Shooting of Ajay Devgn's home production 'Son Of Sardar' has started in Patiala. The movie also stars Sanjay Dutt and Sonakshi Sinha.

As we all know, the title was earlier registered with Akshay Kumar for his own production, but Ajay requested Akshay for the title and Akki agreed.

Ajay however has chosen to be tight lipped about the project though he is very much involved in keen creative decisions.

A close hand reveals that recently Rahat Fateh Ali Khan recorded a song in Dubai for the film under the music of Sajid Wajid.

When asked about choosing Dubai as a location, Wajid explains "What difference does it make if he sings in Dubai or India? It's just that he has been very busy with his shows, which is why he hasn't come to India lately. There is no other reason. He is a brilliant artiste and we are lucky to have him."

It must be recalled that On February 14, 2011, singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan while returning to Pakistan after attending concerts and award functions in India, was arrested by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

He was detained at the Indira Gandhi international airport in New Delhi for carrying undisclosed foreign currency worth more than $100,000. Since then, the singer has not visited India nor has he composed any music for the Indian audiences.

Stay tuned for more on this......

Sarah Tareen, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Steve Moore and Sahir Ali. PHOTO:PUBLICITY

Tamanna: An uplifting collaboration

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan shooting the video for “Koi Dil Mein”. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

The long-awaited film Tamanna, directed by Steve Moore and slated to be completed in 2012, has entered into a partnership with music company Tradition Plus for the production of its soundtrack.

Tradition Plus is the brainchild of cultural icons Mian Yousuf Salahuddin, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sahir Ali and this soundtrack is one of the first projects undertaken by their company. On New Year’s eve, audiences got a glimpse of the film’s potential when Fire Records released the film’s first single “Koi Dil Mein”. Performed by Khan with Salauhddin behind the musical direction and Ali responsible for the composition, the track has become popular for its rustic sound and classical jazz score. Recently, the song has been playing on a lot of major Pakistani television channels.

Collaboration details

To announce this collaboration, a press conference at Salahuddin’s haveli has been planned for the end of January, which would most likely be complemented by a performance by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and a discussion with the film’s cast and crew. Although talks are still in process, up to four to five songs as well as the film’s background score will be sung by the highly sought after Khan.

The singer has already worked with leading directors from Bollywood as well as Hollywood, the list includes the likes of veteran actor and director Mel Gibson. BBC Asia recently shot a documentary film about the singer’s meteoric rise which traces his humble beginnings from Faisalabad to Bollywood stardom.

Inside look into “Koi Dil Mein”

The black and white video for the song offers a few glimpses and teasers into the actual film. According to Sarah Tareen, the producer of Tamanna, the video includes a mise en abyme technique in which flashbacks are shown. While Khan plays the central character in the video, it shows a few glimpses of Feryal Ali Gauhar, Salman Shahid and Umair Rana’s characters in the film.

Regarding the concept of the film, Tareen says, “we wanted to capture the essence of the subcontinent cinema/music of the past but at the same time create something entirely unique.” Tareen who started working on the concept for the film in 2010 said that the film has been approached like an independent project.

Challenges faced

Although Tamanna has undergone countless delays, the producer insists that the film will surprise audiences when it is released in 2012. Similar to Bilal Lashari’s production Waar, the film has been shot in High Definition (HD). “Making films in Pakistan always take longer. It becomes even more difficult when it is an independent project which is financed by private investors,” says Tareen.

The theme of the film tries to connect with the average Pakistani, and attempts to move away from typical films. Currently, the project is in the process of wrapping up its final scenes which are being shot in interior Punjab.

With the majority of the post-production work being done in England and the rest being completed in Lahore, the project is expected to be completed by summer this year. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2012.

Tere Mast Mast Do Nain - Dabanng - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Khan sahab met with representatives of the media after his arrival at Bombay Tandoor banquet hall in Vienna, Virginia. Over a dynamic interactive session with journalists, he gave in to relentless audience demand, and sang a couple of lines from his super-hit song Tere Mast Mast Do Nayan from the Bollywood film Dabangg starring Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha. Even these couple of lines were enough to send us all present at the venue into ecstasy.

Listen to Khan Sahab talk about how contemporary Bollywood music directors have brought back long-lasting appeal of film songs - he cites the example of his famous "Lagi Tum Se Man Ki Lagan" song (Download "60 Years of Indian Independence" Album in MP3 Format) from the 2003 Hindi film Paap that remains immensely popular even after a decade. Paap also marks Khan Sahab's debut in Bollywood. The film is directed by Pooja Bhatt and stars John Abraham, Udita Goswami, Mohan Agashe and others.

Khan sahab shared glimpses of the story of his journey in music with us. He grew up learning North Indian classical music, and his first public appearance was with a classical vocal performance in England when he was only around 10 years old. He toured with his uncle, the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and also performed Qawali numbers to great reception.

Music knows no boundaries, and Khan Sahab says he loves to perform in any place in any country where the audience loves him - be it in Pakistan, Hindustan (India), Bangladesh, some place in Europe or the United States.

In a light-hearted moment, Khan Sahab reveals secrets of his diet that allow him to maintain his magical voice.

The press meet closed with journalists busily clicking away their cameras during a photo-shoot session. Might we also say the food at Bombay Tandoor, which is always extraordinary, somehow took on an additional delicious dimension that evening, perhaps due to the imminent presence of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who arrived shortly after dinner due to a delayed flight.