
Anwar attends Bollywood film preview with director Akbar Khan
The event included a meeting with the film's director and producer, Akbar Khan, a long-time friend of Anwar.
Anwar spent around 30 minutes watching the preview of the epic historical romance.
The film narrates the love story of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, inspiring the Taj Mahal's creation.
Akbar Khan's production features original filming locations in India, showcasing Mughal architecture.
Bollywood stars such as Kabir Bedi, Zulfikar Sayed, and Manisha Koirala lead the cast.
The film explores themes of sacrifice, enduring love, and cultural heritage.
Released in 2005, it was among the most expensive Bollywood productions of its time.
The project aimed to highlight India's historical and architectural legacy globally.
Also present were Indian High Commissioner B.N. Reddy and Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Dobrowolski.
Egypt's Deputy Head of Mission Fatma AlZahraa Hassan Abdelkawy attended the screening as well.
The Taj Mahal remains a UNESCO-recognised wonder of the world. - Bernama
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Being home 'It's always special to perform in Malaysia, not only because my VIP guests are able to attend (my parents!), but because of how it feels to collaborate with fellow Malaysians and those who have made Malaysia their home. There is a sense of unspoken kinship that is palpable,' says Quah, 37, in a recent interview in Kuala Lumpur. She is also no stranger to the DFP big stage and is set to enchant the audience with Chopin's emotional range and lyrical melodies. In 2018, she made her solo debut with the MPO under German-Japanese conductor Jun Markl. A Kuala Lumpur native, Quah currently resides in University Park, Pennsylvania, and teaches piano as an Assistant Professor at Penn State University. It's a delight for her to be back in Malaysia performing again with the MPO, reconnecting with musician friends here. 'My first performance with the MPO was in 2018, playing Beethoven's Concerto No. 1 in C major , so I'm glad to be back playing Chopin this time,' says Quah. 'Chopin is a special composer for pianists because he wrote primarily for the piano. When you think about romantic classical music, oftentimes the first composer that comes to people's minds is Chopin. He wrote very idiomatically for the instrument, meaning that all of the arpeggios, all of the virtuosic material, they fit very nicely in a pianist's hands,' she adds. 'When playing one of Chopin's works, the job of the pianist is often to try to make the piano sing as expressively as possible,' says Quah. Quah notes that much of Chopin's beauty comes from his love of opera, especially the singing style of Italian opera. 'When playing one of Chopin's works, the job of the pianist is often to try to make the piano sing as expressively as possible, like a singer. 'So even though there is this sort of drama of the soloist in front of the orchestra, it's really quite an intimate experience listening to Chopin live because of the way it's written. There are lots of 'singing' lines and plenty of nuance to appreciate – if we're doing our job right, at least,' she adds with a chuckle. Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 also happens to hold a special place in Quah's heart. 'This concerto is very special to me, because it was the first concerto that I performed with an orchestra when I was around 14. It was with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra, soon after I had moved (from Kuala Lumpur) to Sydney, Australia to study piano at the Australian Institute of Music,' she says. 'I played it a few years ago in Pennsylvania, but now coming back to it after having hopefully improved, having much more experience and being able to interpret it in a more mature way, it's sure to be interesting. I'm pleased to have the chance to work on it again.' Emotional depth Chopin's works are known for exploring the full expressive range of the piano. Piano students often use his pieces to learn how to express emotional depth. For Quah, she can't quite recall what was the first Chopin piece she ever played – 'It was probably a short waltz?' – but one of the most important techniques she learned through Chopin very early on was the concept of 'rubato'. ''Rubato' describes this feeling of flexibility when playing a piece. Even though the beat is going very steadily in the background, as a soloist, you have this freedom to speed up the tempo or slow it down. The great thing about this is that every artist's interpretation is unique, so you'll never get the exact same performance. 'So when you're a young pianist, you get assigned these short Chopin pieces to learn how to practice that flexibility, that rubato, while staying on the beat,' says Quah. A life in music A musical virtuoso from a young age, Quah's love for the piano began when she was only two years old, when her family noticed that she had learned to play the piano by ear, improvising tunes she heard on the radio. In Kuala Lumpur, she attended SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail (2) for her first two primary years before moving to Sekolah Sri Cempaka in Damansara Heights from Standard Three to Form One. 'I had a lot of fun with music as a child and sought opportunities for it to be a part of most facets of my daily life – from accompanying Negaraku at school assemblies to playing violin at church and for Christmas carolling!' Quah's love for the piano began when she was only two years old. Quah completed high school at the Australian Institute of Music and earned a Bachelor of Music from the Vancouver Academy of Music, Canada. She later received a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, along with graduate degrees from the Yale School of Music and The Juilliard School. Through the years, she's been taught by respected pianists such as Boris Slutsky, Peter Frankl, Matti Raekallio, Lee Kum Sing, and Snezana Panovska. She joined a music appreciation class at four and began piano lessons with Panovska (founder of Chopin Society Malaysia) at six, soon composing and playing other instruments. At seven, she made her overseas debut in the Czech Republic and Hungary. 'I had many inspiring music teachers in KL, including Tan Siew Ghee, Clement Siow, Adeline Wong, Nora Kim, and Snezana Panovska, who all contributed to my musical education in their own, indispensable way,' she says. Quah has since performed on major stages – from playing the Electone at the 1998 Bukit Jalil Stadium opening to recitals at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall and solo appearances with symphonies and orchestras worldwide. An expressive piece While the piano remains her primary instrument, Quah's musicianship extends far beyond its keys. A true music lover, she occasionally performs the pipe organ professionally, relishing the grandeur and complexity of the instrument. 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