Asha Bhosle to be honoured in Dubai
legendary singer Asha Bhosle will be awarded with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to Indian cinema. Bhosle, 81, has recorded more than 12,000 songs and is known for her versatility as a singer be it folk songs, Indian classical music, pop songs,ghazals and bhajans.
“I am delighted to have been nominated to receive this award from DIFF in Dubai — a place with long historic ties to my country. I look forward to visiting this special film festival, which has done so much work to promote the art worldwide,” Bhosle said. The Dadasaheb Phalke award-winner, who has her name in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the ‘most recorded artist in music', made her acting debut in the 2013 film Mai. “She is a stalwart and we feel proud to honour her,” said DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma.
I am working out a new look for Shivaay, but I don't know whether this look will be there or not. I am just growing the beard right now because I am lazy. But yes I will have a new look in the film. I want to give all the time to Shivaay —ajay devgn
lahore-based author Bilal Tanweer has won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for his novelThe Scatter Here Is Too Great (Random House India). In its seventh year, the prize money has been increased to `2 lakh with support from Priti Paul and the Apeejay Trust. This year's judges were authors Amit Chaudhuri, Aatish Taseer and Mridula Koshy (2009 winner of the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize).
‘Acting only for privileged kids’
Actress Julie Walters says only “privileged kids” will be able to become actors because poorer children can't afford to put themselves through drama school.
The Paddington star, who was able to get funding to study drama in the late 1960s and honed her craft at the Everyman Theatre in liverpool, England thinks the art will ultimately suffer. “Now the theatre is dying out, where do kids start outIJ They have to pay a lot to go to drama school. But working class kids can't afford that. I was lucky — I had a grant. You can't get a grant to go to drama school now. Soon the only actors are going to be privileged kids whose parents can afford to send them to drama school. That's not right,” mirror.co.uk quoted Walters.