Songs of freedom
Familial displeasure, death threats, a bounty on her head, Aryana Sayeed had to overcome a number of obstacles on her way to becoming one of Afghanistan's beloved pop stars. 'I had basically accepted death,' says the 39-year-old musician and activist, who has made her Hindi debut with Rukhna Nahin, a song from the recent anthology film, My Melbourne. 'I felt that if I gave up, I'd be killing the hopes of millions of Afghan women.'
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Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Mom's passing is a void that nothing can ever fill: Niilam Paanchal
Niilam Paanchal with her mom Vasantiben Panchal Niilam Paanchal, who lost her mom Vasantiben Panchal in March, has resumed working. The actress, currently seen in the Hindi TV show Saru , shares, 'Her death is a void that nothing can fill. I miss mom every day.' 'I think I got my new show due to mom's blessings' Recalling the day when she got a call to audition for Saru, Niilam, who lives in Mumbai, shares, 'My mom was in hospital and I was with her 24*7. So, I was not keen to audition for the project, but my mother told me, 'You must do it, you will get this show.' I had to go for a mock shoot in Naigaon and when I returned, mom's condition had deteriorated. The day we lost her, I got a call confirming that I had been selected. I was not in a state to process that information. ' Niilam adds, 'I started shooting for the show barely a week after my mom's death, and it was a very difficult time for me. But my co-actors have been supportive and understanding. In a way, it is good that I started working because otherwise, I really don't know what I would have done. The show went on air on mom's birthday. I feel I got it due to her blessings.' 'I am keen to do more Gujarati films ' Before Saru, Niilam was seen in the TV show Dil Ko Tumse Pyaar Hua, which went off air in February. She shares, 'Be it Ishqbaaaz , Hamari Devrani , Lajwanti or other shows, I have always played negative roles on TV. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thousands Are Saving Money Using This Wall Plug elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Click Here Undo In Saru, I am playing a positive character on the small screen for the first time and it's a great feeling.' In D-Town, she was last seen in the film Nasoor (2024). In an earlier interview, the Hellaro, 21mu Tiffin and Vash actress had told us, 'I was being offered mother's roles but don't want to play moms to 40-year-olds on screen.' Asked about her plans of making a D-Town comeback, she says, 'I am very keen to do more Gujarati films. It's refreshing to see that age-appropriate roles are being written now for women in Gujarati films too. In my TV show contract, it is mentioned that I will take a break and shoot for Gujarati films if I get one. But surprisingly, while I used to be offered a lot of Gujarati films earlier, I have not been offered any in recent times. My husband (Mihir Rajda) is a terrific actor and I am glad he made a successful debut in Gujarati films with Mithada Maheman . I hope we get to see more of him in Gujarati films.' 'I start crying whenever I remember mom during little moments' Talking about her mom's contribution in her journey, Niilam says, 'I lost my dad when I was just four-and-a-half years old. We are four sisters and mom struggled a lot to bring us up so beautifully. Our financial condition wasn't great, and she had to sell her jewellery. Woh silaai ka bhi kaam karti thi. Back then, a lot of people would say that there was no need to send girls to college, but mom made sure that I completed my graduation. When I started getting acting offers and shifted to Mumbai in 2008, I told her that I wanted to pursue it and she supported me. I had promised her that I would make her proud and when I won the National Award for Hellaro, it was a huge win for both of us. I could fulfil my dreams only because of her.' She adds, 'During her last moments, mom told me, 'Mere jaane ke baad tum logon ka kya hoga? Mann laga ke kaam karna, aur tumhari beti ko khoob padhana.' I still start crying when I remember her during little moments, and there are times I can't sleep at night. However, the show must go on. I hope I continue to do good work so that up there, she can be proud of me.'
Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Thug Life box office collection day 6: Kamal Haasan's film loses 3,000 shows, earnings drop to Rs 1.75 cr
Thug Life box office collection day 6: Kamal Haasan was very confident about his film Thug Life, which marked his long-awaited reunion with director Mani Ratnam. They first worked together on the film Nayakan. Thug Life is said to have been made on a budget of Rs 200 crore, and also stars Trisha Krishnan and Silambarasan TR. However, unlike the movie well short of expectations and tanked at the box office. Reportedly, the film has lost half its shows in less than a week of release due to this poor response. Because of his controversial 'Kannada is born from Tamil' statement, Kamal Haasan's Thug Life wasn't released in Karnataka. It was, however, released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi across the world on June 5. In India, the film had a total of 4917 shows on the day of its release with 1535 shows in Hindi, 2503 shows in Tamil, 777 shows in Telugu and about 102 shows in all languages in IMAX 2D and 4DX. In just six days of its release, this number has reduced down to 2089 across India with just 1290 shows in Tamil, 218 shows in Hindi and 581 shows in the Telugu language. ALSO READ | Genelia D'Souza asks why film industry can't offer her a role like Sitaare Zameen Par: 'They think I'm married so I don't need this character' On day 6, Thug Life witnessed an overall occupancy of 17% in the Tamil language and about 6% and 13.47% occupancy in Hindi and Telugu language, respectively. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Thug Life earned just Rs 1.75 crore India net on its sixth day. Whereas Akshay Kumar's Housefull 5, which was released in the same week with two different endings, has managed to earn Rs 10.75 crore on its first Tuesday (fifth day), crossing Rs 100 crore mark in the first four days of its release. Thug Life has only earned Rs 40.95 crore in India, marking Kamal Haasan's second flop in a row following Indian 2. With Thug Life's current momentum at box office, it will soon meet the fate of Salman Khan's Sikandar and Varun Dhawan's Baby John. Both films struggled at the box office, although Sikandar managed to cross the Rs 100 crore mark.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
This actress's career got destroyed after one slap, suffered face paralysis, eyes got damaged, later became famous as..., name was...
This actress's career got destroyed after one slap, suffered face paralysis, eyes got damaged, later became famous as..., name was... Lalita Pawar has starred in over 700 films through her entire film career. There's no denying that the legendary actress is best remembered for her powerful portrayals of negative roles, particularly the iconic character of 'Manthara' in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan. Born in 1916, her career kickstarted with her undeniable versatility. She rose to fame after her portrayal of 17 characters in the 1930 film Chatur Sundari . Following that, she earned widespread recognition for her looks in Daivi Khazana (1933). At the time, when Lalita Pawar started getting a lot of offers from renowned Hindi film producers, she suffered an injury in 1942. Her life and career took a tragic turn during the filming of Jang-e-Azadi. While shooting the film's sequence, Bhagwan Dada slapped her so hard that it caused severe injury to her left eye. The incident then led to incorrect medical procedure, which caused her facial paralysis, followed by a squint in her left eye. After this devastating incident, Lalita Pawar was forced to step down from films. In 1952, she made a comeback with a role in V , which marked the beginning of her negative portrayals. Her performance as a wicked mother-in-law grabbed her significant attention, and became synonymous with such roles throughout her career in 1950s-1960s. Lalita Pawar even secured name in the Guinness World Record for the longest acting career spanning over 70 years. Despite all the challenges, her terrific talent and roles captivated audiences. On February 24, 1998, Lalita Pawar passed away due to mouth cancer at the age of 81. Her body was reportedly found in her residence three days later.
