Have you heard? Hat-trick for Hussain

Ustad Zakir Hussain has scored a hat-trick with three Grammy nominations this year. Hussain will battle it out in three categories, including Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for As We Speak, along with Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia, Best Global Music Performance, and Best Instrumental Composition

Ustad Zakir Hussain has scored a hat-trick with three Grammy nominations this year. Hussain will battle it out in three categories, including Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for As We Speak, along with Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia, Best Global Music Performance, and Best Instrumental Composition. In recent years, Ricky Kej has won three Grammy Awards. Former winner Falu, Gaurav Shah (for Best Global Music Performance) and jazz pianist Vijay Iyer (Best Alternative Jazz Album )are other nominees who will battle for titles at the biggest music awards. 

Oh so risky!

Abhishek Banerjee, who will be seen in the film Apurva, believes taking on his first movie, Stree, was a risk. Though Banerjee wowed viewers with his performance, he says his character was “difficult to play without making it caricaturish”. “It could have easily happened with that character. To keep it believable but add elements of horror was risky.” It was director Amar Kaushik’s words that affected him. “He told me in front of everyone that I needed to come out of [the role I had played in my last indie film]. That made me upset and I then found [the crux of] this character.”

Taking the legacy forward

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan sent his good wishes to his grandson Agastya Nanda ahead of the latter’s film debut with The Archies. Stating that Nanda was set to take the family’s legacy forward, Bachchan shared the two minute 49 second trailer on Instagram and wrote, “Agastya my love, blessings, and more. You carry the torch ably ahead.” The Netflix movie, directed by filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, marks the acting debut of Nanda, who is the son of Bachchan’s daughter, Shweta Bachchan Nanda. The film’s official trailer was released on Thursday.

Two sides of a coin

In a move to shed light on the critical social issue of domestic abuse, content creator Bhuvan Bam has unveiled a new video that combines his signature humour with a powerful message.  The video serves as a poignant reminder that domestic violence affects both men and women. “It is crucial that we give every party involved a fair chance to be heard,” he shared of his work.

Sikh-American wins Big Brother

Jag Bains, an entrepreneur and truck company owner from Washington, created history by becoming the first Sikh-American to win the reality show, Big Brother. The 25-year-old TV personality defeated Matt Klotz, a professional swimmer, and DJ Bowie Jane to take the top spot at the 100-day-long season. Bains was the first Sikh-American to enter the house in the US, and also the first player to win the competition after being voted out. “I did s**k at the beginning. I was evicted. But, at the end, I believe I played the best game,” he said of the criticism he received for his win.

Home sweet home

On the occasion of Dhanteras, actor Ananya Panday revealed that she had purchased a house. “My OWN home! Need all your love and good vibes. To new beginnings,” she wrote while sharing an image from a puja. Several actors, including Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Farah Khan, Tiger Shroff and Parineti Chopra, wished her well. The actor, 25, recently grabbed headlines for sharing the frame with Kim Kardashian at the launch of a flagship store for a premium brand in New York. Set to be seen in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Panday was last seen in films like Liger and Dream Girl 2.

Trolls for the good

A video, allegedly from Benaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi, has upset social media users after it appeared to mock Deepika Padukone for her take on casual dating. It shows a female student—portraying Padukone’s character, Mastani—surrounded by male students who play the roles of her past lovers. Coming close on the heels of Padukone’s revelation of her previous relationships on Karan Johar’s chat show, the seemingly satirical performance has been deemed a “character assassination”. One fan wrote, “It shows the mindset of the cheapest! It’s a shameful act.” Another  wrote, “That a renowned university actually allowed it [is shameful]. This is the reason we can’t grow as a society.”

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