Bollywood
Zakir Hussain: Film industry veterans mourn the demise of the legend
Mumbai, Dec 16: The tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain left for the heavenly abode on December 15, leaving a huge void in India’s music. With his excellence and humility, the Ustad touched many lives, young and old, people in positions of power and the common man. Such is the impact of one of the greatest tabla players that his demise feels like a personal loss to many.
Several members of the film fraternity like Kamal Haasan, Akshay Kumar, A. R. Rahman, Mohanlal, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Hansal Mehta, and others shared their condolences on his demise.
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar took to his social media and shared an image of Zakir Hussain. He wrote, “Very pained to know about the sad demise of Ustad Zakir Hussain Sahab. He was truly a treasure for our country’s musical heritage. Om Shanti”.
Veteran Tamil megastar Kamal Haasan took to his X, formerly Twitter and shared an old image in which Zakir Hussain could be seen giving the taal to the actor as the latter plays tabla. He wrote, “Zakir Bhai! He left too soon. Yet we are grateful for the times he gave us and what he left behind in the form of his art. Goodbye and Thank you”.
Oscar and Grammy-winning music composer A. R. Rahman called Zakir an inspiration and expressed his regret for not collaborating with him in recent years. He wrote, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. Zakir Bhai was an inspiration, a towering personality who elevated the tabla to global acclaim. His loss is immeasurable for all of us. I regret not being able to collaborate with him as much as we did decades ago, though we had planned an album together. You shall be truly missed.
May his family and his countless students worldwide find the strength to bear this immense loss”. Veteran Malayalam superstar Mohanlal wrote on his X, “Ustad Zakir Hussain’s passing leaves an irreplaceable void in the world of music. His rhythms united hearts across borders. My deepest condolences to his family and admirers”.
Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who was recently seen along with Akshay Kumar in ‘Singham Again’, also paid tribute to the legendary musician with a heartfelt image that featured her alongside Zakir Hussain and her father, Randhir Kapoor. She wrote, “Maestro forever”.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who recently directed Kareena in ‘The Buckingham Murders’ also took to his X, and wrote, “The maestro who made so many sleepless nights at Hindustani classical concerts memorable. The man who knew how to engage with an audience through his artistry. The Ustad who made the tabla sexy. Goodbye Ustad Zakir Hussain”.
Playback singer Sonu Nigam expressed his shock at the demise of the late musician, as he took to his Instagram, and wrote, “Zakir bhai… What is this?”.
Actress Nimrat Kaur recalled the last time she saw Ustad Zakir Hussain perform live earlier this year. She took to her Instagram, and shared a picture and a video of the late musician. She wrote in the caption, “On Feb 28th, ’24, when I last watched Ustad Zakir Hussain live at Prithvi Theatre, I recall my heart beating to the beats of the sheer flawless genius of his talent. His international superstardom and the zenith of his achievements are forever here to inspire and energize us”.
“As a human being, to remain the most humble, gracious, and generous through his incomparable life journey is what remains etched as a life goal in my heart. Your kind eyes and mystical being shall outlive generations…rest in glory Ustad ji. Never shall there be another”, she added.
Bollywood
Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Hospital bill of Rs 25 lacs in two days?
Mumbai, Jan 17: Actor Saif Ali Khan’s unverified bill has been leaked online, and it shows an initial requested amount of Rs 35, 98, 700 against an approved amount of Rs 250, 00, 000.
The document states that the actor suffered an injury to an unspecified region. However, it should be noted that the document has not been verified by the hospital authorities, and has been doing rounds on social media.
Earlier, in the day, Mumbai police recovered an old sword from the actor’s house, it is unclear if it is a part of the actor’s ancestral property. Safi, who belongs to the lineage of Nawabs, is the owner of many antique and priced possessions including the Pataudi Palace in Haryana.
Saif was reportedly attacked by an assailant who barged into his Bandra house through his youngest son, Jeh’s room during the wee hours of Thursday.
As per media reports, doctors removed the 2.5 inches of knife from his wound. The actor, who underwent a surgery, has now been shifted to the ICU and is said to be out of danger.
The actor was stabbed multiple times in an attempt to fight off a burglar during the wee hours of Thursday. The actor sustained six stab wounds, two of which are said to be serious as they are closer to his spine. The incident took place at 2:15 am when the burglar allegedly barged into their Bandra home, and attacked their house help and then Saif when he intervened.
Saif was woken up by the commotion in his son Jeh’s room. He went inside the room to see the culprit arguing with their house help, looking at this, Saif intervened to save the house help with bare hands to fight off the intruder.
Bollywood
Release of Kangana’s ‘Emergency’ halted across Punjab amid fear of protests
Mumbai, Jan 17: Filmmaker-actress Kangana Ranaut’s latest release “Emergency” has once again faced a road-block as it has been halted in Patiala, Amritsar and Bathinda amid fear of protests.
Protests are taking place across Punjab. Different leaders of Sikh organizations including The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have asked for ban on “Emergency” as they claim the film “tarnishes the image of Sikhs and distorts history”.
A tweet by SGPC also stated that it demands a ban on the film in Punjab, which is scheduled to release on January 17, 2025.
The film is touted to be controversial due to its subject matter, which revisits the tumultuous period of the 1975 Emergency declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The film delves deep into the historical and political upheaval of the time, shedding light on a chapter that continues to evoke polarising reactions across the nation.
Local administrations in the three Punjab cities have taken a preemptive stance, suggesting that the film’s narrative might provoke unrest among certain groups. The authorities have emphasised maintaining peace and order, especially given the heightened sensitivity surrounding the film’s content.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress leader, had re-shared the letter by SGPC on X, formerly called Twitter, and then wrote: “I support the demand of @SGPCAmritsar to ban the film Emergency directed by @KanganaTeam a known critic of farmers and Sikhs without knowing their contribution towards our country.”
“SGPC is our elected representative body and @BhagwantMann should take immediate steps to ban the film that depicts Sikhs in bad light and brings defamation to our state of Punjab and its people-Khaira,” Khaira added.
Replying to him, Kangana replied: “This is complete harassment of art and the artist, from Punjab many cities are reporting that these people are not allowing Emergency to be screened. I have utmost respect for all religions and after studying and growing up in Chandigarh I have closely observed and followed Sikh religion. This is a complete lie and propaganda to tarnish my image and harm my film #Emergency”.
Bollywood
Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Somy Ali wishes her ‘Aao Pyaar Karen’ co-star speedy recovery
Mumbai, Jan 17: Somy Ali, who has worked with Saif Ali Khan in films such as “Aao Pyaar Karen” and “Yaar Gaddar”, has wished the Bollywood star a speedy recovery after he was stabbed multiple times during an attempted robbery at his Bandra home.
In a video message, Somy was heard saying: “So hey, this message is specifically for Saif and Kareena. Kareena, I met you when I think you were probably 15-years-old with your sister Lolo.”
“You were in and out frequently in Salman’s house, but I am aghast and astounded over what happened with, first with Sterling Baba Siddiqui, and then with Salman having to heighten up his security and people trying to hurt him.”
“And now someone actually hurt Saif to an extent where he had to be hospitalized and there was a plastic surgeon involved. And I just want to say that we worked in three or four films together, but he’s a wonderful human being, very jovial, very big hearted, always happy, always making others happy. And this is a very, very bad, horrible, awful, heinous crime that has taken place against him.”
She said that it should not happen in Mumbai and that the police needs to be “less lax about what’s going on with Mr. Baba Siddiqui, then Salman and now Saif.”
“And I’m not implying or insinuating religion in this by any means.”
“So don’t assume that I’m doing that because I’m not. I’m just saying that Mumbai police is being rather lax about these things because Bandra, Bandstan is one of the most posh areas of India. I’ve spent nine years of my life in India and I knew Saif since I was 16 years old.”
Somy wished Saif a speedy recovery.
“We began our careers together. And like I said, I haven’t met, I mean, I haven’t spent a lot of time with Kareena, but you are in my thoughts and prayers. Your children, Saif, I wish you a speedy recovery.”
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