Enthiran: Aishwarya Bachchan on call for 200 days

Director Shankar’s magnum opus, Enthiran, formerly called Robot, has been in the news ever since its announcement. The unit has flown to the Americas for the first schedule of shooting.
Pulling out all stops to make this a great movie, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been taken as the heroine for a remuneration of Rs. 6 crores! For this breathtaking sum, (a figure which even most South Indian heroes are yet to achieve) the green-eyed beauty’s call-sheet has been commandeered for almost a year, 200 days to be precise. She has been so busy with this project that her absence at the music launch of Drona, starring hubby Abhishek Bachchan, was conspicuous.
In fact, she has not even been able to spend time with her ailing father as the cast and crew of Enthiram was busy hoping from South America to North America on a whirlwind shooting schedule. A couple of important scenes plus two mind-blowing songs were shot among the picturesque beauty of the grand old Mayan ruins at Machu Pichu.
Enthiram also has the proud distinction of getting Rajni to gain 5 kgs for his role as a lovestruck robot. This truly epic production has 25 assistant directors, including Soundarya Rajinikanth.
Just recently, the stills of Rajinikanth and Ash cavorting among the ruins of Machu Pichu, have surfaced on the web.


Courtesy: galatta.com

Rahman, for 'Stand up and Take Action' campaign

AR Rahman is getting his lines right for a public announcement service campaign under filmmaker Meghna Gulzar's watchful eyes at Mumbai's Mehboob Studios.

This call from celebrities to 'Stand up and Take Action' is a campaign by the United Nations to remind people and the government about the progress made by the millennium development goals which has the year 2015 as the deadline.

“It addresses to the govt and to ourselves,” says AR Rehman

Other than Rahman the campaign also features quite a mix of celebrities like Gulzar, Yuvraj Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Ranbir Kapoor, Narayan Murthy, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and others.

Though the government may turn a blind eye to the millennium development goals, this campaign with it's interesting mix of celebrities and news makers will definitely be eye-catching.

Courtesy: ibnlive.com

The Reel Thing

Kailasa has been a wondrous blend of Sufi and folk music with a contemporary twist to it since its inception in 2006 and Kailash Kher has been the face of it. But now the long-maned, beads-wearing, guitar-strumming trio are all set to go the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy way, calling themselves Kailash-Paresh-Naresh as they enter Bollywood.

“We have composed music for two films and their sounds are different from the Kailasa sound,” says Kher. While one of the films is Chandni Chowk to China, directed by Nikhil Advani and starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, the other is Allah Ke Bande directed by Farooque Kabir. “We are doing a track in each film and both are in the anthem format,” says Kher. While the track in Chandni Chowk... is power-packed, AR Rahman will sing the title track of Allah Ke Bande “which is like a prayer to God”.

But their music doesn’t stop there. Kailasa are working on their third album that will be released in mid-2008. “This album is going to be intense and will have a strong ballad feel to it with a high emotional quotient,” says Kher, who, in all probability, will be singing with rock group Pearl Jam’s singer Eddie Vedder by the end of the year in a concert that will be a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Vedder had collaborated with Khan for a track in Dead Man Walking.

Amid the busy tour schedules and recordings, Kher has taken up social causes as well. As a participant in the reality show Mission Ustaad, Kher is singing about UN’s Millennium Development Goals. “I don’t want my music to cater to entertainment alone but also create awareness among people,” says Kher, who, along with the other participants, composed songs on 11 issues, including human trafficking and poverty. The compilation will be released in April.

Courtesy: ExpressIndia.com

Musical Reality Shows this week - Critical Analysis

This week Mission Ustaad spread the message for "Upliftment of Women". All the four Jodi's gave brilliant performances with inspiring messages and incidents from their personal life to the world. Though the message was inspiring, their songs were not. It has been pointed out by the judges many times that the songs chosen must fit the subject.

But seems the Jodi's are lacking the knowledge of songs available in our music industry, or is it that they are choosing songs that are popular so they can attract the audience for votes? It is now high time A.R. Rahman gives out his views on the songs performed. If only one judge speaks out and the others do not express their views, then how can the audience give the correct results?
Courtesy: India-forums.com

'If you have the talent, you will go far' - A.R. Rahman

The Musical Maestro, A.R. Rahman feels excited to be a part of the Musical Reality Show Mission Ustaad on 9X. Here is A.R. Rahman talking about music and everything related to music..

He had a brief affair with Channel V’s Super Singer as judge. And then A.R. Rahman didn’t bite the bait for any of the reality TV shows that followed. Though


music is his passion, he always made it clear he had nothing to do with those on the small screen. But then 9X made it possible as it roped in the music maestro to be on the jury of their recently started Mission Ustaad.

Mission Ustaad, an Endemol-UN-9X collaboration brings together four singer jodis – Sunali and Roopkumar Rathod, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Kailash Kher, Shreya Pandit and Naresh Iyer, Vasundhara Das and Mohit Chauhan – who will make their own songs. But since the UN is involved, the songs will have an inherent message too. Each week,the jodi will get judges’ marks and audience votes, but there won’t be any elimination. At the end of 13 weeks, the scores of each pair would be accumulated and those with the highest marks will be declared the Ustaads.

Ask the reticent Rahman why he chose to take up this particular show when he might have been offered others in the past and he says, “Yes, I was, but a few months ago I had composed an anti-poverty anthem for the UN. The video had been appreciated and that’s when the concept of doing something more musically came up to talk about their millennium development goals. India had pledged with the UN to fulfill the goals of removing poverty, ensuring education to each and every child and other such issues by 2015. Since we haven’t had too much progress on that front, it was time to remind everyone about those goals."

"Just talking about them would have been boring, preachy stuff, but when you combine them with music and turn into an entertaining show, we just might get the people to listen in”, adds Rahman..

Unlike other music shows, in Mission Ustaad the ratings of the jury will matter more than the voting public. So was that another reason to accept it? “Yes, that too. I haven’t watched other reality shows, but I have heard that when the judging is left to the viewers, the judges’ position doesn’t hold any importance, the good singers tend to get affected and voted out and everything becomes a mess.”

Reality shows are often marked by heated arguments among the jury. Has he had any differences with the other judges, Javed Akhtar and Lara Dutta? (Laughs) “Yes, I believe they do, but in our show though we have different opinions, there are no pretensions to get the TRPs.” Does he think reality TV shows do any good to talent especially when it tends to get overshadowed by judges, gimmicks and controversies? “To me, more these shows, the merrier. When we see so much of violence, hatred and negativity around, in our everyday lives we can definitely watch shows with new talent, and which do music a lot of good. That alone is the saving factor, not the bickering judges or the unfair audience vote.”

Today’s films have hardly any music. Hasn’t it then become a case of too many singers and too less to sing? “I agree with you completely. There’s too much of a clutter there but at the same time, it’s no longer about anybody just making it. You have the talent, you will go far. Nothing more than that.”

His presence on the show was touted to be his grand debut by the channel. Has he enjoyed all the attention? Will he take up more television? “(Laughs) I enjoyed it more than I expected. Actually, if it’s music then I definitely feel excited. I will take up other shows if it’s going to be any good for music or if it takes music to the next level.” He says he liked “a couple of songs from Om Shanti Om and Saawariya and I liked them…though I didn’t sit and analyse what was right or wrong with them, I enjoyed listening to them.” Coming up next is Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar, “Jaane Tu Jaane Na which Aamir Khan is producing, it’s a young love story and a film called Ada. They all should come out in the next three four months,” he signs off.

Courtesy: India-forums.com

 

Man on a mission

Maestro A R Rahman reveals why he is playing judge in the show ‘Mission Ustaad’ and how music is his route to God to Sapana Patil Poojary

A R Rahman is known to be a man of few words. But the singer-composer is putting that behind him as he takes over as the judge of the reality show on TV (‘Mission Ustaad, 9X).


So what got the reclusive Rahman to get himself to judge a reality show? “It was the format,” he explains adding, “The show will have singers competing against each other to achieve the goals set by the United Nations for our nation. I have been associated with the UN before—I had composed and sung ‘Pray for me Brother’, the UN’s anthem for the Millennium Development Goals campaign. So when I got to know that this show was in association with the UN, I had all the more reason to be on this show.”
Quiz him on what basis will he be judging the contestants and Rahman states, “Art has no parameters. But here, it will be pushing the limits to judge their choice as a singer and composer; to see how their songs send a message to people and how their tunes become popular with the masses.”

Rahman, who has composed music in various genres, shares that music is peace for him.

“Music should be such that it transports you to another hemisphere. While composing music, I feel connected to God,” he says.

Though he admits that there have been times when his imaginative mind fails to create tunes, he owes his creations to the Almighty. “God has been kind. On a new day, there is new inspiration,” he smiles.

And who are his contemporary favourites? Rahman says he likes them all. “Most of them have unique styles. M M Kreem, Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, Pritam and Vishal-Shekhar give good music,” he remarks.

Lastly, ask if the man behind some of the most romantic numbers is as romantic in real life and Rahman smiles, “I am romantic.”

And has he dedicated any song to his wife Saira? He laughs and says, “My wife doesn’t expect it. Plus, there is enough to work on in films”.

Courtesy: DnaIndia.com

Rahman to judge reality show

Given the number of music based reality shows on television, one would wonder why someone like AR Rahman would lend his name to one.

But the music maestro, who will seen be in Mission Ustaad on 9X, is quite excited about this show, even though he admits that music reality shows have lost their charm on television. "I agree that music shows aren’t what they used to be, but this show will be different because here the singers are not being judged. It’s the song and the thought that goes behind the song that’s being judged," says Rahman.



The four jodis on the show will sing popular and especially composed songs based on a theme linked to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Speaking more about the show, which will also see Javed Akhtar and Lara Dutta giving him company on the judges’ panel, Rahman says that he has been approached for a number of reality shows earlier too, but he didn’t want to take part in any run of the mill kind of show. "I have done Super Singer some years back and another show in the South but this is my biggest music show in the North since then," he says. Rahman believes that music can’t be judged but believes that even one song can have the ability to provide hope and encouragement to a person. "We want to see how effective a song can be to promote a cause. I get loads of e-mails from people telling me that they have at times come out of depression and misery after listening to some song. I hope the opposite doesn’t happen when they listen to any of my compositions!" he chuckles.

He shares a good chemistry with the other two judges as well. "I’m the silent one on the show. Javedji is a very learned man and Lara has been associated with UN since long, so she’s always bang on target about her facts," he says.

Considering that he’s busy with Bollywood as well as South projects, will he be willing to do another show on the small screen if he’s approached for it? "If it’s really interesting and innovative, why not?" he adds with a smile. And he’s willing to compromise on other projects as well if that happens. "Even for this show, I had to compromise on some other things, but that’s okay," he says.

Bollywood will get to hear a lot of Rahman in the coming few months, what with three of his Hindi film albums releasing in the next four months or so.

Courtesy: Timesofindia.com

Rahman croons for Kailash

It isn’t something new for music composers to lend their voices for at least a song in the movies they compose music for and, more often than not, proved to be great singers themselves. A.R. Rahman has been one of the rare exceptions, as he started singing for his albums pretty late compared with other music composers.

And vice versa, there are sizeable number of singers who established themselves as music composers. The latest among them is singer Kailash Kher who turned composer with his first album Kailasa and his more recent Kailasa Jhoomore soon after reaping popularity with his number Allah Ke Bande … from the film Waisa Bhi Hota Hai part II .

Now, Kailash Kher has been signed up by debutant filmmaker Farooqe Kabir for the film, aptly titled, Allah Ke Bande. This singer, whose inclination towards Sufi music is evident in his compositions, intends to rope in the ‘Mozart of Madras’ A. R. Rahman to sing a Sufi number. Kher says 'I share a special bond with Rahman and I never miss a chance to work with him. He is blessed by God. His spirituality and simplicity attracts everyone.' Kailash works as a trio with Paresh Kamath and Naresh Kamath, who call themselves Kailash-Paresh-Naresh. They are presently working on this Sufi composition. The trio says they have already spoken to Rahman who has expressed his liking towards the idea and are confident that he would sing for them. It is interesting to note that Kailash will be a part of Mission Ustaad show on the new entertainment channel 9X. The show is a part of the propaganda by the United Nations on spreading awareness on its Millennium Development goals."

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Musical message

9X and the United Nations are ready to deliver the universal message of progress and development through their joint-venture Mission Ustad

X the new general entertainment channel from INX Media can take pride in its new musical competition show, Mission Ustad. Indrani Mukerjea, CEO, INX Media has joined forces with the United Nations (UN) and come up with a noble concept for their new musical show. Mission Ustad(MU), pairs eight professional singers from the Indian film industry as they compete against each other for the title of Ustad jodi. But, as clichéd as it may sound, the good thing about 9X’s new show is it’s for a noble cause. The prize money and generated revenue at the end of the show will be forwarded to the UN Millennium Development Fund and subsequently used for the development of India’s needy population.

In 2000, United Nations members pledged to eradicate poverty and usher development all around the world under the UN Millennium Development Goals programme. Their objective was to achieve their goals by 2015 and the resident coordinator UN in India, Maxine Olson revealed MU was a big step in achieving their target. “Mission Ustad is the perfect way to speak to millions of people and deliver our message of development and prosperity,” said Olson. Indrani Mukerjea, said the show would use entertainment as a vehicle of spreading awareness about this UN programme.

Developed by Endemol, a company which has worked on shows like Big Boss, Deal Ya No Deal and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya, MU has all the key elements of a singing competition. It’s got established singing pairs like Roop Kumar and Sunali Rathod, Kailash Kher and Mahalaxmi Iyer, Vasundhara Das and Mohit Chauhan and Naresh Iyer with Shweta Pandit. These jodis, who have already established themselves as successful singers, will compose original music for selected themes related to the UN Millennium fund and the best scores will make it to the Mission Ustad album. The couple that contributes the maximum number of songs will be the eventual winner. The show like any other reality based programme has a panel of judges. AR Rahman, Javed Akhtar and Lara Dutta form that panel. Rahman particular to judge the music of the compositions, Akhtar for the lyrics and Lara represents the UN as she is the official UNFPA ambassador.

It’s all too familiar for a viewer to see reality shows going overboard with emotional angles and contestant conflicts, but as AR Rahman said “MU is devoid of any histrionics. The contestants will have verbal debates about their opinions and issues, but end of the day it will all be dignified and in the country’s interest”. As a part of the show’s format the contestants will be given a chance to justify their choice of song with respect to the theme involved. Javed Akhtar added to the same saying, “The camaraderie on the show sets apart any cynicism and bitterness of the competition. MU will be a great source of inspirational programming”.

Incidentally, the show that will be hosted by Simone Singh has a rocking theme song Jaago India. The song in a sense embodies the idea behind Mission Ustad, which is to let the Indian masses know about an International programme that will help the nation’s development. And all that nobility will be delivered on 9X from December 1 in the form of an entertaining and refreshing new show.

Courtesy: Screenindia.com

AR Rahman likey to sing for band Kailasa

A R Rahman

After stamping their mark in the music industry with two successful albums, the composer trio of popular band Kailasa are now expanding their domain into Bollywood and are in talks with the Mozart of Madras, A R Rahman, who may sing for them.
Band leader Kailash Kher, together with Mumbai-based Kamath brothers, Paresh and Naresh, are set to compose music for two Bollywood films.

"Yes, me and my colleagues of my band Kailasa, Paresh Kamath and Naresh Kamath, will be composing music for upcoming films Made In China and Allah Ke Bande," said Kher during a telephonic conversation with PTI.
"Together we will be known as Kailash-Paresh-Naresh" he added. The trio who joined hands together in 2006 had brought a whiff of fresh music and regaled audiences with Sufi elements in their first album 'Kailasa' followed by Kailasa Jhoomore a few months ago.
The songs Teri Deewani and Tauba Tauba from the album Kailasa, and Bam Lahari and Saiyaan from Kailasa Jhoomore turned out to be huge hits.
Made in China directed by Nikhil Advani and produced by Ramesh Sippy stars Akshay Kumar [Images] and model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone [Images]. This multicomposer film will also have musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as well as veteran Bappi Lahiri.
The title track will be done by Kailash-Paresh-Naresh.
"Shankar Mahadevan [Images], who is the main composer in the movie will also sing a track tuned by us," said Kher.
Kailash, who rose to popularity with Allah Ke Bande in the film Aise Bhi Hota Hai, is excited about the possibility of getting A R Rahman to sing for his composition in the upcoming Allah Ke Bande, by debut filmmaker Farooqe Kabir.
"I share a special bond with Rahman and I never miss a chance to work with him. He is blessed by God. His spirituality and simplicity attracts everyone," says Kailash.
The trio is working on a Sufi song and have already discussed it with Rahman.
"Rahman likes the idea and if things fall in line he will be singing this song," adds Kher.
Kher, who is an admirer of late sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, says Khan has a great influence on his life.
"I liked his (Nusrat's) selection of songs. All his songs have a philosophical touch. There was an yearning to reach the almighty," said Kher.
Kailash Kher is also associated with a television show titled Mission Ustaad, which will be aired on the new entertainment channel 9X.
"This programme we will entertain people for a cause," said Kailash about the programme which envisages propagating the message of United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
"I'm very excited to be a part of this show. I'll sing, make people happy and ask them to help people in need," said the singer.

Courtesy: Rediff.com

Creating world music

Bulgarian singer and goodwill ambassador of UN’s World Refugee Organisation Dyana Dafova will team up with Indian music legend A.R. Rahman for her next album. Dyana met Rahman during a press conference at Houston in USA last February.
“The meeting was quite accidental. The organisers said that Rahman was in the same hall and invited me to meet him,” Dyana, who is in the city for Ayurveda treatment, said.
Dyana is planning a joint production. “Both of us are composers of world music. Both of us connect across cultures. Rahman is also excited,” Dyana said. The two stalwarts will come together for a creative session this May at Houston.

Dyana said she easily blends “four to five cultures” in a single song of hers. “I employ a whole range of genres from classical and modern to folk, just like Rahman. You can call both of us world musicians,” she said.
Rahman is only her latest link to India. Her American husband Michael Butterfield, who is also her manager, was born in Kolkata. Butterfield, who speaks fluent Hindi, has accompanied her to the city. This is Dyana’s second visit to the State. “We are seriously planning to have a holiday home in Kovalam,” Butterfield said.
What’s more, Dyana is the only European artist ever to be invited by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) for a live performance in the country. The year was 1999, the year her most popular album ‘Charisma’ was released.
‘Charisma’, again, was the only European album to be produced by the Indian company Times Music.
This Bulgarian songwriter/singer is also the only performer in the world who sings in 11 different languages. This includes even Sanskrit. Others are Latin, Celtic, Italian, Japanese, North American Indian, Bulgarian, Arabic and English. “I don’t speak all these languages. But I pick specific words and phrases from these languages and sprinkle them in my lyrics,” she said.
The lyrics of the song ‘Ahadyah’, for instance, is a fusion of Sanskrit, English and Arabic. Incidentally, ‘Ahadyah’ (pronounced ‘aadhya’) was the song selected by NASA, from among thousands of entries, to be played for the astronauts when they reached space in the first flight of the space shuttle Columbia.
“Ahadyah means universe. Sanskrit and Arabic words gave the music a cosmic feel. That could be why NASA selected my song for the astronauts,” Dyana said. “I use language as a connection between cultures. It spreads love, happiness and tolerance,” she said.
Perhaps why Dyana is popularly known as the ‘spiritual voice of Bulgaria’. Her concerts are full of colour and are peppered with dances, just like a Bollywood musical.
It was this contagion of happiness that she spreads which led the United Nations make her the goodwill ambassador of the World Refugee Organisation UNHCR. Dyana is the only European singer to be so recognised. In America too, her popularity is on the rise.
One of her biggest fans is Democratic front runner for the American presidency Hillary Clinton, no less. Dyana keeps correspondence with Hillary ever since she visited Bulgaria as America’s First Lady. Courtesy: Newindpress.com