21 things to look forward to in 2021

GIANT FEAST OF ENTERTAINMENT THAT WILL MAKE THE YEAR AHEAD EXCITING

by ASJAD NAZIR

2020 getting cancelled shouldn’t stop us from hoping for brighter days and looking forward to plenty of exciting things that lay ahead.

There is lots to look forward to in the next 12 months with everyone wanting to make up for lost time and plenty of entertainment, which will add light to what will hopefully be a much better year.

With that in mind, here are 21 terrific things to get excited about in 2021 that you can use as fuel to power towards a much better 12 months.

Charli XCX

1. Superb songs: Established British music talents will be releasing new songs in a variety of genres, ranging from Punjabi pop in India to big tracks in the western mainstream. Pop princess Charli XCX will continue to show off her stunning song writing skills and marvellous Midlands-based music icon Jassi Sidhu will inject life back into UK bhangra with new songs. Ace British music producer Vee will continue lighting up the Indian scene with big releases, including ones with superstar singer Guru Randhawa.

2. Great new music acts: The UK has always been a hotbed for new talent, who release music independently on their own terms and bring something new to the scene. With the longest running pages in the world dedicated to south Asian music talent, Eastern Eye will be there catching new stars before they rise up into the musical skies. Also, look out for releases from Break The Noise Records, which is run by British talents Rishi Rich and Kiranee, and gives a platform to new talent.

3. Brilliant books: A massive number of British Asian literary talents have emerged in recent years and that number is only set to increase, which means more brilliant books are on the way in a variety of genres. Some early books to look out for include How We Met: A Memoir of Love and Other Misadventures by Huma Qureshi and Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera, which both release on January 28. February book releases include Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home by Nikesh Shukla and Kololo Hill by Neema Shah. Further ahead, The Khan by Saima Mir will be published on March 4.

The Green Knight

4. Hollywood Brits: British Asian stars will continue to break new ground and smash glass ceilings in Hollywood. Expect more high-profile projects from tremendous talents Himesh Patel, Riz Ahmed, Naomi Scott, Jameela Jamil and others who are likely to follow in their impressive footsteps. Leading the way will be trailblazer Dev Patel in The Green Knight and the highly anticipated Chippendales movie.

Steel Banglez

5. Awesome albums: Singles may be dominating the music scene, but that won’t stop some amazing albums from getting released in 2021. Three that will make a lot of noise will be the third studio album from pop superstar Zayn Malik, Nitin Sawhney’s new release Immigrants and the huge new 28-track juggernaut from explosive trailblazing music producer Steel Banglez, which will have songs that will smash open new horizons for popular music in the UK.

6. Perfect podcasts: The global pandemic wasn’t able to stop podcasts from lighting up the airwaves and offering up a great variety of thought-provoking entertainment. There is everything from hidden treasures like The Native Immigrants and The SMT podcasts to higher-profile celebrity led ones hosted by Jay Sean and Jameela Jamil, respectively, which offer something for every listener. Expect more such entertaining new podcasts to emerge in 2021.

7. Fabulous film festivals: In 2020, many film festivals impressively adapted to the coronavirus pandemic by having virtual screenings online or ones in cinemas that followed safety regulations. So, look out for more hidden treasures and world premieres at the London Indian Film Festival and London Asian Film Festival, respectively. The main London Film Festival will once again have a strong South Asian contingent and something for all cinema lovers.

83'

8. Bollywood blockbusters: Hindi cinema will hope to put a terrible 2020 behind with huge film releases in 2021. Some movies to look forward to include sports biopic 83’, action-movies Pathan, Radhe - Your Most Wanted Bhai and Sooryavanshi, superhero adventure Brahmastra, big Christmas release Laal Singh Chaddha and many more. Look out this month for my countdown of 40 Bollywood films to look forward to.

9. Regional Indian films: Bollywood isn’t the only boss in India and many regional language films are entertaining audiences globally. There will be more great films in diverse Indian languages, with Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi cinema leading the way. The streaming sites will have these, along with rare gems in languages, including Kannada, Malayalam and Gujarati. The biggest of these will be Telugu blockbusters RRR and Radhe Shyam, which will also release in other languages, including Hindi. Also look out for Jodi (Punjabi), Master (Tamil) and Drishyam 2: The Resumption (Malayalam).

The Legend Of Maula Jatt

10. Lovely Lollywood: The Pakistani film industry will continue going from strength to strength with more blockbuster releases. Leading the way will be the long-delayed The Legend Of Maula Jatt, starring Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Humaima Malick, which is expected to break all box office records. Other Pakistani films to look out for include Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad, Zindagi Tamasha, Kamli, Tich Button and Ishrat – Made in China.

Hussain Manawer

11. Inspiring poetry: One of the biggest revelations of recent years is the number of British poets and spoken word artists that have emerged. Leading the way hasbeen the amazing Hussain Manawer, who has lit up big events, TV, social media, charity campaigns and even adverts with his lyrical excellence. Expect to hear more from him this year and look out for fast emerging talents like Shareefa Energy. They will inspire you with their words and the world will make more sense.

Arijit Singh

12. Cool concerts: Many of the huge concerts that were cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19 have been rescheduled for 2021. With a vaccine on the way, hopefully they won’t be postponed again. Bollywood music king Arijit Singh has confirmed a UK tour for July and superstar singer Neha Kakkar has scheduled in live dates for March, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. When life gets fully back to normal, expect tours from other big named singers like Shreya Ghoshal, Satinder Sartaaj, Shaan and Diljit Dosanjh, who all postponed tours in 2020.

13. Terrific tribute: In April 2020, there was supposed to be a tribute concert at Royal Festival Hall in London headlined by huge stars to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Pandit Ravi Shankar. The show has been rescheduled at the same venue for April 7, with an impressive line-up of artists led by the late sitar maestro’s daughters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones.

Faiza Saleem

14. Social media stars: There will be plenty of free laughs on offer across social media from a new wave of stars offering a unique brand of comedy. Ones to immediately follow are Saloni Gaur (@salonayyy), Just Sul (@justsul), Faiza Saleem (@faizasaleempage), Raba Khan (@RabaKhan) and Lilly Singh (@Lilly).

15. Super serials: There will be plenty of new binge-worthy serials premiering across the year. Top of the watch list should be season two of stunning Amazon Prime series The Family Man, which will see film superstar Samantha Akkineni make her digital debut. Also, look out for the Hollywood adaptation of massively popular India set novel Shantaram, with Charlie Hunnam in the lead along with familiar faces from Bollywood.

Iman Vellani

16. Stunning superheroes: Two magnificent game-changing superheroes will be joining the Marvel universe this year and we couldn’t be more excited. Kumail Nanjiani plays wise-cracking superhero Kingo, whose alter ego is a Bollywood star, in mega-budget multi-starrer Eternals. Meanwhile, newcomer Iman Vellani will portray Pakistani-American teenage superhero Kamala Khan, also known as Ms Marvel.

17. Indian TV talent: Bollywood may have been halted in its tracks, but Indian TV has been powering on and delivering drama serials that have been pulling in record-breaking audiences, including for reruns of classics. There will be more of the same this year and more reality TV shows that will cause hot debate across the social media networks. Some TV stars to watch out for include Surbhi Chandna, Helly Shah, Nia Sharma, Rubina Dilaik, Rashami Desai and the likely return of Vivian Dsena after a hiatus.

Sukh Ojla

18. Fun comedy tours: The comedy tours will definitely return, even if they have to abide by Covid-19 restrictions. More stand-up talents than ever to choose from means this will hopefully be a laughter-filled year. Our recommendations is to follow Luv Entertainment, whose live events include the Sukh Ojla solo tour and showcases featuring the best in south Asian comedy.

19. Representation: There is still a long way to go, but more positive representation will happen in the western mainstream. There will be more south Asians on TV and in high-profile films standing equally, without succumbing to stereotypes. This will result in great content, new talent and making most feeling glad.

20. Outdoor gatherings: Outdoor gatherings were replaced with virtual alternatives, which were not as good, but the vaccines mean life should be getting back to normal by the time mela season arrives. The return of events like melas, club nights and various cultural celebrations will mean we can be together on special occasions.

21. Stories: Last, but not the least, there will be scandals, stories, social media shenanigans, shocks, celebrities shining and new stars emerging. There will also be great entertainment, positivity, laughter and hope. Your number one newspaper Eastern Eye will be there each step of the way as your guide.