This is the first time both singers are working together. The new single is titled Jaane Kya Laage. Iconic Bollywood playback singer Alka Yagnik, who has sung more than 2000 songs in her long career span in 16 languages, has collaborated with singer and composer AMC Aman for his new single ‘Jaane Kya Laage’. This is the first time both singers have worked with each other. Talking about his experience with the charismatic singer, AMC Aman said, "Alka ji's a dream to work with and it’s a blessing working with her. I'm super excited and feel fortunate for the opportunity to sing with Alkaji for the first time." The song was recently released on AMC Aman's YouTube channel. Arafat Mehmood has penned its lyrics.

Paresh Rawal and Ratna Pathak Shah steal the show in Hum Do, Humare Do. Name: Hum Do Humare Do Director: Abhishek Jain Cast: Paresh Rawal, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kriti Sanon, Rajkummar Rao Platform: Disney+Hotstar Rating: 3 Hum Do Humare Do is based on family planning of a different kind. Instead of parents planning their family, the film revolves around Dhruv Mehra (played by Rajkummar Rao), an entrepreneur, who is on a lookout for fake parents to woo his love interest (Anya Mehra played by Kriti Sanon), a blogger. For his father’s role, Dhruv thinks of finding Purushottam Mishra (played by Paresh Rawal). Purushottam employed Dhruv as a servant on a dhaba as a child. Upon meeting him, Dhruv realises that Purushottam has feelings for his former lover, Dipti Kashyap (played by Ratna Pathak Shah). Dhruv then decides to meet Dipti and convinces her to act as his mother. Dhruv also knew Dipti when he was the servant in the dhaba, as she regularly visited the dhaba and convinced him to rename him from Bal Premi. It doesn’t take long for the director to establish the film’s plot. While the story may look as old wine served in new bottle, the film deserves an appreciation for Rawal and Shah’s performances. Their comic timing and on-screen chemistry makes it a good watch. The first half is filled with several comedy scenes. Some of the comedy sequences between Rawal and Manu Rishi Chadha (as Anya’s uncle) are rib-tickling. None of the comedy scenes look forced, which is why viewers get their dose of entertainment. Kriti Sanon as Dhruv’s love interest is looking beautiful as a happy-go-lucky girl and complements with Rajkummar. The second half of the film has a mix of emotions and drama with only a few comedy sequences. But the treatment towards the end could have been done better. The climax comes suddenly and looks forced. Some of the scenes between Rao and Shah are exceptional and bring the element of family bonding. For instance, the scene where Shah opens about her relation with her family and Rao’s feelings towards her will make your heart melt. But don’t expect too much rona-dhona as the director has played subtly with viewers. The film also stars Aparshakti Khurana (as Shanty) and Prachi Shah Pandya (as Anya’s aunt) in the supporting cast. While Pandya does justice to her role as an understanding mother, Khurana hasn’t got enough screen presence. In terms of technical aspects, the screenplay is fast-moving and the editing is fine. The treatment of climax could have been better – it comes suddenly and the rush does not do justice. Overall, the film is a dramedy that you can watch with your loved ones in your living room over a tub of popcorn.

From using cow dung to preparing compost at home, planting saplings in disposable cardboard boxes to getting soil from nearby locations, working professionals have tried several techniques as first-time gardeners since the pandemic. Shruti Wahi, a product manager at an MNC has had new additions in her family. From being a mother to two children, she now has 30 of them since to the lockdown. She introduces them as flower- and fruit-bearing plants that she grew during the lockdown. Her home in Sonipat looks nothing less than a mini nursery with chillies, spinach, okra, beans, tomato, bitter gourd, capsicum and lemon growing under one roof. Gardening has been a life changing experience for her. It has allowed her to bond with her daughters. She follows zero-budget natural farming, which she explains is a chemical-free way of raising plants. “I don’t use any chemicals at any stage. To make compost, I mix vegetable peels, neem leaves, coco peat and cow dung and keep them aside in a box for a month. I then prepare amrit jal, a concoction of jaggery, lime and natural fruit juice, and mix it with the ingredients in the box, before adding them in plants,” she adds. Many working professionals in India like Shruti have started gardening as a hobby to kill boredom. Nishant Dahiya, Founder, Osho Vatika Nursery, who also owns two other nurseries in Gurgaon has evidently seen a transition in plant buyers. “Work-from-home has helped young professionals to spare time in doing other things. Earlier, most of my clients were companies and retired people. But since the pandemic, most of our clients were between the age group of 25-35 years as new buyers,” he adds. Mittesh Gaiwala, Director and Creative Head, GreenLands Nursery, Mumbai says, “Definitely every business was affected in the pandemic phase, luckily for us, many people were buying plants. The trend is further increasing. Plant parent clubs have been formed, nature bathing is on to-do list of every age and having indoor plants in space deprived urban homes and cities have increased.” For Rashmirekha Changmai, a lecturer at Dibrugarh University, Assam, gardening started as a hobby out of her love for indoor plants. During the lockdown, she used the time she got while delivering online lectures in gardening. Though she started it as a hobby to add visual appeal to her home, her interest grew from being a plant grower to a plant nurturer. It was through experience, she says, her interest in plants’ nutrition developed. “At one point, some of my plants died because I had put ample fertiliser. Also, I forgot to change the direction of some of the plants, because of which they died due to excess heat. Then I ensured to transfer them in another balcony where sun rays weren't harsh,” she says. Her second-floor home has a variety of plants from ghost peppers to basil, tacoma, bougainvillea, curry leaves, orange and roses. She now refrains from using fertilisers and instead adds tea leaves and vegetable peels as compost. Alternative methods and do-it-yourself (DIY) techniques have emerged as heroes. People have not refrained to experiment with things readily available at home. For instance, Sandeep Kalshan, a corporate employee, faced issues in finding pots during the lockdown. So, he upcycled unused bottles of cold drinks, fruit juices and phenyl and used discarded paint buckets and crates as planters. He referred to online videos and found readymade solutions. “Availability of soil was an issue. I stumbled upon the idea of taking soil from an under-construction site,” he shares. Since seeds were not easily available, Sandeep exchanged his portulaca plants with his neighbours and received stem cuttings from them. This way, he grew hibiscus, rose, giloy, tulsi and curry leaves easily. He also made compost on his own. He initially used vegetable peels. It was after a few experiments that he discovered that onion peels and water, as well as egg shells and water are the greatest sources of potassium. “Unlike compost which takes months to prepare, these mixtures get ready within 2-3 days,” he says. Sakshi Malhotra also uses DIY techniques. This Indore resident grows fenugreek, mustard, coriander and spinach in discarded cardboard boxes and packs them with soil and fertiliser. Though the technique is great and saves money, planting seeds in a box isn’t a cakewalk. Sakshi insists that the planting process requires a lot of care. “One has to be careful that a plastic sheet is placed in a cardboard box before soil and fertiliser is added. Otherwise, the box will get soggy as soon as it will get in contact with water. It is also important to pierce small holes at the base of the sheet to allow excess water to flow out. The holes at the base of the sheet save the plant from getting infected by fungus,” she clarifies.

Bollywood actors Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi were spotted as showstoppers of the British brand, Marks and Spencer at a fashion week in Delhi. Among festive hustle bustle, Delhi witnessed a dash of glamour recently when Bollywood actors Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi were spotted in the city. The actors were there to promote British brand Marks & Spencer’s latest collection at a fashion show. Neha, who recently had given birth to her second baby, looked pretty as a picture. She wore a deep green embroidered round neck dress with contrast colour paisley print from the brand. She completed her look with high heeled boots. Talking about her look and association with Marks and Spencer, Neha said, “Marks & Spencer has been a constant in my wardrobe for over a decade now. From my early days, it was my go-to for must-haves and fashion staples, and now I am wearing their India special occasion wear. I also love the evening wear for men, like what Angad is wearing.” Angad set the stage on fire in a velvet teal peak label blazer. The Soorma-actor paired it with black shirt and dark trousers from the brand’s latest collection. Angad mentioned the brand's evening wear for Indian men a sartorial treat. “Some pieces like the bandgala and Bandi jackets are a great addition to their existing product range. This collection helps make dressing up for any occasion easy,” he said. The brand showcased a combination of smart autumn-winter, loungewear and festive fare in the form of flowing dresses, chic pant suits and beautiful tops. It also launched opulent velvet bandh galas, dinner jackets, waist coats, premium shirts in rich sateen and ornate prints, tailored trousers and top notch polo t-shirts.

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has supported dancer-cum-actress Sudhaa Chandran on Instagram after the latter pled to PM Narendra Modi explaining her plight at the airports. Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has come out in favour of renowned dancer and actress Sudhaa Chandran hailing the veteran actress for her professional achievements. In an Instagram post, Kangana said, "Sudhaa Ji is a veteran artist…. A great dancer and actor…. Inspite of losing her leg she achieved great heights in the field of dance… hope she gets due respect”. Sudhaa had recently made a plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi explaining her plight at the airports. She had shared a video on social media wherein she openly spoke about the harassment she faces on being asked to remove her prosthetic leg at the airport security every time she travels. Sudhaa had stated, “Every time that I go on my professional visits, each time, am stopped at the airport and when I request them at the security, to the CISF officers that please do an ETD (Explosive Trace Detector) for my artificial limb, they still want me to remove my artificial limb and show it to them. Is this humanly possible, Modi ji? Is this what our country is talking about? Is this the respect that a woman gives to another woman in our society? It is my humble request to you Modi ji that please give senior citizens a card that says they are senior citizen”.

The actor will be seen in Scott Z. Burns’ anthology series 'Extrapolations' for Apple TV+. The show also stars Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harrington and David Schwimmer. After making a striking impression in The White Tiger in the role of Balram Halwai, actor Adarsh Gourav has bagged his second major project. He will be seen in Scott Z. Burns’ anthology series for Apple TV+ titled Extrapolations. The eight-episodes series also stars Hollywood's big wigs, including Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harrington, Tahar Rahim, Matthew Rhys, Daveed Diggs, Gemma Chan and David Schwimmer. It explores the stories of how changes to the planet will impact love, family and work, both personally as well as at human level. Expressing his joy, Adarsh says, “This is beyond anything I can express, to be honest. But to be working with such an incredible team at such an early juncture of my career is truly rewarding. I’m elated to be part of this project and grateful that I will be working alongside some of the very best in the business," and adds, "I have grown up and looked up to each of my co-stars and to now be sharing screen space with them is incredible. This story is such an important one to be told for our current generation and is tied in with realities of today.” The show is written, directed and executively produced by Scott. Other executive producers include Ellenberg, Greg Jacobs, Dorothy Fortenberry and Lindsey Springer. Micheal Ellenberg’s Media Res has helmed it. Adarsh recently flew off to New York where the show is currently expected to go into production. After wrapping Extrapolations, the BAFTA-nominated actor will start his next, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan with Ananya Pandey and Siddhant Chaturvedi.

This abstract artist expresses her emotions through the language of colours and allows her audiences to embark upon a journey of their own. Imagine revealing your emotions through colours and sharing them on the canvas as an artwork. It might be an arduous task for someone who does not understand the language of colours, but for Harleen Kaur, it is a cakewalk. The 23-year-old artist has used colours to depict her feelings that she faced while making these artworks. Her ongoing showcase ‘Immutable snapshots of emotions’, which happens to be her debut show, reveals her emotional state of mind in the most colourful manner. Each artwork has been inspired by the artist’s life. She learnt this from her favourite abstract artist, Mark Rothko, who looked at art and kept himself as a part of the work. "Keeping his idea in mind, I have created these artworks using my emotional state as the focal point of all works,” she says. The artist has used varied colours and hues. She has expressed anger and frustration through bright colours such as blue, black and grey, whereas empty canvas reveals her acceptance towards life. Though her works depict her frame of mind when these artworks were created, one cannot judge their meanings, as her emotions cannot be explained through any language. Describing the artworks and her choice of colours, she says, “All these works are subjective. Since I made most of these canvases between 2020-2021, I was irritated and agitated due to the pandemic-led restrictions. I expressed my anger by using dark tones of blue and black. Scribble depict complications. The part of the canvas that is left blank shows that sometimes it's ok not to play with things and leave situations as they are.” Besides brighter shades, Harleen has also added yellow to depict warmth and happiness. One of her artworks, Sunflower field, is her take on a warm day at the sunflower field when the breeze brushes through her hair. Peace and tranquillity is explained through the use of monochrome tones. “The use of grey and black represent the sound of the wind brushing through the trees. I have tried to capture the sound in the painting. I felt that these colours would do justice to my emotions,” she explains. The artist has used mixed media to add texture. Though oil and acrylic colours dominate canvases, one can see the use of charcoal and soft pastels in some artworks. In some of these pieces, she has added collage paper and charcoal dust. Harleen’s journey as an artist began at the age of eight when her parents introduced her to art. As a child, she started with figurative art. However, as she grew old, she felt trapped practising this art form. “Figurative art did not allow me to speak my mind,” she recalls. By the time she was in college, she realised figurative art cannot be her medium of expression, as she always had an inclination to explore beyond the composition of a painting. She looked up to Freud’s (Lucian Frued’s) paintings while making figurative pieces. “I liked the way he applied oil painting using thick brush strokes. I was always more interested in manner in which colours and tones were used instead of focusing only on the objects while painting them. So, though I was painting real objects, every work was an abstract work for me as its value and composition mattered,” she says. Harleen's works are displayed at Triveni Kala Sangam.

He wears a doctor's hat every day but when he is not attending patients, Dr. Prithipal Singh Sethi spreads positivity through his artworks. His latest show ‘SoulScapes’ is his way of expressing his thoughts and sharing hope during the pandemic. Dr. Prithipal Singh Sethi has been healing the society as a general physician as well as an artist. In his latest solo show ‘SoulScapes’ being held place at Shridharani Art Gallery at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi, he used colours to spread hope during the pandemic. The artist has drawn inspiration from nirvana, dreams, birth, night vigil, cascade, spring, transience, cosmos, spring, storm, faith, butterflies, and birds, to name a few. But unlike moroseness that the pandemic inflicted upon people, these artworks can heal art lovers. Describing his artworks and the colourful palette used, the artist says, “As a doctor, I have not forgotten the role of healer. The society needs healers to wash away ills and diseases. Through my paintings, I have tried to heal the society and give people hope that sadness is a temporary phase.” Dr. Prithipal’s forte lies in abstract expressionism where instead of using any forms, he used colours to define moods, light and application of strokes. This is evidently depicted in the hues and shades that he has used in this show. In one of his artworks titled ‘Genesis’, the artist has shown the birth of life using feathery brush and light colours. In ‘Angry hill’, the artist has paid an ode to Maharana Pratap’s horse, Chetak. Though he had to show a war and Chetak as a warrior, the artist has subtly depicted anger and bloodshed. “I have shown a horse like figure standing atop of Haldighati. I have created the scene of a war by showcasing Mughal army with red, yellow and green flags,” he explains. Concepts of ‘chid aakash’ or ‘universal subconsciousness’ have been showcased using tones of blue, yellow and white. He explains ‘Sree’, one of his artworks, as his way of showing that when mind firmly goes in the state of meditation, the slate of life becomes blue and the person becomes one with the universal consciousness. In the artwork, the artist has used Lord Ganesh and Om to symbolise consciousness. “With meditation, whether it is for art, medicine or music, the purity of mind begins. I have shown purity of mind using the blue colour at centre of the painting. As it gets matured, the mind becomes one with the universal consciousness. This possibility can only be achieved by the grace of Ganesha, depicted through the towering head on the top of the slate,” he adds. With minimalistic abstraction, the artist has taken references from Krishna and Shiva in his artwork titled ‘introspection’. “I have used Krishna’s feather and Shiva’s third eye to represent consciousness and wisdom, respectively. When they work together, you have introspection,” he says. Another artwork, ‘One star’ is inspired by the sakhi of Guru Nanak, Ekyum Kar. Migration 2020 is the artist’s way of sharing struggle and migration that labourers faced due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. “I have used light tones to show migration so that people can find hope looking at this piece,” he shares. Dr. Prithipal’s journey as an artist began on a dreamy note. At 23, he dreamt of making a painting. When he narrated his dream to his sister, she gifted him a canvas, paintbrush and colours the next morning. Though art started as a hobby, he matured as an artist after he took a two-year part-time art course at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in 1994. In the earlier years of his artistic career, he explored with figurative art. He took inspiration from real-life instances that the society was encountering as subjects of his artworks. He was also inspired by burning of brides and freedom at midnight, both of which he later painted on the canvas. “Freedom at Midnight is about independence, and it was my first big oil on canvas painting. I showed the map of India as the jumping horse. On the left side of the horse, I showed the dark past that India had overcome during the British Raj. On the right side of the canvas, I showed a nest and the horse marching towards it,” he recalls. It was later that he converted from figurative to abstract expressionism. In 2017, the artist fructified his dream as an artist when the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) announced artworks from doctors to celebrate its diamond jubilee celebrations. Ten of his paintings in landscape art were showcased along with the works of four other doctor-cum-artists from India. The show also saw participants from other countries. “That, for me, was the turning point,” he says. The show will end on October 20, 2021.

Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon recently shared a post on Instagram on wrapping up her shooting for her upcoming film, Adipurush. The film also stars Saif Ali Khan and Prabhas. Actress Kriti Sanon recently shared on Instagram the news of wrapping up the shoot of her upcoming film, Adipurush. In the post, the actress shared some cute moments with her film director, Om Raut. The actress posted three images: celebrating her successful shooting through cake-cutting, cute picture with the director and the last one is a beautiful note from Om Raut where he wrote, "Dear Kriti, Today was the last day of our collaboration. God willing many more to come. Until next time!!!". Making no qualms about it, the actress engaged her fans, giving them a much awaited dose of excitement. Kriti captioned the post, " Can't believe this journey has come to end so soon! My heart sinks as I let go of this super special character that I'm extremely proud to have played :JANAKI!...Thank you @omraut for giving me Janaki and believing I could carry the weight and responsibility that the character came with... Your vision is extraordinary and I can't wait for the world to see it! A film I'll always be extremely proud of #Adipurush". The superstar with her infectiously emotional attitude towards the role displays a sense of gratitude to her director for finding her a perfect fit to essay the character. Additionally, she also reposted Om Raut's lines, "Dear Kriti, it was magical watching you play Janaki. Can't believe your part is wrapped up. What a lovely journey!!!". Adipurush is an Indian historical film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. It will roll on the floors on August 11, 2022.

The film is the Hindi remake of Vikram Vedha. This is the first time that Hrithik will share the screen space with Saif Ali Khan. On the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan in an Instagram post announced his return to the set after two years. The actor has started shooting for the Hindi remake of Vikram Vedha. In the post, the 47-year-old actor shared a video of himself making a slow-motion, heroic entry on the set along with his team. Referring to his team as the ‘actual hero’, Hrithik wrote, “Hero walking on to set after 2 years. I am walking in front of him”. The actor has always resonated with netizens. His signature wit and wisdom have often sparked excited social media conversation, speaking volumes for Hrithik Roshan’s stardom and fandom. Hrithik Roshan has an exciting slate ahead. The actor will also be seen in Fighter with actress Deepika Padukone, the next instalment of Krrish. He will also be seen in the sequel of War. Vikram Vedha was originally a Tamil film that released in 2017. It was written by Pushkar-Gayathri and saw Vijay Sethupathi as Vikram and R Madhavan as Vedha.