M.F. Husain surrenders Indian passport in Qatar
New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Iconic artist Maqbool Fida Husain, who has been granted Qatari citizenship, has surrendered his Indian passport to the Indian embassy in Doha, an official said.

The 95-year-old painter met Deepa Wadhwa, India's ambassador to Qatar, Sunday and surrendered his Indian passport, M.R. Qureshi, second secretary at the Indian embassy in Doha, told IANS over the phone.

Indian law prohibits dual citizenship. Once someone accepts citizenship of another country, he has ... Read More

I think Bipasha is coming out with second DVD: John
Kolkata, Feb 8 (IANS) John Abraham is impressed with girlfriend Bipasha Basu's fitness DVD for women and says it's equally good for men and soon she may come out with the second edition of it.

"I... well... feel she is in the prime shape of her life. And though it is meant for women, it is equally good for men. I think she is coming out with a second DVD. I will follow that too," John, ... Read More

Sophie first Indian female artist to get YouTube channel
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) Singer-actress Sophie Chaudhary has reportedly become the first female artist from Indias to have a channel of her own on the video sharing website YouTube.

"I’ve started my own channel on YouTube because it has become a popular way to reach out to the fans. I’m told that I am the first female artist from India to have a channel on YouTube,” Sophie, said in a statement.

"The channel will showcase ... Read More

Six brand new songs of Rafi released
New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS) After 30 years, six youthful and romantic songs crooned by legendary singer Mohammed Rafi have been released for the first time. The lilting numbers have been compiled in a new album called "The Last Songs" which is described as a 'rare collector's item'.

All the songs have been composed by Chitragupta and were written by Kafeel Aazar.

"'The Last Songs' by Universal Music is a collection of the most precious ... Read More

Theatre personalities are not getting their due: Arundhati Nag
By V.S. Rajapur

Mumbai, Jan 28 (IANS) Well-known Kannada theatre artist and movie actress Arundhati Nag, who got Padma Shri Award, is happy that the government has recognised the efforts of a theatre personality.

"I see the newspapers and the channels are filled up with the news of even debutant film actors and models, but not even a small space is given to the achievement of theatre personalities who have worked to give a new identity to ... Read More

After Padma Shri, Saif thanks all his directors
Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) An overwhelmed Saif Ali Khan thanked all his directors for his successful film career that fetched him his Padma Shri national honour Monday.

"I am very proud and honoured to have received this honour. I would like to thank my family and loved ones who have been there for me and the industry for supporting me," Saif, who is in Mumbai, said in an e-mail message.

"I would particularly like to thank ... Read More

National Award was totally unexpected: Priyanka Chopra
By Radhika Bhirani

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) At 4 a.m. in New York Saturday, the last thing Priyanka Chopra was expecting to hear was that she had won her first National Film Award. She jumped out of bed in sheer joy when she got the news.

"It feels soooooo fantastic! It's 5 in the morning here (New York) and my phone has been ringing non-stop since about an hour. I am so excited," Priyanka told IANS ... Read More

Vindu Dara Singh wins 'Bigg Boss 3'
Lonavala (Maharashtra), Dec 26 (IANS) Actor Vindu Dara Singh won the third season of popular TV reality show "Bigg Boss" and walked away with prize money of Rs.1 crore. The finale of the show took place here late Saturday.

Vindhu pipped veteran actress Poonam Dhillon and model Pravesh Rana win the show after staying in the "Bigg Boss" house since Oct 4 without any contact with the outside world.

The 45-year-old, son of former wrestling ... Read More

'To make it big in Malayalam films, fan clubs a must'
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 20 (IANS) Malayalam actor Sankar, who has now turned director with "Keralotsavam 2009", says having a fans' association is necessary to survive as an actor in the film industry.

Sankar debuted as a lead actor in the 1980 film "Manjil Virinja Pookal", which incidentally also starred Mohanlal. But Sankar ended up playing second lead in most movies after that.

"May be if I had listened to the advice of those who told ... Read More

New Zealand happy with Karan Johar taking new movie shoot there
By Amandeep Kaur

Hamilton (New Zealand), Dec 20 (IANS) Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar will shoot his next production venture "I Hate Luv Stories" in Queenstown in January, and a New Zealand official has welcomed it, saying it will help promote tourism.

"The movie will attract a huge audience and the media surrounding the filming and the release will also present great opportunities for promoting New Zealand as a visitor destination," said Tourism New Zealand's acting chief executive ... Read More