Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

LEGENDS AT DESI LIVE

MUSIC fans are in for a real treat next Saturday (23) at Forum in Birmingham with the Desi Live show.

The actionpacked line-up of great British bhangra legends including Malkit Singh, Apna Sangeet, Shin DCS, Premi Johal and Channi Singh of Alaap will deliver their greatest hits, at what promises to be a brilliant concert.

The music icons will be supported by AJD, Dipps Bhamrah, Tarli Digital and host Harpz Kaur. www.fatsoma. com/desilive

SAWHNEY’S HEARTFELT PIECE

A FORTHCOMING performance from Nitin Sawhney at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on December 5 is set to take on added resonance.

Apart from performing tracks from his albums Prophesy, Beyond Skin, Immigrants, and Identity alongside the Hallé orchestra, the music maestro will deliver a specially written piece documenting his experience of a heart attack earlier this year.

He has tried to capture the feelings, internal psychology and aftermath of the cardiovascular episode.

TRACKING INSTA SUCCESS

AMERICAN r’n’b singer Vivek Agrawal regularly delivers English-language versions of Bollywood songs on his Instagram account.

Some of the popular film tracks he has put a western spin on include Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai, Dil Deewana and Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai. He also creates a wide array of other songs including originals and fusion ones that mix up languages.

You can follow the talented star on Instagram: @Viagrawal

SEE NAYANTHARA IN NEW LIGHT

SHE may be a major south Indian movie star, but many saw Nayanthara for the first time in 2023 blockbuster hit Jawan, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. This week, there is a chance to find out a lot more about the celebrated actress in a new documentary about her titled Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale, which has a Netflix premiere on her birthday, next Monday (18).

The film explores her journey from humble beginnings to finding huge success in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi cinema. It also explores her relationship with director Vignesh Shivan, with whom she tied the knot in June 2022.

SONG ABOUT SIKH GENOCIDE

TALENTED young British rap talent Beant has impressed music fans with his lyrically strong tracks.

The MC has just delivered his most personal release with Widow’s Song. He told me the song is inspired by the Sikh genocide in 1984 and the colony in Delhi, where widows who survived the massacre live.

He explained: “These women experienced harrowing, state-orchestrated violence and subsequently suffered years of torment, harassment, and abuse as they sought justice. Their story is one that, in my opinion, is not known enough. I hope to bring some attention and a different perspective to audiences. 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of that genocide, providing a good opportunity to focus audience’s attention to it.”

Beant said he is trying to capture the pain of what happened and explore what Sikh philosophy and teachings say about events like this. Even though the events happened before he was born, the musician has had the subject close to his heart for a long time and spent many months working on the song.

“I hope my attempt does some justice to those personally affected by the violence. I’m keen to demonstrate the Sikh notion of chardi kala (rising spirits) while accurately portraying the events of the genocide.”

Beant is really happy with the song’s response and how it’s sparked conversations.

APPLAUSE FOR PAKISTANI QAWWALI GROUP

THE brilliant Chahat Mahmood Ali Qawwali Group returned to Pakistan after an incredible 18 months that saw them play over 200 live shows across the UK.

The Pakistani music act has entertained many thousands of music fans and took their first big steps towards becoming a formidable force.

Midlands-based Abid Iqbal from Say Arts gave them a platform to show off their talent. He said: “What the Chahat Mahmood Ali Qawwali Group have achieved during their residency has been remarkable. They have worked incredibly hard, travelled all over the UK and gifted audiences’ unforgettable shows. They did all that while being away from their families. I look forward to bringing them back in February 2025 for a UK and Europe tour.”

WHY I WANT TO TALK WILL FAIL

FORTHCOMING film I Want To Talk will be a huge box-office flop when it is released next Friday (22). Of course, lead star Abishek Bachchan has been on a downward trajectory for a long time, largely due to his poor film choices, but that isn’t the biggest problem associated with this comedy-drama.

The movie’s director, Shoojit Sircar, hasn’t had a major success since his 2015 film Piku and his career has had far more failures than successes. Another huge negative is its terrible title. I Want To Talk is too English for Bollywood fans, while the content will be too Indian for western audiences.

A better strategy would have been to dump it onto a streaming site, but they likely didn’t have anyone willing to pay for it, largely due to all those red flags.

CHARLI’S BRAT POWER

CHARLI XCX having an incredible impact in 2024 was recently illustrated by ‘brat’ being named as the Collins Dictionary’s word of the year.

What started off as an eye-catching title for her sixth studio album spawned a ‘brat summer’ movement that inspired social media trends, fashion, and inner confidence. She also redefined the word to incorporate, elements like, ‘confident, independent and hedonistic’, which resonated with people globally.

That momentum of a hit album, global ‘brat’ movement, superb songs, awards and sold-out arena shows will continue this week on iconic American comedy show Saturday Night Live. The half-Indian British pop sensation will host the episode on Saturday (16) and be the special musical guest. This means that fans will get to see Charli show off her comic acting skills and perform some of her hit songs. UK fans can catch her live at O2 Arena in London on November 28.