Latest news with #Nadir
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The musical Mumbai Star is an ode to movement, music, people and the city
Theatre director Nadir Khan describes Mumbai Star as a 'dance musical. It is all about dance and dancers, but is set in a theatrical format as it uses narrators to tell a story. Our idea is to blend movement, music and lyrics with the theatrical element.' Mumbai Star was originally written by Devika Shahani, directed by Nadir, with music by Dhruv Ghanekar. In 2023, the team toured Japan for the Min-On Concert Association. However, when it was selected for Season 7 of Aadyam, the Aditya Birla Group's theatre initiative, it needed a fresh approach. Devika, who is the producer along with Nadir had the script reimagined, which was adapted by Akarsh Khurana and Arghya Lahiri. It also brought on board Rajit Kapur and Srishti Shrivastava as narrators. Mumbai Star begins its India run at Mumbai's St Andrew's Auditorium (May 24 and 25), followed by performances at New Delhi's Kamani Auditorium (June 14 and 15). Choreographed by Avantika Bahl, with music by Dhruv's and lyrics by Ishitta Arun, it features eight songs. While Nadir earlier directed theatrical productions such as The God Of Carnage, Twelve Angry Jurors and A Few Good Men, he also directed the 2018 musical Sing India Sing, written by Rahul DaCunha and Bugs Bhargava Krishna. Nadir says, ' While Sing India Sing helped me know all about the world of music, I got to learn about dance in Mumbai Star. Mumbai Star tells the story of Dev (played by Avenav Mukherjee), a young man from a coastal village of Maharashtra, who dreams of becoming a star. With only his raw talent and a small amount of cash, he arrives in Mumbai, hoping to win a dance competition. Though this genre has been explored before, Nadir believes, each storyteller has his own perspective and adds: 'The first thing is to tell the story truthfully and interestingly, but, different modes may be used. Creating memorable moments on stage is pure joy for a director.' A major emphasis was in choosing the right dancers. Avantika worked with guest choreographers Uma Dogra (Kathak), Vivaran Dhasmana (hip-hop) and Krutika Mehta (Bollywood). Says Bahl, 'The effort was to bring together various styles, interwoven within the expansive framework of contemporary dance. As Mumbai Star also captures the city's spirit, we wanted the movements to represent people from all walks of life.' Avantika shares the choreography was driven by Dhruv's music compositions. 'It was exciting and challenging to find a way for the varied dance forms to blend and lend themselves to the storytelling, without breaking the overall rhythm of the piece.' The dancers come with intense training in multiple forms. Avantika elaborates: 'All of them are performers, teachers, and in some cases, choreographers. It was a delight to be in a room full of dancers, who bring in enthusiasm, spirit and grit, willing to push boundaries and bring their own perspectives. For the actors, we made sure they too could get familiar with the movement vocabulary.' Nadir reiterates that the effort was to bring in dancers who could adapt to other styles. 'For instance, there is Arushi Nigam, who plays Koel. She is a ballerina, who also does contemporary and jazz. But, here she also has to do a lot of Kathak, which was new to her. So the training was rigorous. One can't master a dance form in a few days but one can master the choreography for a particular sequence.' This is the fourth production of Aadyam's Season 7 this year. The initiative aims to push artistic boundaries in theatre through a good mix of original and adapted stories. The current season has earlier featured The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, directed by Atul Kumar, Chandni Raatein, directed by Purva Naresh and Saanp Seedhi, directed by Shubhrajyoti Barat. Along with theatre personality Shernaz Patel, Nadir also plays the role of a programming consultant for Aadyam. He says, 'We invite pitches, shortlist and select the final lot after a round of meetings. Aadyam gives producers the wherewithal to build a show and run it, so the costs are taken care of. Aadyam wants these plays to be present in the theatre ecosystem for years, and that has been the case with many productions.' Nadir feels this role has helped him serve the cause of theatre by enabling other Indian directors to present some wonderful work. He says the response to this season's first three plays has been 'encouraging, and hopes Mumbai Star will offer a completely different experience'.
Sky News AU
12-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Legal cases of former Bankstown, Sydney nurses charged over antisemitic video return to court
Two former Sydney nurses facing charges over an antisemitic video will have their legal cases return to court on Tuesday. Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 27, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, were stood down from their jobs at Bankstown Hospital on February 12 after a video emerged of the pair allegedly making threats against Israeli patients. The pair, who are both on conditional bail, are excused from appearing in person when their cases are briefly mentioned in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court from 9.30am. The video, which went viral in February, showed Mr Nadir and Ms Lebdeh wearing nursing uniforms as they spoke to Jewish content creator Max Veifer through an online chat room called Chatruletka, which randomly connects users. In the clip, Ms Lebedh allegedly bragged about refusing to treat Israeli patients at the hospital and threatened to kill them. Mr Nadir allegedly said he had sent Israeli patients to 'Jahannam', which means hell in Arabic. The video was widely circulated online after it was shared to social media by Mr Veifer, sparking an investigation by health authorities and police. On February 25, Ms Lebdeh was arrested and charged with three Commonwealth offences including threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Mr Nadir was arrested on March 4 and charged with a Commonwealth offence of using a carriage service to menace, harass, offend or threaten. He was also charged with possessing a prohibited drug, which was allegedly found inside his locker at Bankstown Hospital. Dramatic scenes unfolded outside Sydney's Downing Centre in March when the two former nurses appeared in court for the first time since their arrests. Mr Nadir's lawyer Zemarai Khatiz said his client will challenge the charges against him on the grounds of the video being taken without his consent. "My client will be pleading not guilty to the charges. He will be defending the matter on legal and technical grounds," Mr Khatiz told reporters. "The video that was captured and recorded, was done without the consent of my client, without his knowledge. And we'll argue for that to be excluded." Meanwhile, Ms Lebdeh was rushed out of the courthouse while being shielded by an entourage of men in black hoodies before she was whisked away in a waiting black car. Mr Nadir has previously apologised for his remarks in the video through a legal representative who said the former nurse does not 'protect what he has done or hide from it'. A family member of Ms Lebdeh, who identified himself as her uncle, previously told the media she was sorry for her comments. "She will come out and make a statement when she's ready, but you can't talk to her now because she's having a panic attack, an anxiety attack," he told The Australian at the time. On February 13, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler confirmed the Nursing and Midwifery Council of New South Wales had suspended Mr Nadir and Ms Lebdeh's nursing registrations. This means they are currently banned from practising nursing anywhere in Australia.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dutton kicks football, goes horribly wrong
A Channel 10 cameraman has fallen victim to Peter Dutton's right foot, as the Opposition Leader visits a Northern Territory football oval. Mr Dutton stopped by Cazalys Oval, the home of the Palmerston Magpies AFL Club, on the eighth day of the election campaign. The electorate of Solomon is held by Labor's Luke Gosling on a 9.4 per cent margin but the Coalition's strong anti-crime stance and voter protest due to high cost-of-living pressures had led to Coalition hopes they could swing a few residents. Likely front of mind was the Liberal camp's desire to avoid a repeat of Scott Morrison bulldozing a child soccer player during the 2022 election. He told the young players it was 'time' to give the club some investment and 'get some young players drafted', promising to invest $5 million to the grounds if elected. There were no trips and falls but Channel 10 cameraman Ghaith Nadir did unfortunately cop a ball to the forehead that was kicked by Mr Dutton. Mr Dutton was kicking the ball to the junior Magpies player when the mishap occured. The ball initially landed of the camera man's viewfinder and then the viewfinder collided with Mr Nadir's head, which resulted in the bloody injury. 'That's your exclusive vision,' Mr Dutton joked, before personally apologising to Mr Nadir. While the collision did cause a bit of a gash, NewsWire can confirm the cameraman was ok. Mr Nadir was immediately seen by an on-hand medic and was seen shaking hands with Mr Dutton after the event. He currently sporting a bandage around his forehead and was seen joking with colleagues after the minor collision. Mr Dutton jokingly denied to Sky News that this was his Scott Morrison Bulldozer moment. 'I was expecting him to mark it. I was sure he could take that shot,' he said. 'He's good. I just saw him then, so hopefully he's able to get it dressed properly but the AFP did a great job.' The rogue kick comes eight days into the five-week election campaign that, bar two fuel stations, hasn't seen Mr Dutton in uncontrolled environments like supermarkets and cafes. While the oval was largely cleared out expect for the media, football club representatives and Mr Dutton's team, the AFl field was the least manufactured environment we've seen him in yet. Other notable election moments from this trip include the two protestors from climate action group Rising Tide on the first day of the campaign trail. Of course Anthony Albanese also had a little trip while giving a speech in Cessnock, NSW on Thursday. The Prime Minister has denied he fell and instead says he just 'stepped back onto a step'. The Coalition committed $5m to upgrade the Cazalys Oval, which will upgrade the venue's change rooms and toilets to make them gender neutral and lighting upgrades. Mr Dutton said he wanted more children to get involved in sport, whatever the code. 'It's great for their socialization skills, and to be working in a team environment is a fantastic thing,' he said. 'There are 40,000 (people in the NT who participate in AFL). I want to make sure that that number can grow and that they're able to enjoy the facilities that we would expect in any capital city in any part of the East Coast.' The pledge promises to deliver a 'premier regional sports precinct'.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Nurse's bombshell move after viral video
The lawyer of a nurse charged over his involvement in an anti-Semitic video says he will argue in court to have the video excluded from court proceedings. Ahmad Rashad Nadir, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, both aged 27, made international headlines in February after a video of the pair bragging about killing Israeli patients at Bankstown Hospital, in Sydney's west went viral. Mr Nadir and Ms Abu Lebdeh arrived on Wednesday morning at the Downing Centre Local Court where their matters were heard for the first time inside a packed courtroom. Both cases were adjourned for eight weeks. Their bail is to continue and they will return to court on May 13. Mr Nadir's lawyer Zemarai Khatiz told reporters outside court that he would 'intend to argue for the video to be excluded from court', citing 'legal and technical grounds'. Mr Khatiz alleges the video was captured 'without the consent and knowledge' of his client. 'So, he'll be defending the charges on several legal and technical grounds,' Mr Khatiz later told NewsWire. 'We will be challenging the admissibility of the video recording because it was a private conversation which was recorded by the person overseas without my client's consent and without his knowledge. That video recording was made secretly overseas and was unlawfully obtained.' Mr Khatiz also confirmed his client would be pleading not guilty. People shielded Ms Abu Lebdeh from the media scrum on all sides as she walked into the courthouse. Ms Abu Lebdeh is charged with threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Mr Nadir has been charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend and possessing a prohibited drug. Both nurses were stood down by NSW Health as soon as they were identified. In the two-and-a-half minute video recorded by Israeli influencer Max Veifer, the nurses threaten to kill Israelis who came to the hospital. Mr Veifer often uses Chatruletka and Omegle, online platforms that pair users in random video chats, to expose instances of anti-Semitism and also to learn English. 'Ahh,' Mr Nadir says. 'I'm gonna be really honest with you, you've actually got really, really beautiful eyes. 'But I'm so upset that you're Israeli … eventually you're gonna get killed and you're gonna go to Jahannam (hell). But those pretty eyes, they should stay in this world for longer.' The exchange quickly gets heated as Mr Veifer explains he served in the IDF (Israeli Defence Force). A woman's voice can then be heard off camera saying: 'you killed innocent people'. The woman's voice continues: 'So you kill innocent people to protect your country? What kind of soul do you have? You have no soul.' Mr Veifer then asked the pair: 'How are you doctors?' Abu Lebdeh then allegedly told Mr Veifer she wanted him to 'remember my face so you can understand that you will die the most disgusting death'. Mr Veifer then begins to ask 'Let's say an Israeli, God forbid …' 'I won't treat them, I'll kill them,' Ms Abu Lebdeh says. 'Not God forbid, I hope to God.' 'You'll kill them?' Mr Veifer is heard asking. Mr Nadir then said: 'OK you have no idea how many Israeli haram dogs came to this hospital and (makes throat slitting motion) I send them to Jahannam.' 'For real? If just Jewish people comes (sic) there …' Mr Veifer begins before the chat ends. Following the identification of Mr Nadir in February, Strike Force Pearl raided his home and seized a number of items. Mr Nadir was taken to hospital a few hours later over mental health concerns. Lifeline: 13 11 14 (call), 0477 131 114 (text) or Blue: 1300 224 636 or violence support: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Assault Crisis Line: 1800 806 292 or Helpline: 1800 551 800 or Australia: 1300 789 978Other tips about mental health and wellbeing can be found at
Morocco World
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Algeria Set to Steal Away Moroccan Bilal Nadir
Algeria is reportedly closing in on one of Ligue 1's talents, as Marseille's Bilal Nadir suggests he may swap Morocco for the Fennecs amid intense competition for his place in the national team. The 21-year-old midfielder, of Moroccan and Algerian roots, played 14 games so far this season – starting only three. But despite representing Morocco at the U23 youth level, Nadir is now seriously considering a switch to Algeria, where he could face less competition for a starting spot. According to FootballClubDeMarseille, Nadir's potential switch to Algeria is moving ahead, with the Algerian Football Federation reportedly stepping up their efforts to persuade the young star to join their ranks. It's understood that Algeria's interest in Nadir has picked up a notch, with the midfielder believed to be weighing his options. Algeria could be getting help from Nadir's Marseille teammate, Ismail Bennacer, who could play a central role in convincing the budding player to make the switch. Bennacer, a key player for the Fennecs, is reportedly in talks with Nadir and his family, hoping to smooth over the transition and ensure he joins Algeria in the next FIFA international break. Tags: AlgeriaAltas lionsBilal NadirMorocco
