A.R. Rahman Turns Hindi Film Producer

Diwali has had its host of topics to write about, from news on a French film based on the Mumbai 2008 terrorist attacks to commenting on the Shah Rukh Khan - Deepika Padukone starrer Happy New Year or reviewing Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan's Bang Bang... However, the following piece of news seems personally more noteworthy and therefore I will give all above-mentioned topics the skip.

After recently working for television with Ashutosh Gowariker, AR Rahman is looking forward to starting the production of his maiden film, following in the footsteps of celebrated Vishal Bhardwaj who successfully transitioned from the music industry into film making.

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BOLLYWOOD SINGERS for Women Internet Literacy

After a very long hiatus, here we are happy to bring you some fresh and useful news.

MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination), Farhan Akhtar's social campaign which had started in 2012, has joined hands this week with search engine giant Google to help increase internet literacy among women in India. The campaign is called "Reach For the Sky" and is quickly gathering visibility on Youtube and social media through a song video titled “Chulein Aasman” is a song about female emancipation and about freeing women from the roles that they have been coerced into playing for centuries. The music and video feature Salim-Sulaiman and Farhan Akhtar.

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Search giant Google on Tuesday launched a new social campaign in association with Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar’s initiative MARD, to increase internet literacy among women in the country. Google India had first time launched a ‘digital literacy’ initiative campaign called ‘Helping Women Get Online’ (HWGO) in collaboration with Intel, HUL and Axis Bank late last year. “The first phase has been very successful. In the last 12 months, the number of women using the internet has grown 35 per cent as against 31 per cent by men. This for the first time that women have surpassed men in using internet. This is just the start of the programme as it’s only 10 months when we  launched it (the first phase),” Google India vice president and managing director Rajan Anandan said here. As the company ramps up its activities and takes many of them to the next level, it expects further acceleration in the campaign, Anandan said. The jointly-promoted campaign called ‘ReachForTheSky’ will look to generate awareness about the need to get women online. It will also encourage existing users to help get more  women online and spread awareness of gender equality and women empowerment. Despite India inching closer to become the second  largest internet users’ country, the number of women using internet is lower than most of the countries, he said adding, “empowering the young women population with information and internet related tools could transform India’s future.” We need to build on this start and join the campaign with MARD to encourage women to come online, he added. Google India head for marketing Sandeep Menon said the company’s aim is to help bring 50 million women online in the country. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/google-india-launches-new-campaign-with-farhan-akhtar-to-help-women-get-online/#sthash.JVPl646b.dpuf

Search giant Google on Tuesday launched a new social campaign in association with Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar’s initiative MARD, to increase internet literacy among women in the country. Google India had first time launched a ‘digital literacy’ initiative campaign called ‘Helping Women Get Online’ (HWGO) in collaboration with Intel, HUL and Axis Bank late last year. “The first phase has been very successful. In the last 12 months, the number of women using the internet has grown 35 per cent as against 31 per cent by men. This for the first time that women have surpassed men in using internet. This is just the start of the programme as it’s only 10 months when we  launched it (the first phase),” Google India vice president and managing director Rajan Anandan said here. As the company ramps up its activities and takes many of them to the next level, it expects further acceleration in the campaign, Anandan said. The jointly-promoted campaign called ‘ReachForTheSky’ will look to generate awareness about the need to get women online. It will also encourage existing users to help get more  women online and spread awareness of gender equality and women empowerment. Despite India inching closer to become the second  largest internet users’ country, the number of women using internet is lower than most of the countries, he said adding, “empowering the young women population with information and internet related tools could transform India’s future.” We need to build on this start and join the campaign with MARD to encourage women to come online, he added. Google India head for marketing Sandeep Menon said the company’s aim is to help bring 50 million women online in the country. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/google-india-launches-new-campaign-with-farhan-akhtar-to-help-women-get-online/#sthash.JVPl646b.dpuf

Search giant Google on Tuesday launched a new social campaign in association with Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar’s initiative MARD, to increase internet literacy among women in the country. Google India had first time launched a ‘digital literacy’ initiative campaign called ‘Helping Women Get Online’ (HWGO) in collaboration with Intel, HUL and Axis Bank late last year. “The first phase has been very successful. In the last 12 months, the number of women using the internet has grown 35 per cent as against 31 per cent by men. This for the first time that women have surpassed men in using internet. This is just the start of the programme as it’s only 10 months when we  launched it (the first phase),” Google India vice president and managing director Rajan Anandan said here. As the company ramps up its activities and takes many of them to the next level, it expects further acceleration in the campaign, Anandan said. The jointly-promoted campaign called ‘ReachForTheSky’ will look to generate awareness about the need to get women online. It will also encourage existing users to help get more  women online and spread awareness of gender equality and women empowerment. Despite India inching closer to become the second  largest internet users’ country, the number of women using internet is lower than most of the countries, he said adding, “empowering the young women population with information and internet related tools could transform India’s future.” We need to build on this start and join the campaign with MARD to encourage women to come online, he added. Google India head for marketing Sandeep Menon said the company’s aim is to help bring 50 million women online in the country. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/google-india-launches-new-campaign-with-farhan-akhtar-to-help-women-get-online/#sthash.JVPl646b.dpuf

FOOTBALL and ANIMAL WELFARE Unite Glitterati

The football match everyone was waiting for during Mumbai's monsoon season took place without the much feared rain and mud at the Cooperage Football Ground. Fans, family and friends came to watch stars battle it on the field with a due introduction to TIGI Foundation and the event's cause by Imran Khan and Ira Khan.

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LOVE IS A FOOTBALL FIELD: Embrace Animal Welfare

The FIFA World Cup might have finished cheering its winner but gear up to support an upcoming football match in Mumbai featuring some of Bollywood's coolest celebrities such as Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Imran Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Tiger Shroff, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sohail Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Dino Morea, Nargis Fakhri and more...

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Hrithik Roshan launches Virtual Academy of Cinema

Whistling Woods International has recently launched the first ever Virtual Academy of Filmmaking, which has created its first online course. Hrithik Roshan was present to launch the new programme. He praised the institution and expressed his admiration for all the people who are a part of it, from its creators to its students.

The actor additionally hosted a masterclass at the school. Approximately three hundred students attended the class and participated in a final Q&A session which gave them an insight into the star’s experience of cinema, how he has come to value each experience he has encountered in his profession and how he advices each and every student to be fearless in their approach to cinema.

MADHURI DIXIT at Madame Tussaud's in London

 

Following in the steps of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, it is now the beautiful Madhuri Dixit who will soon be inaugurating her very own wax statue at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London.

The versatile actress has flown to the English capital in company of her family and will unveil her statue this following week. Madame Tussaud's has a new quintessential beauty in its collection.

OPRAH IN BOLLYWOOD: The O Factor Charms Tinsel Town

Chat show host Oprah Winfrey had India in her "places to see" list for a long time and has finally flown over for a week-long visit in aims to shoot for her upcoming show "New Chapter".

While she has been scheduled to visit  Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Rishikesh during her stay, her week started with a visit to the Bachchan family and with a highly attended bash hosted by Parmeshwar Godrej in Bombay, to which numerous stars flocked to meet the TV diva.

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