Imtiaz Ali on casting Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in Amar Singh Chamkila and opting for live versions of the songs: “It was mandatory for me to cast actors who are singers as well”

Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming directorial, Amar Singh Chamkila, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, is all set for its release. Shot in real locations, the film promises to transport the audiences to the vibrant and rhythmic world of Punjab’s folk music, right to the rustic Akhadaas (live music performances in villages) where Chamkila’s voice would once roar. The film also stars Parineeti Chopra as Amarjot, Chamkila’s wife and singing partner. The makers, at the Next on Netflix event last week, unveiled the first song ‘Ishq Mithaye’ in the presence of the cast and music composer AR Rahman and singer Mohit Chauhan. In a recent chat, Ali revealed why he wanted actors who could also sing.

Speaking to News18 Showsha, Imtiaz Ali said, “It was mandatory for me to cast actors who are singers as well. It was important for them to sing live. This film wouldn’t have been possible without them. It’s not like Diljit didn’t train a lot like Parineeti did but he does live singing and is used to it. They both recorded the songs after singing them live. The reason behind this is that I’ve never had singers singing live during a shot. I thought that in case the live singing doesn’t work out, we can always use the recorded version and use it as playback like we usually do.”

Despite having recorded versions of the songs, Imtiaz Ali opted for live versions of them. He added, “But the way Parineeti and Diljit sang live was a hundred times superior to what they recorded in a studio. Live singing has a magic of its own and we managed to capture it. What we recorded was a back-up. The songs sung by them in the film has happened live on location like dialogue-speaking. There were no add-ons whatsoever.”

There are six original Hindi songs in the film sung by Mohit Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Arijit Singh, Kailash Kher, Richa Sharma, Jonita Gandhi, Yashika Sikka and AR Rahman. Adding to the excitement, both Diljit and Parineeti have lent their voices to some of the songs originally sung by Chamkila and Amarjot in Punjabi.

The film is produced by Mohit Choudhary, Select Media Holdings LLP, Saregama, and Window Seat Films. Premiering on April 12, the film charts the untold true story of Punjab’s original rockstar of the masses, the highest record-selling artist of his time, Amar Singh Chamkila, often referred to as the “Elvis Presley of Punjab”.

ALSO READ: Diljit Dosanjh was apprehensive of starring in Amar Singh Chamkila; says he surrendered to Imtiaz Ali’s vision: “It was matter of pride for me and my people”

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Boney Kapoor on Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan being delayed for five years due to Mumbai Cyclone, COVID-19: “We had our sets standing in Madh for around three and a half years”

The trailer of Maidaan starring Ajay Devgn was unveiled on Thursday, March 7 in Mumbai. The launch saw the presence of the entire cast and crew, who were delighted over the release of the film after five years delay. Maidaan tells the true story of an unknown hero, Syed Abdul Rahim, who brought pride to India through football. The film takes you on a journey of how the coach played by Ajay Devgn created history and records for India. His achievements are unmatched even 60 years later in the world’s most-played sport, football.

Expressing happiness over Shaitaan releasing in theatres after five years’ delay, Boney said, “We were in the midst of a crisis which the entire world was facing. During the lockdown, we had our sets standing in Madh (an area in Mumbai) for around three and a half years. When we would get a window to shoot, we had all the players and technicians coming from all over the world. They would land here, shoot a match for maybe eight-ten days and there would be a lockdown again. This happened to us thrice.”

Maidaan makers also suffered losses due to the Mumbai Cyclone in 2019 which led to the destruction of their sets. Boney Kapoor is grateful that the team and crew members did not lose patience at all and were eager to complete the film. “In all this, it was not only about hard work, but also about having patience. As a team we didn’t lose patience and I am glad we didn’t,” he said.

Talking about the delay, director Amit Ravindernath Sharma said, “It was frustrating. You prepare and shooting does not happen, it was natural to be frustrated. When the shooting happened, we used to enjoy it and that’s how we completed the whole thing.”

Based on a true story, Maidaan is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma of Badhaai Ho fame, and also features Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, and the well-known Bengali actor Rudranil Ghosh.

Produced by Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Arunava Joy Sengupta and Akash Chawla, the screenplay and dialogues are written by Saiwyn Quadras and Ritesh Shah respectively, music is by AR Rahman and lyrics by Manoj Muntashir Shukla. The film is all set to release worldwide in theatres on Eid, 2024 also in IMAX.

ALSO READ: Maidaan Trailer: Ajay Devgn plays unsung hero Syed Abdul Rahim who revolutionized Indian football as he coaches young team for Asian Games, watch

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Sara Ali Khan suffers minor burn injury, turns it into shayari, watch video

Actress Sara Ali Khan, who is gearing up for the releases of her two upcoming films Ae Watan Mere Watan and Murder Mubarak, encountered a minor setback amidst her busy promotional schedule. The incident occurred on Wednesday in Mumbai, where the actress suffered a minor burn injury.

Taking to her Instagram account on the same day, Sara shared a video addressing the injury while maintaining her upbeat spirit. In the video, Sara can be seen dressed in athleisure attire, as she was getting ready in her vanity van. She is seen applying ointment to her belly to alleviate the discomfort from the burn. Before delving into her signature shayari mode to discuss her injury, Sara’s staff member Dharna cautions that the matter is no laughing issue but later joins in the poetic banter. In the video, Sara humorously remarks, “Namaste Darshakon, Jab aap kar rahe ho 2 filmon ka promotion (When you are doing promotion of two films), there is bound to be some commotion.”

Sara further said, “Ab kya karein jal gaya mera pet, ho gayi main late (what to do now, my belly is burnt, and I’ve got late), everybody has to wait.” In the caption, she wrote, “Welcome to Sara ka Sara Radio. Aaj ki taaza khabbar I got burnt. Kya Kare lesson is learned. What can we say – bad bad luck. But kam se kam it’s not Murder Mubarak.”

 

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Meanwhile, directed by Kannan Iyer, Ae Watan Mere Watan is written by  Darab Farooqui and Iyer and stars Sara Ali Khan alongside Sachin Khedekar, Abhay Verma, Sparsh Shrivastav, Alexx O’ Nell, and Anand Tiwari in pivotal roles and a special guest appearance by Emraan Hashmi. The movie releasing on March 21 on Prime Video, is a Dharmatic Entertainment production and is produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra.

On the other hand, produced by Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films, and directed by Homi Adajania, Murder Mubarak boasts an exceptional ensemble cast including Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Suhail Nayyar and Aashim Gulati. The film will arrive on Netflix on March 15, 2024.

ALSO READ: “Sara Ali Khan has a lot of Saif Ali Khan’s wittiness,” says Murder Mubarak director Homi Adajania

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Photos: Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh snapped at Kalina airport

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Tamannaah Bhatia to star in Neeraj Pandey’s next as the leading lady: Report

Tamannaah Bhatia is on a signing spree. The actress, who juggles work between Hindi and South film industries, has reported signed her next with filmmaker Neeraj Pandey. The actress will be the lead actress on the project while the hunt for the lead actor is on. The filmmaker is reportedly looking to cast the male lead from his Special Ops cast.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, a source revealed, “Tamannaah will be the female lead in his film. The film’s title has not been finalised yet. The rest of the star cast members are still being decided amongst the team.”

The film has already gone on floors. “The shoot of the film has already started and the first day was on February 24. The movie will be released towards the end of this year. It is not a theatrical release and the film will premiere on a leading OTT platform,” the source added.

The team is being tight-lipped about the project. “Everything is being kept under wraps as they don’t want anything to go out about the film,” adding, “They want to keep everything hidden, in fact there were jammers on the sets so that no one inside can shoot or communicate anything about the project. There were a limited number of people on the sets of day one of the shoot.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Tamannaah Bhatia will next star in Aranmanai 4, John Abraham starrer Vedaa and a few more projects.

ALSO READ: Tamannaah Bhatia does not get fazed by public scrutiny: “If you dont give it importance, it doesnt exist”

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Rani Mukerji on Aditya Chopra not releasing films on OTT during pandemic and how Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan changed the game: “The film stood the test of time and opened the floodgates for people going into cinemas”

Rani Mukerji was one of the speakers on the opening day of FICCI Frames 2024 in Mumbai. The actress spoke about her career, her last film and more during the chat. In the conversation, she spoke about her husband, YRF’s head honcho Aditya Chopra, how he did not give in to the idea of releasing films on OTT during COVID-19, and how Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan changed the game for the industry.

At the event on Tuesday, Rani Mukerji said, “During the pandemic, Adi (Aditya Chopra) had these couple of big films that were to be released. They were those commercial potboilers, which started in the pre-pandemic time. Unfortunately, when the pandemic started, there was a question mark on all the films. And that’s the time when I observed my husband closely because there were no talks of films releasing. There was a lot of pressure on filmmakers to release all these films on OTT and a lot of them were doing that. The biggest films were releasing on OTT. And my husband was completely calm and composed.”

She added, “I would use the word ‘conviction’, that my husband had, and he said, ‘These movies were made for theatricals, for the audiences at large to enjoy. I would want to release these films theatrically.’ He was being offered a lot of money to release it on OTT, which would be a win-win situation for the OTT platform, and for the producers, where he was making a profit by releasing it on OTT.”

Rani revealed how Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan became such a huge hit that it completely changed the game for YRF and the industry. She added, “In time when the films came, all of those films flopped because the whole way the audience watched content changed overnight because of OTT. All these films failed at the box office and it took a complete hit commercially because none of the films did well. It was like complete depression. People were sad in our company and the whole conviction that Adi stood with that his movies would be released theatrically. We thought that there would be some divine intervention and that he would be rewarded for his conviction of releasing films theatrically, and everything kind of didn’t work for us. Then came Pathaan. It changed the entire thing forward at Yash Raj. And it became the highest-grossing film.”

“So when you ask me, what are the things that need to change is, filmmakers need to have more faith in the product that they make, and they should believe in it and stand with each other to make that change. Today, Pathaan stood the test of time and opened the floodgates for people going into cinemas,” she said.

On the work front, Rani Mukerji was last seen in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.

ALSO READ: Rani Mukerji exudes casual chic in a denim waistcoat, mustard pants, and a Gucci tote bag worth Rs.2 lakh

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Murder Mubarak Trailer Launch: Karisma Kapoor on being selective about her work: “I am lucky and thankful to be in a position where I can say yes or no”

The trailer of Murder Mubarak was launched on March 5 amid the presence of media in Mumbai. Produced by Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films, and directed by Homi Adajania, this murder mystery boasts an exceptional ensemble cast including Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Suhail Nayyar and Aashim Gulati.  At the film’s trailer launch on Tuesday, Karisma Kapoor spoke about being selective of her work.

Karisma said, “To be very honest, I do selective work out of choice. I like to be comfortable. I am lucky and thankful to be in a position where I can say yes or no. Hopefully, I will do more work, but it depends on what I feel. I want to do interesting roles, literally something which will make me leave home. I have been lucky to have played very unusual characters over the years, so I really need to be motivated and excited to go to a set.”

Talking about the film, she revealed, “Homi is an old dear friend. We went to school together. He is a quirky maker. When I heard the script, my first reaction was that I have to be part of this unusual film.”

Murder Mubarak premieres on March 15 on Netflix.

ALSO READ: Murder Mubarak Trailer Launch: Karisma Kapoor on ‘eccentric’ role and how OTT is different than cinema: “Things are much more realistic and much more prepared”

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