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Zakir Hussain: Film industry veterans mourn the demise of the legend

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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

Dino Morea on ‘Housefull 5’: Not doing anything outrageously funny in the film

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Mumbai, June 13: Actor Dino Morea is happy with the kind of response to his latest release “Housefull 5” and he said that he has not done anything outrageously funny in the film and instead he is “suave, smooth operator with ‘devious’ plans”.

The actor shared: ‘’I’m not doing anything outrageously funny in the film. Instead, I’m the suave, smooth operator with ‘devious’ plans.”

He wanted to join the fun with the fifth installment of the “Housefull” franchise.

“But the idea of being a part of this franchise was to join in the fun. Blockbuster filmmaker, Sajid Nadiadwala, knows how to add grandeur to an installment to keep it going,” Dino said.

“Housefull 5” boasts a massive star cast. It also stars such as Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nagis Fakri, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Chitrangada Singh, Fardeen Khan, Chunky Pandey, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Ranjeet, Soundarya Sharma, Nikitin Dheer, and Akashdeep Sabir.

Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, the film released in theatres on June 6 with two climaxes. The film is bankrolled by Sajid Nadiadwala under his home banner Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.

The first installment of “Housefull” was released in 2010. The second installment came out in 2012. The first two films were directed by Sajid Khan.

Housefull 3, which was directed by Sajid-Farhad, hit the screens in 2016. The fourth film came out in 2019 and was directed by Farhad Samji.

Talking about Dino, he was also seen in Mere Husband Ki Biwi as Ricky Khanna. The romantic comedy film is directed by Mudassar Aziz and stars Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh in lead roles.

Dino began his career as a fashion model and made his film debut in Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi in 1999. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has appeared in over 50 films, primarily in the action and thriller genres.

His most popular film was the horror thriller Raaz. He also featured in Gunaah, Plan, Holiday, Dus Kahaniyaan, Bhram and Acid Factory.

In the 2020s, Morea transitioned to streaming platforms, acting in series such as Mentalhood, Hostages, Tandav, and Kaun Banegi Shikharwati.

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Anees Bazmee on 26 years of ‘Sirf Tum’: It’s more than just a memory

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Mumbai, June 11: As his directorial “Sirf Tum” turned 26, filmmaker Anees Bazmee called the Sanjay Kapoor-starrer a story that never ages.

Anees took to Instagram, where he shared the poster featuring Sanjay and Priya Gill. He captioned the post: “26 years of Sirf Tum Some stories never age. They only grow deeper in the hearts of those who lived them and those who watched them.”

“To be part of something so timeless, so full of pure love and raw beauty – it’s more than just a memory, it’s a blessing I carry every day. Grateful for the love.”

“Sirf Tum” also stars Jackie Shroff, Mohnish Bahl and Sushmita Sen. With soulful music by Nadeem-Shravan, the film is a remake of the 1996 Tamil film Kadhal Kottai. It told the story of Deepak and Aarti falling in love with each other but they have never met. They exchange letters but do not know about each other’s whereabouts.

Talking about Bazmee, he made his directorial debut with Hulchul in 1995, however his first commercial success came in 1998 with the film Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of the year.

He went on to direct the top-grossing comedies including No Entry, Welcome, Singh Is Kinng, Ready, Welcome Back, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

Sanjay made his debut in Hindi cinema in 1995 with the movie Prem, opposite Tabu. His next movie was Raja opposite Madhuri Dixit. He went on to star in several films as a lead actor such as Auzaar, Mohabbat and Sirf Tum.

In 2002, he appeared as a villain playing the psychotic husband of Esha Deol in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe. The actor started playing supporting roles in films like Qayamat: City Under Threat, Julie, Luck By Chance and Shaandaar.

He turned to producing with his first production Tevar starring his nephew Arjun Kapoor releasing in 2015. He played a cameo appearing alongside his brother Anil for the first time in Mubarakan.

In early 2018, Sanjay was cast in the anthology film Lust Stories as a lead character opposite actress Manisha Koirala. He was cast in the movie The Zoya Factor as his real life niece Sonam Kapoor’s on screen father.

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‘Dil Ka Kya’ a heady dose of nostalgia from golden era of modern Hindi film music

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Mumbai, June 9: The song ‘Dil Ka Kya’ from the upcoming film ‘Metro…In Dino’ was unveiled on Monday. The song is composed by Prtiam, and has been crooned by Raghav Chaitanya with lyrics by Anurag Sharma.

The song is a hat-tip to the cult song ‘Alvida’ from ‘Life in a… Metro’, which was also composed by Pritam. It is modern yet nostalgic, and deeply melancholic. The melodic structure is similar yet very different from Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s ‘Die With a Smile’.

Niladri Kumar once again brings his A-game to the table with his Zitar solo, an ornament in Pritam’s songs.

The video of the song is set across the intertwined lives of four couples, and explores the fragile nuances of romantic connection and separation amid the relentless chaos of city life.

‘Metro…In Dino’ marks the final chapter of Anurag Basu’s trilogy of hyperlinked cinema. The film’s recently launched trailer has received a positive response from audiences with a storyline that feels both intimate and universal.

The film features an ensemble cast including Anupam Kher, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sensharma, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ali Fazal, Neena Gupta, and Saswata Chatterjee.

The film is the sequel to ‘Life in a… Metro’, which was released during the golden age of modern Hindi film music. The album was the first all rock album in Bollywood, and set many trends, and inspired countless musicians across the country.

‘Metro…In Dino’ marks another collaboration between musical soulmates Anurag Basu and Pritam, who first worked together in the iconic album ‘Gangster’ setting the path to what would become one of the most memorable partnerships and director-music composer duo in Hindi cinema.

Presented by Gulshan Kumar & T-Series presents, in association with Anurag Basu Productions Pvt. Ltd., ‘Metro…In Dino’ is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anurag Basu, and Taani Basu.

The film is set to arrive in cinemas on July 4, 2025.

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