Latest news with #SLB
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Priyanka Chopra reflects on ‘complicated decision' behind ‘Ram Chahe Leela' in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela: ‘When sir came to me with this song…'
Priyanka Chopra made a special appearance in the song 'Ram Chahe Leela' from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2013 release Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. The actor's fiery performance earned a lot of praise from fans worldwide. In a recent social media post, Priyanka reflected on her experience working with the acclaimed director in Ram-Leela and rehearsing for the challenging track. Priyanka shared the video of 'Ram Chahe Leela' on her Instagram handle and wrote, 'When Sanjay Sir came to me with this song, it was a complicated decision, but he, as a filmmaker has always inspired me. His creative mind, his nostalgic stories usually over incredible food, the conversations of art and music to dance.. the beauty of the yesteryears but also what the future holds. And then he played the song.. and I knew I was her.' ALSO READ | 'Akshay Kumar's wife came to know of a relationship with Priyanka Chopra, he said either he will work or PeeCee': Suneel Darshan Recalling the choreography rehearsals for the song, the actor added, 'Under Sanjay sir's guidance, Ravi Varman's cinematography shone, and Vishnu Devas choreography was magic. Him and I would rehearse during lunch breaks every day to perfect the dance sequences. This brings back such great memories. Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela | 2013.' Check out the post: A post shared by Priyanka (@priyankachopra) The romantic drama Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela starred Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. It was based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and narrated the story of two lovers who belong to two different gangster families and the chaos that follows when they fall in love and get married. Ram-Leela marked Priyanka Chopra's first collaboration with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She later worked with Bhansali on the 2014 biopic Mary Kom, where he served as producer and editor. In 2015, Priyanka portrayed Kashibai in SLB's historical drama Bajirao Mastani. On the professional front, Priyanka Chopra was last seen in the Amazon Prime Video film Heads of State, opposite John Cena and Idris Elba. She will next appear in Season 2 of the popular web series Citadel, now scheduled for release in spring 2026. Additionally, she is set to star in SSMB29, directed by SS Rajamouli, marking her first collaboration with South superstar Mahesh Babu.
Bloomberg
13 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Adnoc Drilling Plans Second Acquisition in Kuwait, Oman: CFO
Adnoc Drilling Co. is planning to buy a company operating oil and gas rigs in Kuwait and Oman, and is targeting a deal as early as this year, Chief Financial Officer Youssef Salem said in an interview on Thursday. The company, a listed unit of Abu Dhabi's government-owned oil giant, agreed in May to pay $112 million for the majority of SLB's drilling business in Kuwait and Oman. The new acquisition would likely be 'the same structure, the same size' to give Adnoc Drilling additional scope without raising risk of overexposure, Salem said.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Composer Monty Sharma reveals he postponed his wedding five times because of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas: 'I snapped...'
Longtime collaborator Monty Sharma, who has composed music for many of 's films, including Saawariya and Black, and who also worked on the background music for Devdas, recently talked about their working relationship. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Bhansali is known for being a hard taskmaster. Although Bhansali gave him a lot of freedom as an artist, Sharma recalled that the director would occasionally make demands that did not fit with his vision. He also revealed that SLB's concerns about the film's completion led him to postpone his wedding five times while Devdas was being made. In a chat with Lallantop Cinema, Monty recalled working with the ace director on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, saying the director often demanded 'magic' in the music. While Bhansali is known for his love for classics like Lata Mangeshkar, Sharma noted they mostly saw his intense side on set. Despite frequent creative clashes, Bhansali gave him the freedom to work in his own style. While speaking about the recording of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam's title track, Sharma recalled that Sanjay Leela Bhansali made a last-minute request for an elaborate 60-violin orchestra. Just before the session, Bhansali asked Sharma to add more layers to the composition. Sharma responded by reminding him that, like seasoning in food, music needs balance—and only so much can be added without overwhelming the whole. Monty recalled a moment from the making of Devdas when Sanjay Leela Bhansali insisted on using the song Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka repeatedly in the background score. Sharma, however, had a different creative vision and chose not to follow the instruction initially. This led to Bhansali confronting him for not using the song even after five reels. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In response, Sharma briefly removed all themes and filled the background with songs. Later, Bhansali called him to clarify that the miscommunication was due to assistants interfering and told Sharma to trust his instincts and continue working with his original approach. According to Monty, Bhansali is a "short-tempered" person who prefers to express his rage on others so that others can sense his anger around them rather than yelling at the person he is upset with. Then he remembered that Bhansali was concerned about finishing Devdas, so he put off getting married. He further recalled that just two days before his wedding—already postponed five times for Devdas—he was still scouting locations. During this time, Sanjay Leela Bhansali called him in a panic, saying Shah Rukh Khan had watched the film and strongly disliked the background score, calling it the worst he had heard. Sharma, taken aback, reminded Bhansali that he had approved the entire score earlier. When Sharma reached the studio, he discovered the issue was due to a mixing error. He told Bhansali that such technical matters weren't his domain, and the entire background score was reworked after that.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Had to postpone my wedding five times because Sanjay Leela Bhansali was worried about finishing Devdas, recalls composer: ‘I snapped'
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known to be a hard taskmaster and recently, his longtime collaborator, Monty Sharma, who has composed music for many of his films like Black and Saawariya, and also worked on the background music of Devdas, opened up about their work relationship. Sharma shared that while Bhansali allowed him a lot of space as an artiste, he also recalled how the filmmaker would make demands that were not in alignment with his vision. He also shared that during the making of Devdas, he had to postpone his wedding five times because SLB was worried about the film's completion. In a chat with Lallantop Cinema, Sharma was asked about Bhansali's inclination towards music and if the director starts his day by listening to Lata Mangeshkar's vocals. 'I'm sure that's possible but we have never seen that. We have only seen him getting angry,' he said with a laugh. Sharma was also involved in arranging the music for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and recalled that Bhansali would repeatedly keep asking for 'magic.' 'One day, I just got up and I said, 'Sanjay ji, if you want magic, you go to PC Sorcar. I am not a magician but I will create music. We would have a lot of nok-jhok,' he recalled and added that Bhansali gave him a lot of liberty to work in his style. Talking about the title song of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Monty Sharma said that Sanjay Leela Bhansali asked for 60 violins in an orchestra and when he sat down to record, Bhansali made a request at the last minute. 'The entire orchestra was ready with 60 violins and everything and he came in at the last minute and said 'Monty, kuch aur add kar de na'. I said, 'Sanjay ji khaane mein utna hi namak daalenge jitna daal sakte hain.'' ALSO READ | Sanjay Dutt confirms 62-year-old woman left her entire Rs 72 crore property to him; reveals what he did with it Sharma recalled another anecdote from Devdas and shared that Bhansali was really fond of the song 'Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka' and wanted to include it through the background score but he was of another opinion, and did not use it in the way that the director wanted. 'He walked in the morning and said, 'Monty, what do you think of yourself? I have asked you to use the song repeatedly, you have not used it even once until 5 reels,' he recalled. As Sharma tried to explain himself, Bhansali told him, 'Who listens to the background music? People listen to the song.' Sharma recalled, 'And that was it. I snapped. I told my assistant to take out all the themes and music, just use songs everywhere.' After a couple of hours, Bhansali called him and said, 'These assistants bug me, that's why this happened. You just work with your conviction and continue with whatever you are doing.' Monty Sharma described Sanjay Leela Bhansali as a 'short-tempered' person who will not always yell at the person he is mad at, but show his anger towards other people so they can feel the anger around them. He then recalled postponing his wedding because Bhansali was worried about the completion of Devdas. 'I had postponed my wedding 5 times for Devdas,' he said and recalled that he went looking for a venue when his wedding was just two days away. At this point, Bhansali called him and criticised the film's background score and said that even Shah Rukh Khan hated it. 'He called and said, 'Shah Rukh saw the thing and he said 'sabse bakwas background hai (it's the worst background).' What have you done Monty?' I was shocked. I said, 'Sanjay ji, you have listened to the whole thing. How can you say that?'' When Sharma landed up at the studio, he found that someone had messed up the mixing of the song. 'I told him, 'Sanjay ji, you don't do all of this, this is not your cup of tea.' That entire thing was redone then,' he recalled.
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
Why solving Iraq's gas problem is crucial for its economy and environment
It was a week of good, bad and ambiguous news for Iraq's natural gas industry. What stood out is the fact that solving its gas problem is the single most feasible and effective thing the government could do for its economy, environment and quality of life. But meddlesome forces stand in the way. On the good side, Iraq signed an agreement with US oil services giant SLB (formerly Schlumberger) to develop the Akkas field on the Syrian border, a large but geologically challenging resource. Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani inaugurated two new gas processing plants in the Basra province, including one at the Faihaa field, in which Dubai-based Dragon Oil is a partner. And US-based HKN agreed to expand oil and gas output from the Hamrin field in the Salahaddin province. In May, HKN had been awarded a contract to develop the Miran gasfield, while compatriot Western Zagros signed terms for Topkhana. These are two of the largest undeveloped gas accumulations in the Kurdistan region and, indeed, the whole of Iraq. And Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum is moving ahead with work on Chemchemal, another large gasfield in Kurdistan, while it completes work to expand its long-standing Khor Mor field. Agreement signalled that a logjam between the two main Kurdish political parties had been broken – the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which controls the capital Erbil, the oil sector and most of the government, and the smaller Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which holds the gasfields themselves and territory through which pipelines have to run. On the bad side, drones launched by unidentified assailants struck several oilfields in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Fortunately, and probably by design, no one was killed or injured, and the damage to facilities seems to be limited. But most of the region's oil output has now been closed down as a precautionary measure. One of the two initial targets was the Sarsang field, operated by HKN. The company has been one of the most vocal in pressing its rights in Baghdad, and bringing US political pressure to bear. These bombings are the most widespread and clearly targeted assault on the Kurdish petroleum sector so far. Earlier attacks were sporadic, and mostly consisted of unguided rockets aimed at Khor Mor. One strike killed four workers at the field in April last year, the only deadly incident known of this campaign. Iran-aligned armed groups are well-understood to be the culprits, which used Iranian-model drones, though they denied responsibility. Their aims seem to be to attack American interests, deter alleged ties of the Kurdistan region with Israel, prevent competition to Iranian gas supplies to Iraq, and keep up pressure on Mr Al Sudani's government as it seeks a workable arrangement with Erbil and as federal elections in November loom. In the ambiguous category is Turkey's decision to exit the treaty governing the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline when it expires next July. The pipeline has been shut anyway since March 2023 when an arbitral judgment went against Turkey. But the main sticking point since then has been the need for an accord between the Kurdistan region and the federal authorities in Baghdad over the rules for oil export, the responsibility for sales, the distribution of revenue, and the contractual position of the oil companies operating in Kurdistan. Ankara seems to favour replacement of the treaty with a more expansive agreement covering gas and electricity as well as oil. That could be good news for facilitating Kurdish gas exports finally, after a decade of discussion. But Turkey is playing a complicated game, including balancing tensions within Iraq, its interests in Syria, which include gas supply and electricity investments, and its gas trade with Russia, Iran and European neighbours. Iraq has struggled to provide adequate electricity to its people since the 1990-91 Gulf War and particularly following the botched US occupation after 2003. This creates discontent as people swelter through ever-hotter summers without adequate air-conditioning. It holds back the development of an economy beyond oil. In turn, a large part of the electricity problem stems from the failure to supply enough gas. Iraq is the world's third worst flarer of unused gas from oil production, behind only Russia and Iran. This causes local pollution and massive greenhouse gas releases. Yet it burns more than 300,000 barrels per day of extra oil for power generation in the summer, causing further pollution and wasting fuel that could be exported. Gas capture has increased in the past few years, but oil production has also grown, so the flaring problem has hardly diminished. Iraq's fast-rising population means the gas and electricity deficits do not narrow either. Supplies of Iranian gas and electricity, vital to help fill the gap, have become increasingly unreliable because of US sanctions and Iran's own worsening shortages. The US has devoted significant diplomatic effort to solving this mess, with mixed motives including the noble – promoting Iraqi stability, well-being and the environment – and the more self-interested, including its campaign against Iran, and boosting the prospects of American companies. The optimal development of gas in Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq is the key that would unlock several other doors. It could foster a more constructive relationship between Baghdad and Erbil. It would improve Iraq's economy and help it move on from over-reliance on oil exports, by providing reliable energy for industry. It is plausible that it would not even harm Iran. Tehran cannot meet its supply commitments to Iraq anyway, because of its own shortfall and because of US sanctions. Its exports to Turkey too are coming under increasing strain. If Iran overcame these problems, Iraq would be ready to continue buying its gas: domestic Iraqi, including Kurdish, supplies will not be enough for years to come, so great is the deficit and the pent-up demand. Turkey would gain from a greater pool of gas which it can combine with its own burgeoning supplies, to on-sell to Europe. Europe too would be aided in its attempts to eliminate its remaining fraction of Russian gas imports. Brussels' lack of realpolitik and its allergy to hydrocarbons unfortunately prevent it from playing the active role it should. Gulf, European, Turkish and American companies may be able to tread a path between Baghdad, Erbil and Ankara. But first, the shadowy figures behind the drone swarm need to be stopped.
