Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

DRAMATIC DANCE

CLASSICAL performances have been enjoying great popularity in recent years, largely due to productions crossing new creative horizons. One great-looking show to catch this month is ROOH: Within Her, which is being staged at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London from next Wednesday (23)to next Friday (25). The solo piece, from renowned choreographer and performer Urja Desai Thakore, explores narratives of quiet, everyday heroism across two millennia.

POETIC UK DATE

SPOKEN word poet Priya Malik has made such a huge impact that she now has over 569,000 followers on Instagram. She will be sharing her wonderful words with UK audiences at The Camden Club in London on June 1. The solo poetry show will feature some of her best works and will likely leave audiences feeling inspired. It is also a rare chance to see a different kind of live performance from a top Indian talent.

Priya Malik

COOL KAAVISH CONCERT

THEY may have been going strong since 1998 and delivered great songs during that time, but acclaimed Pakistani band Kaavish perhaps have not received the global recognition they deserve.

UK audiences will get to experience their signature sound on stage this week, with shows at Aviva Studios in Manchester next Wednesday (23) and Barbican Theatre next Sunday (27). The contemporary semi-classical band, led by Jaffer Zaidi and Maaz Maudood, will deliver hit songs blending diverse influences, including Bachpan, Tere Pyaar Mein, Moray Sayyaan, Faasle and Nindiya Re. Their music has rightly been described as deeply moving and timeless.

Kaavish

HUGE BIOPIC PROBLEM

A BIG problem with Bollywood biopics is that they bend the truth. Instead of focusing on what happened, films usually cater to the ego of their lead star and do a disservice to actual events.

That is why there are not high hopes for this week’s big Hindi cinema release Kesari: Chapter 2, which is based on the aftermath of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where peaceful Indian protestors were locked into an enclosed space and gunned down.

From the trailer, it is already apparent that with lead star Akshay Kumar’s overly glorified portrayal of a lawyer, producers have attempted to commercialise the massacre of hundreds and likely added elements that did not happen.

This is one historical event that should be presented in a real manner and not tampered with.

Kesari: Chapter 2

MORE PLAGIARISM CLAIMS

INDIAN Oscar entry Laapataa Ladies was accused of copying the old TV movie Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol last year. It has now also been suspected of plagiarising key parts of its plot from the 2019 French-Arabic short film Burqa City.

With Laapataa Ladies producer Aamir Khan having a very long track record of starring in copied movies across more than three decades, it cannot be discounted that this was also a rip-off – although writer Biplab Goswami has strongly denied it.

Laapataa Ladies

TERRIFIC QAWWALI TOUR

BRILLIANT brothers Rizwan and Muazzam Ali Khan have entertained UK audiences for more than 25 years with thrilling concerts.

The nephews of late music icon Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan will return with their incredible qawwali group in May for what promises to be another great UK tour. You can catch them at Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (14), Royal Festival Hall, London (18), Birmingham Town Hall (23) and Bristol Beacon (25).

Rizwan Muazzam told me: “We’re really looking forward to this tour and the opportunity to perform our new album At The Feet Of The Beloved to the UK. It’s also a special moment for us to pay tribute to our late uncle, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, by presenting some exclusive songs from his recently released album. His legacy continues to inspire us, and we’re proud to carry it forward.”

Jaswinder Singh from tour organisers Asian Arts Agency added: “Sufi and qawwali music continue to resonate deeply and grow in popularity here, and we’re thrilled to be producing this national tour – bringing this powerful, spiritual musical tradition to major UK venues and festivals.”

Rizwan Muazzam

INDIAN IDOL WINNER

NEWLY crowned Indian Idol 15 winner Manasi Ghosh will deliver her first big international performance in the UK this May, with shows at Indigo at The O2, London (9), De Montfort Hall, Leicester (10) and Blue Room Sports Venue, Harrow (11).

The talented singer will be joined on the line-up by fellow finalists Anirudh Suswaram and Sneha Shankar.

Looking ahead, Ghosh has already recorded her Bollywood debut song with Lalit Pandit and Shaan. She also has a duet lined up with rapper Badshah and plans to produce solo independent songs.

With big names lining up to work with her, music fans will be hearing a lot more of the young sensation.

Manasi Ghosh

KAVYA DELIVERS SUPERB SONGS

IN TERMS of quality, UK-based record label Sufiscore is consistently delivering some of the finest songs. The top tracks, connecting contemporary music to classic traditions, are also giving a great platform to stunningly talented singers.

The latest of these wonderful vocalists is Kavya Limaye. She teamed up with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and a great creative team for a stunning cover version of the classic Bollywood song Rahein Na Rahein Hum, taken from the album Boundless Melodies.

This follows on from her other recent fabulous release with Sufiscore, Intezar-e-Saba, a mesmerising ghazal from the forthcoming album Nuqoosh, due for release in May. In February, she teamed up with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for an incredible cover version of the classic qawwali Tere Bin Nahi Lagda, which also featured the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. These songs have shown that Limaye is a music star on the rise, and Sufiscore is a record label that is becoming a world leader.

Kavya Limaye

MALAYALAM MEGA-HIT

CERTAIN corners of right-wing politics in India have been so desperate to destroy the recently released Malayalam film L2: Empuraan that they have inadvertently turned it into a record-breaking hit.

Being forced by the government to make cuts in the movie, which most agree were unjustified, has given the Mohanlal-starrer huge global publicity, including for the unedited international release. The hit sequel got further attention when it was reported that its director and producer had seemingly unjustified investigations launched against them.

This desperation by powerful forces to crush the movie and those involved with it has led it towards becoming the highest grosser in Malayalam cinema history.

L2: Empuraan

RAHAT RETURNS

RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN resurrected his reputation with his recent UK tour, and a large part of that was due to him teaming up with top British live concert producer Vijay Bhola.

The qawwali maestro had been on the back foot after a deeply damaging video resulted in widespread negative media attention in 2024, but he turned that around with stunning sold-out concerts produced by Bhola.

The new dream team showed that Rahat has quite comprehensively reconnected with making good music again. He also interacted with the media and fans in what turned out to be a great tour.

An added extra-special touch was a refreshed Rahat introducing his talented son Shah Zaman Ali Khan to UK audiences.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan