	Dr. Nandkishore ShamraoLaud	Medicine	Maharashtra
	Shri Mangesh Padgaonkar	Literature & Education	Maharashtra
	Prof. Gayatri ChakravortySpivak	Literature & Education	USA*
	Shri Hemendra SinghPanwar	Civil Service	Madhya Pradesh
	Dr. Maharaj Kishan Bhan	Civil Service	Delhi
	Shri Rahul Dravid	Sports	Karnataka
	Ms. H. MangteChungneijang Mary Kom	Sports	Manipur

Padma Shri

Sl No.	Name	Discipline	State/ Domicile
	Shri Gajam Anjaiah	Art	Andhra Pradesh
	Swami G.C.D. Bharti alias Bharati Bandhu	Art	Chhattisgarh
	Ms. B. Jayashree	Art	Karnataka
	Smt. Sridevi Kapoor	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Kailash Chandra Meher	Art	Orissa
	Shri Brahmdeo Ram Pandit	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Vishwanath Dinkar Patekar alias NanaPatekar	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Rekandar Nageswara Rao alias SurabhiBabji	Art	Andhra Pradesh
	Shri Lakshmi Narayana Sathiraju	Art	Tamil Nadu
	Smt. Jaymala Shiledar	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Suresh Dattatray Talwalkar	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri P. Madhavan Nair alias Madhu	Art	Kerala
	Shri Apurba Kishore Bir	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan	Art	Assam
	Smt. Hilda Mit Lepcha	Art	Sikkim
	Smt. Sudha Malhotra	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Ghulam Mohammad Saznawaz	Art	Jammu and Kashmir
	Shri Ramesh Gopaldas Sippy	Art	Maharashtra
	Ms. Mahrukh Tarapor	Art	Maharashtra
	Shri Balwant Thakur	Art	Jammu & Kashmir
	Shri Puran Das Baul	Art	West Bengal
	Shri Rajendra Tikku	Art	Jammu & Kashmir
	Shri Pablo Bartholomew	Art	Delhi
	Shri S. Shakir Ali	Art	Rajasthan
	Sh. S.K.M Maeilanandhan	Social Work	Tamil Nadu
	Ms. Nileema Mishra	Social Work	Maharashtra
	Ms. Reema Nanavati	Social Work	Gujarat
	Ms. Jharna Dhara Chowdhury	Social Work	Bangladesh *
	Late Dr. Ram Krishan	Social Work	Uttar Pradesh #
	Late Manju Bharat Ram	Social Work	Delhi #
	Prof. Mustansir Barma	Science and Engineering	Maharashtra
	Shri Avinash Chander	Science and Engineering	Delhi
	Prof. Sanjay Govind Dhande	Science and Engineering	Uttar Pradesh
	Prof. (Dr.) Sankar Kumar Pal	Science and Engineering	West Bengal
	Prof. Deepak B. Phatak	Science and Engineering	Maharashtra
	Dr. Mudundi Ramakrishna Raju	Science and Engineering	Andhra Pradesh
	Prof. Ajay K. Sood	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
	Prof. Krishnaswamy Vijayraghavan	Science and Engineering	Karnataka
	Dr. Manindra Agrawal	Science and Engineering	Uttar Pradesh
	Dr. Jayaraman Gowrishankar	Science and Engineering	Andhra Pradesh
	Prof. Sharad Pandurang Kale	Science and Engineering	Maharashtra
	Smt. Vandana Luthra	Trade and Industry	Delhi
	Ms. Rajshree Pathy	Trade and Industry	Tamil Nadu
	Shri Hemendra Prasad Barooah	Trade and Industry	Assam
	Shri Milind Kamble	Trade and Industry	Maharashtra
	Ms. Kalpana Saroj	Trade and Industry	Maharashtra
	Dr. Sudarshan K. Aggarwal	Medicine	Delhi
	Dr. C. Venkata S. Ram alias Chitta VenkataSundara Ram	Medicine	Andhra Pradesh
	Dr. Rajendra Achyut Badwe	Medicine	Maharashtra
	Dr. Taraprasad Das	Medicine	Orissa
	Prof. (Dr.) T.V. Devarajan	Medicine	Tamil Nadu
	Prof. (Dr.) Saroj Chooramani Gopal	Medicine	Uttar Pradesh
	Dr. Pramod Kumar Julka	Medicine	Delhi
	Dr. Gulshan Rai Khatri	Medicine	Delhi
	Dr. Ganesh Kumar Mani	Medicine	Delhi
	Dr. Amit Prabhakar Maydeo	Medicine	Maharashtra
	Dr. Sundaram Natarajan	Medicine	Maharashtra
	Prof. Krishna Chandra Chunekar	Medicine	Uttar Pradesh
	Dr. Vishwa Kumar Gupta	Medicine	Delhi
	Prof. (Capt.) Dr. Mohammad Sharaf-e-Alam	Literature & Education	Bihar
	Dr. Radhika Herzberger	Literature & Education	Andhra Pradesh
	Shri J. Malsawma	Literature & Education	Mizoram
	Shri Devendra Patel	Literature & Education	Gujarat
	Dr. Rama Kant Shukla	Literature & Education	Delhi
	Prof. Akhtarul Wasey	Literature & Education	Delhi
	Prof. Anvita Abbi	Literature & Education	Delhi
	Shri Nida Fazli	Literature & Education	Madhya Pradesh
	Shri Surender Kumar Sharma	Literature & Education	Delhi
	Dr. Jagdish Prasad Singh	Literature & Education	Bihar
	Late Shaukat Riaz Kapoor Alias Salik Lakhnawi	Literature & Education	West Bengal #
	Prof. Noboru Karashima	Literature & Education	Japan *
	Shri Christopher Pinney	Literature & Education	UK *
	Smt. Premlata Agrawal	Sports	Jharkhand
	Shri Yogeshwar Dutt	Sports	Haryana
	Shri Hosanagara Nagarajegowda Girisha	Sports	Karnataka
	Subedar Major Vijay Kumar	Sports	Himachal Pradesh
	Shri Ngangom Dingko Singh	Sports	Maharashtra
	Naib Subedar Bajrang Lal Takhar	Sports	Rajasthan
	Ms. Ritu Kumar	Fashion Designing	Delhi
	Dr. Ravindra Singh Bisht	Archaeology	Uttar Pradesh

Note:

* indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs.
# indicates awardees in the posthumous category.

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Jaipur Lit Fest 2013: Javed Akhtar Talks About Ghazal

Report by Santanu Ganguly, Jaipur: The second day of the 6th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival saw eminent songwriter and poet Javed Akhtar talk to attendees about the real meaning of the Ghazal. He spoke about the art of ghazal singing and the extensive riyaaz (practice) that goes into it. He started with the fact that not many people can differentiate between a ghazal, geet or nazm. While a nazm is a poem with one single thought, a ghazal is a compilation of couplets.

“Ghazals are not just written by Urdu writers,” he said. “I know a few German writers who write ghazals. Ghazal is by temperament liberal, secular, and even agnostic.”

Javed Akhtar at Jaipur Lit Fest 2013

The discussion included a wider discussion on poetry and language. Akhtar said, “Poetry is the collective dream of a society.” And that “language isn’t a script and it isn’t vocabulary. Instead it is syntax and grammar.” He said that it depresses him that Urdu has been sacrificed for socio-political reasons. “Language belongs to a region, not a religion,” he emphasised.

Namita Gokhale, Festival Co-Director, said, “It is important for people to know about the ghazal in India because it belongs to this region. With this session I’m sure that people here at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival will now know, ‘What is a Ghazal?’”

Ending the session, ace lyricist Javed Akhtar said that it is the world’s misfortune that it doesn't have access to great Urdu writers. He narrated one of his ghazals, which was met with a round of applause by the audience.

The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival is considered to be Asia’s leading literature event, celebrating national and international writers, and encompassing a range of activities including film, music and theatre. The festival has already hosted some of the best-known national and international writers including Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, John Berendt, Kiran Desai, Christopher Hampton, Ian McEwan, Vikram Seth, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Simon Schama, Thomas Keneally, Hanif Kureishi, Vikram Chandra, Anoushka Shankar, Michael Frayn, Stephen Frears, Alexander McCall Smith, Donna Tartt, Tina Brown, Shashi Tharoor, Mohammed Hanif, Paul Zacharia, among many others. The Directors of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festivals are William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale and the festival is produced by Sanjoy K. Roy and Sheuli Sethi of Teamwork Productions. DSC Limited is the principal sponsor of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival.

Teamwork is a highly versatile entertainment company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. Our expertise lies in the area of entertainment and includes television, film – documentary and feature, and the creation and development of festivals of contemporary performing arts, visual arts, and literature across the world.

We currently produce 17 performing and visual arts festivals in 21 cities across 11countries, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA.

Teamwork produces Asia’s biggest literary gathering – the annual DSC Jaipur Literature Festival – as well as the Hay Festival in Kerala.

‘Celebrating India in Israel’, ‘Indian Summer in Canada’, ‘Eye on India in Chicago’, ‘Kahaani Festival’ and ‘Strings of the World’ are five new annual performing and visual arts festivals that have been launched in 2011-2012.

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Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett to Record an Album Together

EFT Report, Washington: Poker Face singer Lady Gaga has confirmed that she and 86-year-old legendary crooner Tony Bennett are teaming up to record an album together.

Gaga and Bennett sang their duet song ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ at President Obama's Inaugural Ball this week. The 26-year-old pop star recorded the song for Tony's 2011 album Duets II.

Lady Gaga tweeted from the star studded event saying: 'I had the most amazing evening with The President, First Lady & The Whitehouse staff. Some pictures from the ball! And here's me and my handsome date, I simply cannot wait for our album together, he's my darling!'

Lady Gaga With Tony Bennett

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Kamal Haasan's 'Viswaroopam' Screening Stopped in Hyderabad

EFT Report, Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government stopped the release of Kamal Haasan's film "Viswaroopam" in Hyderabad on Jan. 25, 2013 after some Muslims organizations complained that the movie had hurt religious sentiments of the community.

Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy directed police to stop the screening till Jan. 28 after some Muslim leaders called on her and demanded a ban on it.

Following this, Hyderabad police commissioner asked cinema distributors not to screen the movie at theatres in the city.

Kamal Haasan's 'Viswaroopam' 

Cyberabad police commissioner, covering areas around Hyderabad, also directed theatres not to show the movie.

Officials said the orders were issued in view of the demands by Muslim organizations. Also, there were fears of law and order problems on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi being celebrated Friday (Jan. 25).

It was not immediately clear if the movie would be released in the rest of the state.

A day earlier, the Madras High Court declined to stay Tamil Nadu government's order suspending the release of the film.

The court asked the filmmaker to postpone the release till Jan. 28 so that it could view the same on Jan. 26.

The movie in Tamil and Telugu was scheduled for release Friday; the Hindi version, titled "Vishwaroop," is set to hit the screens on Feb. 1.

"Vishwaroopam" is produced and directed by Kamal Haasan, who has also acted in it.

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Marisa Tomei to Marry BF Actor Logan Marshall Green

EFT Report, Hollywood: Oscar winning actress Marisa Tomei is all set to walk down the aisle for the first time with her toy boy boyfriend actor Logan Marshall Green.

The 48-year-old ‘The Wrestler’ actress has been dating the 36-year-old Logan Marshall on and off since 2008 after meeting while working on a New York theater. Marisa will next be seen with British actor Hugh Grant in director Marc Lawrence untitled romantic comedy.

According to sources, Logan popped the question when the couple was spending the festive holiday season together.

Marisa Tomei With Logan Marshall

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Big B to Sing Live at Global Sounds of Peace Concert

EFT Report, Mumbai: Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan will sing at a concert dedicated to the police personnel who lost their lives in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack of 2008.

Called Global Sounds of Peace, the concert is organized by musician Aadesh Shrivastava on January 30, 2013 at Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai.

However, even after crooning songs like "Rang barse," "Raghuveera," and "Ekla chalo re," Big B said he is still not confident.

Big B to Sing at Global Sounds of Peace Concert

"I don't know the 'raags,' (which I am singing). Aadesh used to tell me what to sing and I used to do that. Actually, there are many machines to help in tuning your voice," Bachchan said at a press conference in Mumbai on Jan. 24.

When asked how he will sing live, the superstar said: "You will only get to know when you come and watch the concert."

The project is an outcome of Big B and Shrivastava's endeavor.

"Aadesh and I spent a lot of time together discussing the idea of a song which depicts peace within and outside the country. It was then that he made a wonderful item and got many renowned musicians to contribute for the same," said the 70-year-old.

"Aadesh wanted me to sing in the song, which was a bit of a bother as I am not a singer," added Big B, who is quite comfortable jamming with Shrivastava as they have worked together before this as well.

"I work with him because he doesn't reveal my shortcomings. This is why I go to him. Plus, he stays so close to my house that I can go over any time," he said.

What is toughest - singing or acting?

"None of the two are easy. In fact, all creative things are difficult," said the megastar known for his range of roles - right from the angry young main in "Deewar" and "Shakti" to comedy in "Chupke Chupke" to his recent as a progeria-suffering guy in "Paa" - he excelled in each role he has tried his hand at.

Singing is fine with him, but "I don't think I can do playback singing. Singing for myself is enough."

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Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 Begins With Mahasweta Devi’s Speech

Report by Santanu Ganguly, Jaipur: The 2013 edition of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival started with an inauguration speech by eminent author and social activist Mahasweta Devi. She reflected on her long and illustrious life and writing career in a speech laced with references to the rich world of ideas she has imbibed from the tribal and rural cultures that have been the subject of her work. Ashok Gehlot - CM Rajasthan and Margaret Alva - Governor of Rajasthan at the inaugural ceremony of Jaipur Literature Festival 2013

Having written on the “culture of the downtrodden” throughout her life, Mahasweta Devi referred to the simple dreams of simple people in her speech. She called for the “right to dream” to be the first fundamental right of all human beings.

Ashok Gehlot – CM of Rajasthan and Margaret Alva – Governor of Rajasthan

In a speech poignantly titled ‘O to Live Again’ renowned author Mahasweta Devi said “My early years proved to be formative for mu future work as a writer and activist. I also have different approach to my writing process and I mull over the subjects in depth before setting out on the creative journey”

The five-day haven of literature that starts today brings together renowned authors, thinkers, philosophers from around the world to Jaipur. It will have speakers who will bring their thoughts, ideas, journeys and experiences to the Festival through debates, discussions and readings. With her keynote speech, Mahasweta Devi set the tone for a meaningful exchange of ideas through the rest of the festival.

Mahasweta Devi at Jaipur Literature Festival 2013

Commenting on this, Namita Gokhale, Festival Director – DSC Jaipur Literature Festival said “We are delighted to begin the event with Mahasweta Devi’s warm keynote which was not only inspiring but thought provoking. She has been constantly working for Human Rights and Women rights to bring a change in the society.

The other sessions thorough the day to watch out for are – ‘Remembering Sunil Da’ – A session that will mark the tribute to iconic author Sunil Gandopadhyay. It will be a session that will focus on his journey in the Indian Literature. Another session on that will catch the visitors attention will be Colliding Worlds: The Quest for Justice’ will speak across the divides of ideology and conventional identity tags. There would be an intriguing session by musical genius Javed Akhtar and and Ameena Saiyid, managing director, Oxford University Press, Pakistan called ‘Ismat and Annie’. It will be a session where two brilliant minds will discuss literary argument between two Urdu writers Ismat Chughtai and Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider.

The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival is considered to be Asia’s leading literature event, celebrating national and international writers, and encompassing a range of activities including film, music and theatre. The festival has already hosted some of the best-known national and international writers including Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, John Berendt, Kiran Desai, Christopher Hampton, Ian McEwan, Vikram Seth, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Simon Schama, Thomas Keneally, Hanif Kureishi, Vikram Chandra, Anoushka Shankar, Michael Frayn, Stephen Frears, Alexander McCall Smith, Donna Tartt, Tina Brown, Shashi Tharoor, Mohammed Hanif, Paul Zacharia, among many others. The Directors of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festivals are William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale and the festival is produced by Sanjoy K. Roy and Sheuli Sethi of Teamwork Productions. DSC Limited is the principal sponsor of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival.

Teamwork is a highly versatile entertainment company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. Our expertise lies in the area of entertainment and includes television, film – documentary and feature, and the creation and development of festivals of contemporary performing arts, visual arts, and literature across the world.

We currently produce 17 performing and visual arts festivals in 21 cities across 11countries, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA.

Teamwork produces Asia’s biggest literary gathering – the annual DSC Jaipur Literature Festival – as well as the Hay Festival in Kerala.

‘Celebrating India in Israel’, ‘Indian Summer in Canada’, ‘Eye on India in Chicago’, ‘Kahaani Festival’ and ‘Strings of the World’ are five new annual performing and visual arts festivals that have been launched in 2011-2012.

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Surabhi Saraf Live Audio Visual Performance on Jan. 30; Entry Free

Report by Santanu Ganguly, New Delhi: We would like to invite you to a short but unique event: Media artist, composer and performer Surabhi Saraf will present two tracks from her upcoming album Illuminen. Both pieces were conceived as live performances involving live video, choreographed lights and performers.

The performances will take the audience on a journey of synaesthetic experiences, showing how our perception of the self is constructed through our senses. The artist's vision for the evening is to accentuate each sense, addressing its value individually and in blended concert.

Inspired by the ways we perceive temporal phenomena through movement – both visually and sonically – Surabhi uses her background in experimental sound, Indian classical music and choreography to create audio and video works.

The evening progresses from Spinning Four, a visually rich immersive sonic experience that stimulates external senses, to Illuminen, which focuses inward, negotiating ideas of entertainment, experience, sensation and sensationalism with the conviction that it is actually the numbing of certain sensory realities that generates crucial moments in socio-cultural transformation.

Date & Time: Wednesday, 30 January, 6 pm
High tea will be served before 6 pm.

Venue: Siddhartha Hall, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi

Entry free

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Veena Malik Searching a New Hero Through Contest

EFT Report, Mumbai: Pakistani model turned actress Veena Malik is on the lookout for a new hero to star opposite her in her film "The City That Never Sleeps." She is searching for the new face through a contest.

"In this contest, I will choose a boy opposite me who will be my hero in this film. I am very excited and I believe that new talent should get a chance," Veena said in Mumbai at a press conference held for the film.

"I support this contest that is happening for 'The City That Never Sleeps' and I am looking forward to my hero in the film," she added.

Veena Malik

Meanwhile, Veena says that marriage is not on her mind right now. She believes it is still not the right time for her, and says if it was otherwise, (the show) Swayamvar ('Veena Ka Vivaah') would have happened.

"The swayamvar was happening but something happened and swayamvar didn't happen. Right now I am concentrating on my career... so now is not the right time. If it would have been, the swayamvar would have happened," Veena said.

"Marriage is about destiny, it will happen when it has to," she added.

Veena was last seen in "Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai", while her other two movies "Zindagi 50-50" and "Mumbai 125 KM 3D" are delayed.

She is also shooting with ex-flame Ashmit Patel for "Supermodel" and Kannada film "Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga."

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Parikshit Sahni: The New Age Tech-Savvy Daddy

EFT Report, Mumbai: If you thought being updated on the latest gadgets and gizmos was a prerogative of the young, edgy and urban, actor Parikshit Sahni proves that age is no bar when it comes to keeping pace with the latest technology! The senior actor who plays the role of Gyaneshwar, an elderly gentleman on Zee TV’s Aaj Ki Housewife Hai…Sab Janti Hai, makes it a point to keep abreast of the latest developments in the tech world and ensures that he buys the latest gadgets and downloads the latest apps.

Sources from the set say that the actor is one of the biggest technology freaks around! While waiting for scenes to be set up or in between takes for his show, Parikshit can be found busy on one of his many hand-held devices – be it his iPad, iPhone or iPad Mini.

Parikshit Sahni

“Be it games or the latest app to hit the app market, Parikshit ji is the one person who would have tried and tested it out within the first few days of their launch. In fact I often go to him for advice on the best apps to use for whatever I need. Not only does Parikshit ji help me out with getting the best apps available but he also shows me ways in which to make the best use of the app,” says Anirudh Dave who plays the hero of the show. It looks like Parikshit Sahni can put all the young breed of actors to shame with his impressive knowledge of technology! The actor is equally popular for being a thorough professional, very warm, humble and grounded.

Watch him in action on-screen as Gyaneshwar on Zee TV’s Aaj Ki Housewife Hai…Sab Janti Hai every Monday to Friday at 7 PM only on Zee TV.

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Akshay Dogra – The Hot New ‘Driver’ in Punarvivaah

EFT Report, Mumbai: If you thought this was Arjun Kapoor of Ishaqzaade, look again! It’s not … It’s the young and hunky Akshay Dogra who will soon be seen entering Zee TV’s Punarvivaah as a strikingly handsome ‘driver’ to the Scindia household. And his sudden emergence as the new driver for the family will strangely coincide with the kidnapping of Yash (Gurmeet Chaudhary) and Aarti’s (Kratika Sengar) son Ansh. Viewers will be left wondering as to what his connection is with the disappearance of Ansh. Has someone from within the family collaborated with this new driver to get the son kidnapped? Is this some kind of conspiracy to break the bond of Yash and Aarti? Only time will tell.

Akshay Dogra

In the meanwhile, Akshay Dogra is gung-ho about his new role. He said, “I am extremely happy to be working with Shashi Mittal and Zee TV. It is a parallel track to the male lead of the show Gurmeet Chaudhry who I have immense regard for as an actor. There are several mysterious dimensions to this role. It has shades of grey. The dark secrets and his ulterior motives will unravel over a period of time. I hope the audience enjoys my performance!”

Currently, Yash and Aarti are battling with the disappearance of their son Ansh following Yash’s nasty battle with Prashant which results in the latter’s death. Prashant had kidnapped Ansh before his death. But clearly, someone else has stepped into Prashant’s shoes and is continuing to hold Ansh hostage. Could it be this new driver in the family? And is there someone from amongst the Scindia family who has partnered with the driver to kidnap Ansh? To find out, tune into Punarvivaah at 10:30 PM every Monday-Friday, only on Zee TV.

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Shah Rukh Khan to Grace Forbes Cover Page

EFT Report, Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is all set to become the first Indian actor to appear on the cover of business magazine Forbes for its ‘100 most powerful people in India’ edition.

Celebrated photographer Dabboo Ratnani will be doing the special photo shoot on Shah Rukh Khan for the cover.

Since making his debut in TV serial ‘Fauji’ in 1988, the 47-year-old has come a long way to his current undisputed superstar status. His last flick ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ is the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time overseas after ‘My Name Is Khan’ and ‘3 Idiots’. SRK estimated net worth is believed to be $600 million.

Shah Rukh Khan

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Justin Bieber Most Followed Person on Twitter; Overtakes Lady Gaga

EFT Report, Los Angeles: Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber has dethroned ‘Born This Way' star Lady Gaga to become the most followed person on social networking site Twitter with 33,331,355 followers and counting.

At last count Lady Gaga, who was the most followed person on twitter since overtaking Britney Spears in 2010, has 33,327,342 followers.

Top 5 most followed Twitter accounts:

1. Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)
2. Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)
3. Katy Perry (@katyperry)
4. Rihanna (@rihanna)
5. Barack Obama (@BarackObama).

Justin Bieber Overtakes Lady Gaga on Twitter

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Shakira Officially a Mom Now; Gives Birth to Baby Boy

EFT Report, Barcelona: Colombian superstar Shakira has given birth to a baby boy weighing almost 3 kg at a private Teknon clinic in Barcelona on January 22, 2013.

“We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Pique Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Pique ... The name Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification," the couple said in a released statement.

According to sources, the 35-year-old ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ hit-maker delivered by caesarean and was accompanied by her boyfriend, FC Barcelona star Gerard Pique.

Shakira and Gerard Pique

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