Vishal Bhardwaj, director, composer, writer, has worn many hats with equal aplomb. His films include the recently released Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola, Omkara and Maqbool. At the centennial celebration of Indian cinema, he took time out after attending a discussion on issues of censorship, screen violence and cuss words to talk of his journey as a student and maker of cinema.

Did any of your films get the censor’s cut?

In Maqbool, there was this beautiful dialogue by Abbaji played by Pankaj Kapoor who while talking of his bodyguard, said: “Jaise Ram ke Hanuman, ek Jahangir ke usman…” the censors asked me what kind of film is this?

How can a Muslim man equate himself with Ram? They missed the point that our epics are above religion and are referred by everybody. They cut it out.

Your songs have cuss words, the hero-heroines often romance each other with violence but there is no blood and gore.
I have a poetic point of view. But in Omkara you do have a husband killing his wife with a pillow on their wedding night.

Which films are your milestones of Indian cinema?
All of Ray’s films. Think of Charulata. The passing of time makes things tacky, dated, but such a film is timeless. Bandit Queen also changed the way realism was shown in our films.

Our films believe in blow-ups. We don’t or won’t deal with the ordinary…
But ‘ordinary’ is difficult to do especially in commercial cinema. Munnabhai was a common man’s story but it was over the top. There are so many films we have not made.

We do not have a single good film made on Kashmir. It is a story of abuse. We also have nothing on the Pandit exodus.

Ordinariness, failure teaches us things.
Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker was considered a flop but it was an auteur’s film. The concept of love it showed was unique. Had it succeeded Indian cinema would have taken a very different course. When I look back I feel very sad about this.

Do heroes in mainstream films draw out all our anger?
We all hate our politicians, so when they die in films we are satisfied. There was this scene in a film where Amitabh Bachchan goes into Parliament shooting…

Is it true that your wife gets the best songs in your films?
I make the best songs for her.

Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal-Shekhar visit the capital to hunt for the first Indian idol Junior.  Indian Idol the most popular singing reality show that has presented some of the finest singing talent in the country, is back in a new avatar. Indian Idol Junior - the search for the new young voice that will enthrall millions of viewers across India reached Mumbai. The auditions received an outstanding response from the city. With Mandira Bedi and Karan Wahi anchoring the audition, the excitement amongst aspiring singers who gathered at Andheri Sports complex was overwhelming.



To ensure that 'Koi Bhi Talent Chhootne Na Paye' the three biggest names of the music industry Shreya Ghoshal, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani had the daunting task of picking the best talent amongst thousands of young aspirants. The awesome trio were thrilled by the phenomenal response to the audition. Enthusiastic people were seen queuing up for their claim to fame from the wee hours of the morning.

Indian Idol took reality television to new heights and has produced some of the finest and most talented singers. Even though the show is in its seventh season, 'Indian Idol' continues to be as exciting as it was when it first came to India.

Star Plus is all set to entertain its viewers with another dancing reality shows titled ‘India’s Dancing Superstar’ launching on 27 April.

The show will be replacing ‘Nach Baliye Shriman v/s Shrimati’ on the channel taking over the Saturday and Sunday 9 pm slot.

‘India’s Dancing Superstar’ is a co-production between BBC Worldwide India and Trompe d'oeil Productions.



It aims to provide a platform to the most passionate and talented dancers in India. The show’s USP is that it has no barrier of age, dance form or style.

“The participants will be seen showcasing some of the most innovative and entertaining dance styles through their acts. A mix of kids , teenagers, young adults, married couples and even grandparents, the contestants can perform as individuals, pairs or in groups – everyone competes on the same platform to win the coveted title of India’s Dancing Superstar,” the channel said.

The show will be judged by Ritesh Deshmukh, Geeta Kapur and Ashley lobo.

Star Plus GM Nachiket Pantavaidya said, “At Star Plus, we believe in keeping up with the changing times. Our philosophy ‘Rishta Wahi Soch Nayi’ is about propagating the new within the old. India’s Dancing Superstar is in sync with this ideology – the world of dance has also changed, so we have turned around the rules. No age barriers, no specified dance form, and it is open to everyone! We want it to be India’s biggest dance celebration.”

Dance reality show, India’s Dancing Superstar (IDS), has potential to scare the viewers, says choreographer Geeta Kapur, who will judge the show along with fellow choreographer Ashley Lobo and actor Riteish Deshmukh.

 “India’s Dancing Superstar has more potential to scare the audience in terms of passing a judgement because you will see stuff which is unbelievable,” says Geeta. There is no age bar and the dance reality show will witness performances by kids, teenagers, young adults, married couples and even grandparents when it goes on air this weekend on Star Plus. Geeta earlier judged three seasons of hit dance reality show, Dance India Dance (DID). She also judged DID Doubles, DID Li’l Masters (season 1 and 2) and Dance Ke Superkids later. But she finds India’s Dancing Superstar more difficult to judge than other shows.

“DID was a different format altogether. It’s more difficult with this one (IDS) because you’ll have to judge people of all age groups,” she says.

Zee TV’s reality show India’s Best Dramebaaz are used to having Bollywood celebrities make appearances week after week, they were in for a big surprise at the shoot of the latest episode when non other than the popular animated character Chhota Bheem paid them a visit.

When the show’s anchor Rithvik Dhanjani showed up dressed as Gabbar and threatened to loot the kids and judges, it was time for Chhota Bheem to emerge miraculously and jump to their rescue.



The kids then insisted that he stays on and joins in for of a special episode of India’s Best Dramebaaz where the talented contestants of DID L’il Masters had joined the Dramebaaz brat-pack for a double dose of acting and dancing.

Chhota Bheem stayed on for the shoot but on one condition – the kids would participate in a marathon race of eating his favorite laddoos with him … Chhota Bheem’s wish was the creative team’s command and it was a sight to behold when the kids, judges and anchors all attacked the motichoor laddoos brought on to the stage.

The audience was thrilled to see the animated character join the little powerhouses of dance – the ex-contestants of DID L’il Masters Faisal Khan, Rohan, Om Saumya, Shreya and Shalini for a group dance act.

Chhota Bheem watched the shoot of the entire episode with rapt attention and gave his own cute reactions to the acts put up by the Dramebaazes.

It was a touching moment when Bheem got teary eyed on seeing the kids perform Munshi Premchand’s Igdah – a heart-warming tale of a young boy and his grandmother.

Mahakavi Kalidas Natya Mandir at Mulund saw a gathering of more than 500 parents and kids on Friday to celebrate the tenth year anniversary of Kidzee at the ‘Kidzee Annual Fest’.

Adding zest to the event were kids from ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’ – a popular reality show for kids to showcase their acting talent. The event had participation from Kidzee students from Thane, Airoli and Bhandup centres.





Having started in the year 2003, Kidzee has completed ten successful years of imparting early childhood education with over 1000 centers in more than 350 cities in India. With a decade of existence, Kidzee has set unparalleled standards in Child Development & Education (CDE) and nurtured more than 2,00,000 children throughout India.

The Kidzee annual fest 2013 was the occasion to celebrate this success with kids, parents and teachers who put up exciting performances throughout the event.

The event  hosted an array of entertaining activities for kids like live music, skit performances, Spiderman dance elocution and speech, storytelling, narrating jokes, acting, dance drama, mimicry, pantomime, mad ads, puppetry acts etc. The main event showcased tiny tots putting up solo and group performances joyously.  There were also some surprising acts by parents. Excitement amongst kids knew no bounds.

The guests witnessed performances that were outstanding and filled with enthusiasm. Parents and kids actively participated and enjoyed every bit of the celebration. The laughter’s and cheers of the kids and parents echoed throughout the event.