Back to Bhangra

If you were surprised catching a strange looking man chatting up Mandira Bedi on Extraaa Innings before the India-Pakistan cricket match on Sunday, don?t kick yourself. Few have discovered Mehsopuria (picture right) ? touted as the new Bhangra funk sensation.

A singer, songwriter, composer and music producer, this multi-talented musician was born in Handsworth, Birmingham. Taking to music quite early, Mehsopuria has already made a name for himself in the world of British Bhangra, which has become synonymous with such talents like Rishie Rich and Punjabi MC.

While the British and Indians living in the UK have already got a taste of the Mehsopuria magic, we here will get to hear his music only later this month when his self-titled album hits the counters under the Universal label.

Mehsopuria is already a huge hit in the UK, having climbed to number one on the Bhangra charts and become one of the biggest-selling albums of 2004 in the genre. The album is also reportedly creating waves in USA and Canada. The new video from the album, Tumka 2, has already been shot and will be premiered on Channel V on September 25.

So, get set to go Bhangra, Mehsopuria style.

Sameera Reddy: Telugu touch

She?s travelling hot

She made her blink-and-you-miss debut as the female lead in Sohail Khan?s Maine Dil Tujhko Diya. But then a certain Mr Ram Gopal Varma set his sights on plain Jane Sameera Reddy and before you could say wow, she was reborn our desi J Lo. The scorching Darna Mana Hai video and then subsequently the film established Sameera as the new hot babe in Bollywood. With her new film Musafir slated to release in November (Diwali Friday), it is set to be a Sameera season in tinsel town.

The Sanjay Gupta film finds Sameera in a mature relationship (the kind that finds partners frequently bed-ridden) with as many as three men in the form of Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Panscholi. Add to this the much-talked-about kiss with Anil (and from early evidence she certainly didn?t do it like delicate Dia, with teeth clenched) and the steamy teasers that are already on air and you know why Musafir should set Sameera on a whole new career path.

But the heart of this little big girl lies not with the glitz capital named Bollywood but with the Telugu film industry. Though she is getting quite a few quality offers from down south, Sameera is being very careful in choosing the right film and role. She wants to make her father proud by doing Telugu films. That, however, could take a while as Sameera right now is busy shooting for Anees Bazmi?s Benaam opposite Ajay Devgan.

Blue: New love

Calling all true Blue fans

They drew first blood in Bollywood with Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu gyrating to their beat in Kya maine socha /One Love in Rakht. Now they will be back to perform live.

After Bryan Adams, Enrique, Bon Jovi, Rolling Stones and Tata Young who courted the squealing sellout crowds, it is time for Blue to roll in and rock.

Mumbai audiences will All rise to UK?s red-hot boy band at the Bandra Kurla Complex on October 1 while Bangalore fans will get a piece of the action at the Palace Grounds on October 2.

The performances will be part of the quartet?s South Asian tour that kicks off in Bangkok on September 21. After seven whirlwind music stops starting with Bangkok, they will land in Mumbai on the day of the performance. ?It will be a 26-member entourage with their dancers and musicians,? says Joy D?Cruz, vice-president, events, of Katha, which is organising the gig.

With two no.1 albums, three no.1 singles, two BRIT Awards, five million albums and 2.9 million singles sold, London lads Duncan James, 25, Anthony Costa, 21, Lee Ryan, 20, and Simon Webbe, 25, are now officially among the biggest pop acts in the world. ?Since the fans of the boy band are in the 18-24 age group, we are trying to keep the ticket prices as moderate as possible so that true Blue music lovers can enjoy the show,? says D?Cruz. Derek McDonald, who won the UK Smash Hits Award for best new act as part of pop duo Mero, would be opening the 90-minute party.

Calcuttans missing out on the live action can pick up a tour edition of the latest Blue album Guilty, soon to be released by EMI Music, which would include a bonus audio-visual CD.

All in the family

For once, Sabyasachi Chakraborty?s family has accompanied him to the sets, not just to watch, but to work with ? and under ? him. In a five-episode serial Annunayer Premika, he plays screen husband to wife Mithu and father to 14-year-old son Arjun.

The story with a strong comic vein revolves around a young schoolteacher (played by Sonali Chowdhury) whose wedding gets stalled when her fiance dies accidentally. The girl gets into a relationship triggering a chain of mix-ups and the task falls on jamaibabu Sabyasachi to untangle the knot for the knot to be tied.

But Feluda has an even more important task on hand ? calling the shots from behind the camera.

?I don?t really enjoy direction, though it?s not the first time I am directing a serial. I am doing it on the request of my friends and because I like the stories of Ashok Kumar Sengupta, which are very enjoyable,? says Sabyasachi, looking through the camera at a New Alipore house.

To be aired in the Paanch Dine Goppo slot on Alpha Bangla from September 27, the serial is being produced by singer Indranil Sen?s Prime Music.