A Bollywood who’s who turned out for a gala reception on Sunday to welcome Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at the start of their seven-day tour of India and Bhutan. The couple met and chatted with actors Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor and many more. Director Karan Johar, designer Manish Malhotra, politician Priya Dutt and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar were also among the notable guests. Speaking of his wife, who was dressed in a striking blue embroidered evening gown by British designer Jenny Packham, 33-year-old Prince William said: “When Catherine and I got married, India was the first place on her list which she told me she wanted to visit. Two children and five years later, we finally made it and we are quite honoured to be here.” – Sonali Kokra
SRK wants to avoid Eid box-office battle
Fans and industry analysts have been looking forward for a big box-office battle since the makers of the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan movie Raees and Salman Khan’s Sultan announced plans to release both films on the Eid weekend in July. But Shah Rukh Khan is keen to avoid a clash by shifting the release dates of one of the movies. He said: “Adi [Aditya Chopra, producer of Sultan] is my family and so is Farhan Akhtar [producer of Raees]. With all due respect, I will speak to Adi and Salman. I have spoken to Farhan already. If we have to change, one of us will move on. If they are adamant or fixated that somehow, due to some sense of righteousness, Eid belongs to Salman Khan, so be it.” Khan’s latest film, Fan, will be in cinemas from Thursday. – Sonali Kokra
Janet Jackson postpones tour again
Janet Jackson’s recent performance at the Dubai World Cup will be her only live appearance this year, after the singer postponed her world tour until next year. The singer, who turns 50 next month, has repeatedly delayed dates on her Unbreakable tour as a result of health concerns. Last month’s concert at Meydan Racecourse marked the singer’s first live appearance since November. Shortly before the March 26 gig she cancelled her entire European tour, which was due to begin four days later. Previous cancellations were announced in October and December. Now Jackson has abruptly axed remaining dates on the North American leg of the tour, which was set to resume in May, but promised to return to touring next year. Jackson said the reason for the delay was because she and her husband, Qatari business mogul Wissam Al Mana, are “planning our family”. She gave no further details about her family plans, which come at an age at which a natural pregnancy is possible but rare. On Saturday, Jackson also posted on Twitter that her tour had been “postponed until 2017” and that all tickets would be honoured but refunds are available. – The National Staff
Kanye makes history with streaming hit
Rapper Kanye West made history on Sunday as the creator of the first album to reach number one in the United States mostly through streaming. The feat is the latest turn in a highly unusual release for album The Life of Pablo. He debuted it at a fashion show at New York’s Madison Square Garden and initially distributed it exclusively through the Tidal streaming service. This month it also became available on rival sites, including Spotify, generating so many streams that The Life of Pablo not only appeared for the first time on the benchmark Billboard chart – nearly two months after its release – but debuted at number one. Tracking business Nielsen Service said that The Life of Pablo sold the equivalent of 94,000 copies in the week, 70 per cent through streaming. West far exceeds the previous record for the level of streaming behind a number one album, set recently by Rihanna when streaming accounted for nearly a one in three sales of her album “Anti.” Both West and Rihanna are partners in Tidal, a streaming service led by rap mogul Jay-Z that has billed itself as aimed at artists and audiophiles, but remains much smaller than its rivals. – AFP
Anoushka Shankar hears Europe’s refugees with sitar
Horrified by the suffering of the wave of refugees seeking shelter in Europe, Indian sitarist Anoushka Shankar has turned their plight into a musical journey. Backed by collaborators including actress Vanessa Redgrave and rapper M.I.A., she included a track inspired by Europe’s migrant crisis on her latest album, Land of Gold. Shankar recorded the album soon after giving birth to her second child, Mohan, at a time when a huge number of people were entering Europe from violence-wracked Syria and other troubled nations. “That incongruence of sitting in the safety of my own home being able to provide for my baby while seeing hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the most horrific situations of war, and so often being denied the basic right to safety after unimaginable journeys, that just felt so utterly heartbreaking,” said Shankar as she started her global tour in New York. The 34-year-old five-time Grammy nominee is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, the late Indian maestro who introduced classical sitar to a Western audience. – AFP
My children will not act says SRK
Shah Rukh Khan has quashed rumours that his children are keen to enter showbiz. The Bollywood superstar says that contrary to the image of “star kids” in showbiz, his children, Aryan, Suhana and AbRam, are “extremely sorted” and show little desire for fame. “None of them has jumped [on the bandwagon] and said that they want to start acting,” he said. “They come to my sets to understand what filmmaking is about because it’s time for them to get interested. If they get interested, then good, but if they don’t, that’s even better”. – IANS
