Author: GP Editor

Abdul Shaikh has sung for the Hindi film ‘Tumko Meri Kasam’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Not every winner of a music reality show secures a breakthrough in playback singing — and not every eliminated contestant fades into obscurity. Abdul Shaikh is an example of the latter. He captivated audiences with his soulful voice on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in 2023. An arduous journey has now led him to an exciting milestone — lending his voice to not one but two songs, ‘Berang’ and ‘Ishqaa Ishqaa’, for Vikram Bhatt’s forthcoming film Tumko Meri Kasam. In this telephone conversation, Abdul opens up about his musical roots, his transition from…

The programme would screen school children in the age group of 5 and 16 for vision-related issues, and the relevant persons would be given prescription glasses. | Photo Credit: Photo for representation only ZEISS India, part of Carl Zeiss, a German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Karnataka to improve eye-care in the rural regions of the State.The two-year-long eye care campaign — named Vidya Drishti — would commence in Kalaburagi district. The programme would be executed by Aloka Vision, a social arm of ZEISS, and would screen 5,32,000…

The scarlet-hued poster of the Telugu film 23, featuring a burning bus, boldly quotes George Orwell’s Animal Farm: “All are equal, but some are more equal than others.” Produced and directed by Raj R, and presented by Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media, the film is inspired by true events that unfolded in undivided Andhra Pradesh during the 1990s.Three major incidents shaped its narrative, Raj explains. In 1991, the Tsunduru massacre witnessed brutal caste violence against Dalits. In 1993, 23 passengers lost their lives after two Dalit men set a bus on fire in Chilakaluripet. In 1997, a car bomb explosion in…

Park Bo-young and Choi Woo-shik in a still from the show Throughout Melo Movie, movies are all-pervading. It is what drives the lives of its four lead characters, contributing to their joy, grief, frustration and ambition in equal measure. All of this comes blanketed in nostalgia; there are stacks of VHS tapes that the cinephiles in the series are engulfed by, and several references to movies smartly written into the show. The episode titles are all dialogues from famous films; Why So Serious? (The Dark Knight), All You Need is Love (Love Actually), and Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies…

Ola Electric logo. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters Ola Electric, India’s largest electric vehicle company, has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first two-wheeler automotive electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in India to receive incentives under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Automotive and Auto Component (PLI-Auto Scheme). The company has been granted a total incentive of ₹73.74 crore for the Determined Sales Value of FY 2023-24 under the scheme, according to a stock exchange filing by the company. The PLI-Auto Scheme, launched by the Government of India, aims to boost domestic manufacturing in the automotive sector and promote…

The Kerala Police plan to enlist the help of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) to steer the entertainment industry away from wanton murder and mutilation films, which arguably desensitise youth to the horror of physical violence. The move comes when investigators are still searching for believable psychological clues into the motivations of the 23-year-old youth charged with the “methodical and pre-meditated” murder of five members of his family in the Thiruvananthapuram district on February 26 and also the suspects in the recent killing of a Class 10 student at Thamarassery in Kozhikode. The police initiative also assumes some social significance…

Stills from ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ | Photo Credit: Friday Filmworks/Netflix Netflix on Wednesday unveiled the trailer ofKhakee: The Bengal Chapter, the latest installment in the Khakee franchise. Produced by Friday Storytellers and created by Neeraj Pandey, and directed by Debatma Mandal and Tushar Kanti Ray, the series premieres on March 20.In the trailer, we see a political storm brew surrounding a political leader’s association with a gangster. Featuring some bloody kills, intense action scenes, and a lot of drama, the trailer promises an intricate political thriller with lots of twists and turns.“In the early 2000s, when gangsters and politicians…

Dancers and founders of Citsabha Collective, Srividya Angara Sinha and Shubha Nagarajan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Srividya Angara Sinha, a Kuchipudi dancer and Shubha Nagarajan, an Odissi dancer, jointly founded the Citsabha Collective, a not-for-profit organization in February 2018 with the aim of promoting Indian traditional performing arts. They will be presenting the second edition of Svadhyaya Performing Arts Festival in Bengaluru on March 2.Shubha started learning Odissi in 2006 and pursued it under  training in Karnataka Kalashree Sharmila Mukerjee in Bengaluru. She has been performing the Kelucharan Mohapatra style of Odissi for 18 years now. She is an…

Ballari Thermal Power Station  | Photo Credit: File photo As part of the Energy Department’s plan to increase the capacity of renewable energy, the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) will be setting up ground-mounted solar power projects at its three thermal power stations in the State.  The power projects with a capacity of 100.1 Megawatts (MW) will be set up at Ballari Thermal Power Station (BTPS), Yermarus Thermal Power Station (YTPS) and Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) at an estimated cost of ₹411.4 crore. Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC), which is a public-sector undertaking (PSU) under National Thermal Power Corporation Limited,…

Audience watch a stand-up set performed by Mayank Parakh (L) at The Comedy Theatre in Hyderabad. Shot On OnePlus #FramesofIndia | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR Comedy clubs are making their mark in Hyderabad’s entertainment scene. While cafes, auditoriums, and cultural spaces frequently host stand-up shows and open mics, two dedicated venues—The Comedy Theatre and The Street Comedy Club—are taking centre stage. Offering a platform for both emerging and seasoned comedians to perform in English, Hindi, and Telugu, these intimate spaces are injecting fresh energy into the city’s comedy circuit.Optimised for laughs Adel Rahman | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement It is…