EYE SPY – BOLLYWOOD GOSSIP WITH ASJAD NAZIR

PREETIKA RAO SET TO MAKE SINGING RETURN

MULTI-TALENTED actress Preetika Rao, who excelled with her debut single Na Tum Humein Jano, has bowed to demand from fans by lending her voice to another song, releasing this month. Preetika said she received classical training in preparation. “Music is an intense art form requiring regular practice and dedication, but being an actress I was always unable to dedicate time for music rehearsals. So while recording my first song I realised that although I’m born with an aptitude to sing, I am still lagging behind due to lack of practice. So in 2016 I started learning Hindustani classical music from renowned vocalists from Indore, Pandit Manoj Saraf and his wife Sulabha Saraf. Manoj ji travels every month from Indore to Mumbai and gives me classes. I’m blessed to have a trainer like him and will soon release my second song, which is a collaboration with singer Siddharth Basrur, who has sung popular Bollywood songs and is front man of the metal band Goddess Gagged. We have tried to come up with something different, which I am sure fans will really love,” said Preetika.

KHAN’S EID RETURN

I AM SURE the producers of Salman Khan’s forthcoming film Bharat announced they would be releasing it at Eid 2019 in the hope of scaring others away. But the spectacular failure of Salman’s 2017 Eid film Tubelight means rivals won’t be scared about going up against him on the lucrative release date. The movie itself is an official Bollywood remake of hit Korean drama Ode To My Father, which revolves around a man separated from his family during war and then finally reuniting with them. A big indicator of whether Salman has lost some of his star power will be his big Christmas release Tiger Zinda Hai.

CAPITAL ENTERTAINMENT

THE sixth edition of the London International Arts Festival (LIAF) features an eclectic array of performances from acclaimed artists. This year’s very strong lineup includes Trilok Gurtu, Kefaya Trio, Quest Ensemble, Cleveland Watkis and Bernhard Schimpelsberger.Running for six nights across four different venues, LIAF is curated by virtuoso violinist Jyotsna Srikanth. “What started as a desire to showcase the very best of south Indian Carnatic music has expanded into a far richer tapestry of music and arts originating from different continents,” said Jyotsna. The festival is from November 1-7 at the King’s Place, Rich Mix, Vortex Jazz and Redbridge Town Hall. See www.liaf.co.uk.

BOOK OF REVELATIONS

WITH his new tell-all biography An Ordinary Life: A Memoir, not so good looking actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui proves that fame can get you beautiful women. The book details the pint-sized star’s passion filled relationships including with actress Niharika Singh, but she has hit back and said he had exaggerated the truth. Expect more revelations in his book.

SURPRISE NEW ARRIVAL

NOW retired actress Asin Thottumkal recently gave birth to a baby girl. One of the first to meet the new arrival was actor Akshay Kumar, who had introduced Asin to her businessman husband Rahul Sharma. He shared this photo with the baby girl with a heartfelt message of congratulations. The acclaimed actress had kept news of her pregnancy a secret and has been enjoying her life away from the spotlight.