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Zakir Hussain
Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain laid to rest in US
Dec 20, 2024
ZAKIR HUSSAIN was laid to rest on Thursday (19) at a San Francisco cemetery as renowned percussionist A Sivamani and other artistes performed on their drums at a little distance away in a tribute to the tabla maestro.
Hussain, one of the world’s most accomplished percussionists, died at a San Francisco hospital on Monday (16) due to complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. He was 73.
Hundreds of his admirers gathered at Hussain's funeral to pay their last respects. Sivamani and several other musicians played drums at a little distance away to pay him a tribute.
Sivamani said, "Rhythm is God, that is you Zakir bhai. I learned a lot in our journey from 1982 till now. Every moment you are here with us in the rhythm. Every time I hit the rhythm, you are there. We love you Zakir Bhai. Have a lovely journey. Please give my pranam to all the masters."
Hussain, the son of the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha, revolutionised the instrument, taking it beyond the limits of classical music to other forms, including jazz and Western classical.
The celebrated musician, one of India’s most well-known, received four Grammy Awards in his career spanning six decades, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards earlier this year.
Hussain is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Hussain received the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
In his career spanning six decades, the musician worked with several renowned international and Indian artistes, but it was his 1973 musical project with English guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L. Shankar, and percussionist T.H. 'Vikku' Vinayakram that brought together Indian classical and elements of jazz in a fusion hitherto unknown.
Sivamani after Hussain's death in a Facebook post said he would go to San Francisco to see him for the last time.
"No Zakir Bhai, you cannot leave us like this. This is just unbelievable. I'm on the way to San Francisco. I want to see you, one last time. I want to hold your hands, my brother, my Guru. I'm devastated. life will never be the same again," Sivamani had said.
Messages of condolence poured in on social media as the news of Hussain's demise spread. Prime minister Narendra Modi called him a true genius who revolutionised the world of Indian classical music.
Grammy winner musician Ricky Kej remembered Hussain for his "immense humility, approachable nature".
"One of the greatest musicians and personalities India has ever produced. Along with being the best himself, Zakirji was known for...being responsible for the careers of numerous musicians, who are now forces to reckon with themselves. He was a treasure trove of skill and knowledge and always shared and encouraged the entire music community through collaborations and his actions. His legacy will live on forever, and his influence will be felt for generations. He left us too soon," Kej had written on X after his demise.
(PTI)
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‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ released today
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Mufasa The Lion King: Disney's prequel sells 65000 tickets in Indian chains ahead of opening day
Dec 20, 2024
With Mufasa: The Lion King releasing today in India, it is set to make the next big wave at the box office currently ruled by Pushpa 2. Unlike the original film, The Lion King (2019), the Hollywood sequel has only managed to create a low-key buzz. However, Mufasa: The Lion King is anticipated to make a wave in India, considering Shah Rukh Khan and Mahesh Babu’s collaborations.
Meanwhile the movie sold 65,000 tickets in final advance bookings across Indian chains. Around 35,000 of these are from the opening day. It has also been witnessing strong pre-sales for the dubbed versions, especially Telugu.
The movie will feature SRK in his reprised role as a voice artist while his sons AbRam Khan and Aryan Khan have dubbed for Mufasa’s younger version and Simba respectively. South superstar Mahesh Babu has dubbed for Mufasa in its Telugu version.
The A-line artists in the dubbed versions are expected to attract the Indian audience to the theatres in large numbers. There is an upcoming prequel, which might be best for fans who wish to explore the backstory of The Lion King. Mufasa: The Lion King is expected to open sales at the box office at 9,40,297.80 pounds (Rs 10 crore) net in India. The Lion King had collected 10,43,591.36 pounds (Rs 11.10 crore) on its first day in 2019.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Backed by Walt Disney Pictures, Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel of The Lion King, which was a remake of the 1994 classic of the same name. The Hindi version of the prequel also features Meiyang Chang, Shreyas Talpade, Sanjay Mishra as voice artists for Taka, Timon and Pumbaa respectively.Keep ReadingShow less
Amy Adams and Demi Moore from the interview
Youtube @Variety
Demi Moore and Amy Adams discuss societal pressure on women to repress anger
Dec 20, 2024
Everything about women having to don submissive and obedient roles in life may be old news, but it continues to be a sad reality. Contextualising the plight of women, Demi Moore and Amy Adams, in a one-on-one interview, discussed how women are often obliged to hide their rage due to societal pressure.
Both their recent films, The Substance and Nightbitch respectively, have similar themes of unexpressed female rage. "I love how both of our films also deal with surrealism and mysticism, and these elements of rage," Adams said.
In response, Moore is seen saying, “For women in general, there’s an unsaid societal pressure that they can not express their anger. Not that anybody’s saying we can’t be, but that it’s been in a way the collective consciousness of like, 'Oh, that’s not attractive.”
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Besides working on similar subjects in the film industry, both the actors have something else in common: Motherhood. Adams who has a 14-year-old daughter with her husband Darren, stated that she is careful not to use gender-specific terms around her. "I’ve had to really work on being like, 'Oh my gosh, you’re such a good… ' No, don’t say it. Say, ‘'You’re a good person, and I’m really proud of you.' Instead of saying ‘you’re a good girl,’” she ponders.
Demi Moore, who is mother to daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30 with ex-husband Bruce Willis, agreed. Adams, meanwhile, shared that she was “paralysed” by some circumstances in her life and was inspired by Moore, thinking that’s what it’s like to be a woman.
The Substance is streaming on Mubi. Nightbitch will be available on Hotstar on December 27
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Allu Arjun in Pushpa: The Rule
Pushpa: The Rule
Pushpa 2: Allu Arjun film sees 1100cr Box Office Collection in India in 2 weeks
Dec 20, 2024
In an incredible show of strength, Pushpa 2 posted Rs 301 crore in its second week at the Indian box office. Compared to the staggering first-week collection of Rs 600 crore, the 51% drop in the second week is as robust as it is. And it’s nothing short of magical. And guess the magic number. The total box office gross for the two weeks is Rs 1110 crore.
Pushpa 2 is no more a mere favourite to beat Baahubali 2, but is now pacing toward making a record. The collection today in its third week will put it in stone.
The movie, directed by Sukumar, is on a dream run in Hindi and has already become an all-time blockbuster in the elite list of legendary films, including Sholay, DDLJ, HAHK, Gadar, and, not to mention, Baahubali 2. The film has already made it the highest-grosser in several circuits, including Odisha, Gujarat, CP Berar, and CI.
Amid narratives that the film isn’t performing well in the Telugu states, the film’s box office collection has proven that the rumour is a complete hogwash. It is already the fourth-highest grosser in the twin states and is set to achieve the third position soon surpassing Kalki 2898 AD. Within a few days, it will overtake Baahubali 2 as well, trailing only RRR. In retrospect, the narrative of underperformance only comes from the old-school ways of analysing film performance solely based on distributor recovery.
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© Copyright 2024 Garavi Gujarat Publications Ltd & Garavi Gujarat Publications
Actor Aziz Ansari, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by a woman with whom he went on a date last year, has responded to the claims saying the two engaged in "sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual".
The 34-year-old actor's statement comes after a 23-year-old Brooklyn-based photographer recounted a date with him that she called "the worst night of my life" in an interview with Babe.net.
"In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date.
"We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual," Ansari said in a statement given to People magazine.
The Master of None actor further said a text by the woman, named as 'Grace' in the article, said that she felt uneasy with how things transpired the night before and responded to her privately as he was "concerned" about her.
"The next day, I got a text from her saying that although 'it may have seemed okay,' upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said," he said.
Ansari, who became the first man of Asian descent to win Golden Globe recently for his performance in the Netflix show, added he supported the movement that has given women a chance to speak up about the injustice they have been subjected to till date.
"I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue," he said.
In the interview, the woman vividly described how she exchanged numbers with Ansari at the 2017 Emmy Awards after- party and went on a date with him on a bar on the banks of the Hudson river, which escalated quickly to a sexual encounter at his apartment.
The woman said she voiced her hesitation explicitly during their encounter.
She said she "used verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate how uncomfortable and distressed she was". The woman added that her reticence to engage in the act was "ignored" by the actor.
Grace alleged Ansari called her a cab when she wanted to leave and texted her the next day.
She shared a screenshot of the alleged conversation, in which she said, "Last night might've been fun for you, but it wasn't for me. You ignored clear non-verbal cues; you kept going with advances."
To this the actor allegedly replied, "I'm so sad to hear this. All I can say is, it would never be my intention to make you or anyone feel the way you described. Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I'm truly sorry."
Grace said she decided to come forward with the incident after she saw Ansari wearing a Time's Up pin at the Golden Globe Awards last week, where he won best comedy actor in a TV series.
"It took a really long time for me to validate this as sexual assault. I was debating if this was an awkward sexual experience or sexual assault. And that's why I confronted so many of my friends and listened to what they had to say, because I wanted validation that it was actually bad," she said in the interview.