Former video jockey Sophiya Haque died in a London hospital Jan. 16 after having been diagnosed with cancer two weeks earlier. She was 41. Haque, who shot to fame in the 90s as a VJ on MTV India, moved to Mumbai in 1997, when she began appearing in Bollywood films. Haque acted in films like “The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey,” “Pehli Nazar Ka Pehla Pyaar: Love at First Sight” and “Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors.
(WARNING: Post contains graphic language. Reader discretion is advised. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author, and not necessarily of Thomson Reuters) The gang rape and death of a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi this month has sparked debates on many things from an Indian society centered on the well being of men to the tendency of Bollywood films to portray women largely as mothers or sex objects.
Yesteryear's radio anchor Ameen Sayani, who became famous for presenting the Binaca Geetmala from 1952 to 1994, believes the music of his era could infuse love in people, eliminating violence and hatred in today's world.
– FLUSHING, N.Y. Students of Nrityanjali entertained a packed-to-capacity audience at the Saraswati Hall of the Hindu Temple here Dec. 15 to celebrate the dance school’s 10th anniversary of the school. Audience members, primarily family and friends of the students, applauded each performance several scrambled to the front to take pictures or record the show.
It was a launch a newcomer would only dream of. And the dream came true for singer Aaryan, who was introduced to the world through father-daughter duo of filmmakers Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt here. Aaryan's first music video called "Ranjhann" was uploaded online a few weeks ago. It attracted as many as 5 million views.
Shujaat Khan, sitar player and son of Ravi Shankar's contemporary Vilayat Khan, spoke to Reuters about the Grammy-winning sitarist and composer who died in southern California on Tuesday. Edited excerpts from an interview: "His legacy is his music. What he has done for music and the future of music. The biggest and largest contribution of any human being to put Indian classical music on the world map.
Sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar, who helped introduce the sitar to the Western world through his collaborations with The Beatles, died in Southern California on Tuesday, his family said. He was 92. Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner with legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Festival and at Woodstock, had been in fragile health for several years and last Thursday underwent surgery, his family said in a statement.
