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Mumbai, Sep 1 (IANS) Actress Soni Razdan, who essays the role of legendary Kashmiri singer Raj Begum in the recently released streaming film ‘Songs of Paradise’, has said that there was no major departure from what her younger counterpart Saba Azad had done for the same role in the film.

‘Songs of Paradise’ is inspired by the life of Padma Shri awardee, Raj Begum, and the lead character is portrayed by Saba Azad and Soni Razdan across two time periods.

The veteran actress recently spoke with IANS during the promotional campaign of the film, and deconstructed her process. She said that she only worked on the nuances of the part as the majority of the tone of the character was set by Saba Azad, who plays the younger version of Raj Begum in the film.

Soni told IANS, “There was no major departure. These were the small little nuances. I don’t even remember what it was now because it was so long. The character over a period of time became more polished because she is interacting with the Radio Kashmir director. She’s got a lot of exposure. Saba’s part was like just the beginning part. Over here, the character that I play is already a legend, and has experience by her side”.

She further mentioned, “She wasn’t a novice and she wasn’t a newbie and she was a little more imperious and a little more arrogant, I would say. Written by life, so she had a different feeling”.

‘Songs of Paradise’ is an ode to Raj Begum’s inspiring music and journey that is complemented by the soulful composition of Abhay Sopori and vocals of Masrat Un Nissa that enlivens the rich musical legacy and the captivating backdrop of the valley.

Presented by Excel Entertainment and produced by Apple Tree Pictures Production and Renzu Films Production, ‘Songs of Paradise’ is available to stream on Prime Video.

–IANS

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Mumbai, June 7 (IANS) Actress Niyati Fatnani shared her views on whether, in this era of reality shows, celebrities’ words are judged out of context at times.

Sharing a personal example from her ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ stint during an exclusive conversation with IANS, Fatnani said that she ended up receiving a lot of backlash after the release of one of the promos.

She added that once the complete episode was aired, people understood the entire context and even ended up supporting her.

Fatnani was asked, “After reality shows, edited clips often go viral and create controversies. Do you think celebrities’ words are sometimes judged out of context?”

Citing her own example, she added, “During Khatron Ke Khiladi, when a particular promo was released, I received a lot of criticism from fans. However, people who knew me were confident that I would never do something wrong. Once the episode aired, everyone understood the actual context and supported me. In fact, the person involved ended up being eliminated from the show.”

“Fans are very passionate about the artists they support, and that is simply part and parcel of being a celebrity”, she added.

Sharing if she believes that talent is more important than visibility in the era of social media, Fatnani shared that according to her, talent and visibility are two very different things.

“If someone is a talented artist and can perform well, directors and producers will choose that person for the role. On the other hand, from a business perspective, if visibility benefits a project, influencers may also be cast. Social media has become an important part of the industry today”, she went on to explain.

When asked if she ever felt the pressure to hide her relationship on social media, Fatnani denied having any such experience.

“I think it depends on the people involved in the relationship. If both partners are comfortable, then nothing else really matters”, she concluded.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, Aug 19 (IANS) Stating that the first ten minutes of his upcoming women-centric film, Paradha, featuring actress Anupama Parameswaran in the lead, were very important, director Praveen Kandregula has now urged audiences not to miss the beginning.

Participating in a pre-release event of the film, director Praveen Kandregula said, “Paradha is a very good film. The first ten minutes of this film are very important. That is why I want no one to miss the beginning.”

Stating that women-centric films were very rare in Telugu, the director expressed the hope that if this film was successful, many more such films would be made in Telugu.

“If this film makes money, it will give hope to other producers. Paradha should become a blockbuster in Malayalam. Our Telugu film should become a blockbuster in Malayalam. That is my wish. We can also make content films. I want this film to be commercially successful. If you like the film, I want everyone to tweet for me. Your tweet is very important to us,” he said.

It may be recalled that the Censor Board has already cleared the film for release with an U/A certificate.

The film has triggered huge interest among fans and film buffs as Actress Anupama Parameswaran, who plays the lead in the film, has said that she had poured her soul into this film and that the concept of the film was close to her heart.

Taking to her Instagram page to share the trailer of the film, which was released recently, Anupama Parameswaran had said,” Paradha has been a dream in the making. A concept so close to my heart, and one I’ve poured my soul into.”

Expressing gratitude to everybody who had helped her reach the position she was in, she wrote, “Extremely grateful to the universe and to every single person who stood by me, believed in me, and helped me reach here. I can’t wait for the world to experience this journey with me, and I truly hope it touches you the way it touched me. Paradha – Trailer out now. See you in theatres!”

A trailer released by the makers gave away the fact that the film would revolve around Subbu (Anupama Parameswaran), who hails from a village that has imposed on its women the tradition of covering their faces with a Paradha. At one point, Subbu goes missing and we realise some great misfortune has befallen her. Eventually, the trailer shows the villagers feel that the village has incurred a curse of the goddess because of Subbu and announce that nobody is to help her. How she finds her feet because of the support of two other women from the city is what the film is all about.

‘Paradha’, backed by the celebrated duo Raj and DK, known for The Family Man series, is being bankrolled by Vijay Donkada along with Sreenivasulu PV and Sridhar Makkuva under the banner of Ananda Media.

Apart from Anupama Parameswaran, the film will also feature actresses Darshana Rajendran and Sangeetha in pivotal roles. Rag Mayur also essays an important role in this women-centric movie.

The film promises to be a hard-hitting tale, with its roots deep in tradition and its message firmly grounded in empowerment.

The film has cinematography by Mridul Sujit Sen, while Dharmendra Kakarala is the editor. Music for the film is by Gopi Sundar.

–IANS

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