Latest news with #SohniMahiwal
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Why Chaleya isn't Shilpa Rao's best, even if it won a National Award
In the recently announced National Awards for 2023, when playback singer Shilpa Rao finally won her debut National Award for Best Playback Singer (Female) for Chaleya – the Anirudh Ravichander composition from Jawaan (2023) – it reminded one of all the times that she didn't. For some of the most underrated and brilliant songs in her discography, built over almost two decades. The win for Chaleya, a breezy track produced with mass appeal that got considerable runtime on radio and television, is less a win for the song and more a belated acknowledgement for a relatively undervalued voice. We are happy to note that the jury finally noticed. Even if the song is just about ordinary. A post shared by Shilpa Rao (@shilparao) While Rao's win was long overdue, since she sang her debut piece – the quietly aching Tose naina in director Manish Jha's Anwar (2007) – followed by the warm Khuda jaane in Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), the glistening Mudi mudi in Paa (2009), the hushed and introspective Manmarziyan in Lootera (2013), the impassioned Bulleya in Ae Dil Hai Mushqil – all of which could have easily won the coveted honour. Even in 2023, she sang the wonderful Rang rasiya (Safed), a brilliant thumri rendered with a lot of heart. A post shared by Shilpa Rao (@shilparao) The year for which the award has come – 2023 – was also the year when Rao's Besharam rang from Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan was caught in controversy generated by those who thought that colour saffron to be a part of their cultural legacy and how they thought that Padukone shouldn't have sported a tangerine swimsuit. Social media was rife with how even Besharam rang is better than Chhaleya. Well, just about. But there was more support for her song Tere hawaale from Lal Singh Chaddha (2022). I agree. Besides a film music career, Rao is also a popular name in the independent music scene, and travels globally for her ghazal concerts with renditions of Begum Akhtar, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanum and Jagjit Singh ghazals. Last year, in a viral Instagram reel, Rao was also seen rehearsing her popular Telugu number Chuttamalle — also a Ravichander composition — from the Jhanvi Kapoor and NT Rama Rao Jr film Devara 1. Sheeran collaborated with her during his Bengaluru concert in February. She is also one of the two artistes to perform on Coke Studio Pakistan; the other being Sharmishtha Chatterjee who sang Kinaarey with Mekaal Hasan band. In season 9 of the show, Rao collaborated with Ali Noor and Ali Hamza of Pakistani band Noori and sang Paar channa de, disse kulli yaar di (Across Chenab, I can see my lover's hut) — an age-old Punjabi ditty where Sohni of Sohni Mahiwal is in conversation with her ghada (clay pot), one she wants to use to cross the river. Rao met Hamza and Noor in Delhi, where the Pakistani band had come for a gig. A post shared by Shilpa Rao (@shilparao) Rao, whose voice is unconventional and the result of a new idiom of filmmaking that began at the turn of the century, where the script dictated what song and how it was to be used and not because six songs had to be there in an album, was born as Apeksha Rao and grew up in Jamshedpur. Her name was changed to Shilpa later. Rao was trained in Hindustani classical music under her father. She was 13 when she visited Mumbai and met vocalist Hariharan there, who asked her to learn from Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. She won a Delhi reality show judged by composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan, who asked her to move to Mumbai and helped her with a few contacts that eventually led her to singing jingles – a route taken by many playback singers. Rao also completed her post-graduation in Applied Statistics from St Xavier's College while trying to establish a career. She was still in college when she met Mithoon, who was 22 then and trying to establish himself as a composer. He asked her to sing Tose naina in Anwar (2007). Other numbers like Wo ajnabee (The Train, 2007) and Sayiyaan re (Salaam-e-Ishq, 2007) followed, cementing her position as an unconventional voice in film playback. In an interview a few years ago with this reporter, when Rao had just returned from Pakistan after her Coke Studio stint, the characteristically low-key singer mentioned how she tried to remain away from the ways of Bollywood playback singing, where many singers are made to record one song and how there's uncertainty on whose version would be kept. 'Unlike a lot of singers, I get to sing one song a year. In that case, most composers understand what I bring to the table.' This was then. Rao is certainly a lot more in demand now, recording more with actors recommending her for their films. She, however, is still battling the trend of five singers singing a track and one voice finally brought to the finish line – the popular modus operandi in Bollywood music. The National Award for Rao for an easy-to-forget song should be seen as a representative, catch-up award for many previous significant others that continue to echo.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"Was very fearful of how I'd be treated...": Poonam Dhillon reveals how the industry reacted to her split from filmmaker Ashok Thakeria
Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon spoke about her journey as a divorced woman in the film industry. Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon spoke about her journey as a divorced woman in the film industry. In a candid conversation with ANI, the actress shared her thoughts on how life changed after parting ways with her ex-husband, filmmaker Ashok Thakeria. Poonam Dhillon married Ashok in 1988 and later divorced him in 1997. They have two children together, Anmol and Paloma, and the actress has always remained focused on raising them. Looking back, Poonam said she was "fearful" of how people might treat her after the divorce, especially in an industry where personal matters often become public talk. "In any industry, in any place, in any situation, how you get treated is based on how you behave. So I was very fearful that I'd be upset if my friends or their husbands started treating me differently now that I'm divorced, or if the men started looking at me and, you know, treating me differently," Dhillon told ANI. "But touch wood, I was really lucky and blessed that nobody changed their attitude or started making indecent proposals or insinuating things. I mean, there may have been one or two scattered incidents, but that showed their character, not mine. And that's true in any profession. Whether you're single, divorced, or married, those few suspect characters would still behave like that. But by and large, I didn't have to face that. And my whole world was so focused on my two kids," she added. Poonam, who married at a young age, also reflected on her decision. She explained how her busy career and sheltered upbringing gave her little opportunity to meet people or understand relationships deeply. "Well, I think as actresses, what happens is we live a very protected life. We don't meet too many people. We start shooting in the morning and come back at night. Day after day, at least in my days, it was like almost 30 days a month or outdoors. You were not meeting any people. The people your age, either whom you're working with, were much senior to you or...," Dhillon shared. On her relationship with ex-husband Thakeria, she added, "My ex-husband is a very nice person. But two nice people do not necessarily make a good couple, you know. Upbringings are different, your values are different, your interests are different." On the work front, Dhillon is best known for her 1979 film Noorie. She also worked in Red Rose, Dard, Romance, Sohni Mahiwal, Teri Meherbaniyan, Samundar, Karma, Naam, and Maalamaal. Poonam made a special appearance in Judaai. She also made a mark on TV and was seen as a contestant on Season 3 of Bigg Boss, which aired in 2009. The veteran actor played the lead role in the serial Ekk Nayi Pehchaan.
India.com
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Poonam Dhillon Opens Up About Life After Divorce And Navigating Bollywood As A Single Mother
Mumbai: Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon spoke about her journey as a divorced woman in the film industry. In a candid conversation with ANI, the actress shared her thoughts on how life changed after parting ways with her ex-husband, filmmaker Ashok Thakeria. Poonam Dhillon married Ashok in 1988 and later divorced him in 1997. They have two children together, Anmol and Paloma, and the actress has always remained focused on raising them. Looking back, Poonam said she was "fearful" of how people might treat her after the divorce, especially in an industry where personal matters often become public talk. "In any industry, in any place, in any situation, how you get treated is based on how you behave. So I was very fearful that I'd be upset if my friends or their husbands started treating me differently now that I'm divorced, or if the men started looking at me and, you know, treating me differently," Dhillon told ANI. "But touch wood, I was really lucky and blessed that nobody changed their attitude or started making indecent proposals or insinuating things. I mean, there may have been one or two scattered incidents, but that showed their character, not mine. And that's true in any profession. Whether you're single, divorced, or married, those few suspect characters would still behave like that. But by and large, I didn't have to face that. And my whole world was so focused on my two kids," she added. Poonam, who married at a young age, also reflected on her decision. She explained how her busy career and sheltered upbringing gave her little opportunity to meet people or understand relationships deeply. "Well, I think as actresses, what happens is we live a very protected life. We don't meet too many people. We start shooting in the morning and come back at night. Day after day, at least in my days, it was like almost 30 days a month or outdoors. You were not meeting any people. The people your age, either whom you're working with, were much senior to you or...," Dhillon shared. On her relationship with ex-husband Thakeria, she added, "My ex-husband is a very nice person. But two nice people do not necessarily make a good couple, you know. Upbringings are different, your values are different, your interests are different." On the work front, Dhillon is best known for her 1979 film Noorie. She also worked in Red Rose, Dard, Romance, Sohni Mahiwal, Teri Meherbaniyan, Samundar, Karma, Naam, and Maalamaal. Poonam made a special appearance in Judaai. She also made a mark on TV and was seen as a contestant on Season 3 of Bigg Boss, which aired in 2009. The veteran actor played the lead role in the serial Ekk Nayi Pehchaan.
India.com
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet actress, who was discovered by Yash Chopra, became star after giving 5 hits with Rajesh Khanna, participated in controversial reality show…, she is…
In the golden era of Bollywood, there was one graceful actress who rose to fame not through hype but through a string of hits that captured the hearts of millions. This actress was discovered by a renowned director of the industry, Yash Chopra, which truly proves that he had an eye for immense talent. Let's see who this actress was. The Veteran Actress of Bollywood… Here we are talking about actress Poonam Dhillon, who is a renowned celebrity who predominantly worked in the 70 and 80s, best known for films like with her stellar performances in Noorie, Sohni Mahiwal, Teri Meherbaniyan, Samundar, Saveray Wali Gaadi, Karma, Naam and Maalamaal. The actress made her debut with legendary director late Yash Chopra's action thriller Trishul opposite Amitabh Bachchan. In an episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Poonam Dhillon revealed an interesting story about how she landed in Yash Chopra's film. She mentioned that she joined Trishul filming a day after taking her Class X exams and before that, the actress rose to fame after becoming Miss Young India in 1978 that's when Yash Chopra discovered her and gave role of the third lead in his film. When Poonam Delivered Blockbusters With Rajesh Khanna After her first film, Poonam appeared in a few other films, but they did not benefit her much. Later, Poonam gained significant fame after working with superstar Rajesh Khanna on several films which included Avam, Red Rose, Nishaan, Zamana, Dard and Jai Shiv Shankar. Out of these films five became superhit. Apart from these Poonam also worked in Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films as well. Poonam's Entry Into Controversial Reality Show… Poonam Dhillon took part in the third season of controversial reality show Bigg Boss which was hosted by her Trishul co-star Amitabh Bachchan for the particular season. She finished second runner-up on the show and later, she made a major comeback on Indian television as a lead in the Sony TV series Ekk Nayi Pehchaan. She was last seen in the 2022 romantic drama Plan A Plan B with actors Riteish Deshmukh and Tamannaah Bhatia.
