Wedding vows

It’s wedding bells for actress-turned jewellery designer Neelam Kothari. And the lucky man is none other than model-actor Samir Soni. After courting for a while, the duo has finally decided to tie the knot later this month. Soni, who was last seen in the television reality show Bigg Boss, says that the wedding will be a very “quiet” affair with only family and friends in attendance. Although they have no honeymoon plans, Neelam and Soni have declared that they want to start a family soon. Well, one only hopes that Soni will show more staying power in his marriage than he did in his stint at Bigg Boss!

Fusion feast

Hidayat Hussain, son of legendary sitar maestro, the late Ustad Vilayat Khan, has a treat in store for music aficionados. His latest album, Sawariya, will be launched in Calcutta this evening. Hussain has carved a niche for himself in world music and fusion music. And Sawariya is a classic example of this as it is an eclectic mix of Indian classical music and hip hop, techno and even Middle Eastern tunes. “There are tracks like Sawariya, essentially, a duet between vocals and sitar, and Albela Sajan that have a strong Hindustani classical base intertwined with Western beats,” says Hussain. So why has he chosen to launch his album in Calcutta? Pat comes the reply: “Can there be a more musical city on earth?”

Rock on

Fans of Bryan Adams, rejoice! The Canadian rock star, who gave such memorable hits as Summer of 69, Run to you, Everything I do, I do it for you or 18 till I die, is coming to India next month. On his fourth visit to the country — yes, the singer does seem to have a soft corner for this neck of the woods — Adams will perform in Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad on February 12, 13, 15 and 16 respectively. When asked how he likes to perform in India, Adams said, “I am looking forward to coming back to India. We always get a great welcome, the people are great and so is the food. I love Indian food.” And we love your music, Bryan!

Starry cause

You’ve got to hand it to Shabana Azmi. Whatever she does, she does with elan. And makes a success of it too. The actress-cum-activist is now back with yet another edition of her fundraising fashion show for the benefit of the Mijwan Welfare Society founded by her father, the poet Kaifi Azmi. Mijwan is a small village in Uttar Pradesh where Azmi’s father was born. The show, to be held at the Trident, Bandra Kurla complex, on January 23, will feature the likes of Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar, Lara Dutta, Shilpa Shetty, Sushmita Sen, and several others among Bollywood’s beautiful people, walking the ramp. “Last year’s Mijwan Sonnets in Fabric show has snowballed into an even bigger fundraiser this year,” says Azmi. “I have taken on the task of taking his dream forward.” Kaifi Azmi would have been proud.

Play time

Anita Nair is breaking new ground. The author has adapted her book, Mistress — a tale of love, longing and betrayal set in the world of Kathakali dancers — into a play titled, Nine Faces of Being. The play will premiere at Bangalore’s new Jagriti theatre this week. The transition from author to playwright wasn’t tough, though, claims Nair. That’s because the story had been written and the characters already fleshed out by her. But it’s not just a different genre of writing that Nair is experimenting with. She has also provided the music design for the play, which has been directed by theatre stalwart Arundhati Raja. Clearly, Nair’s creative juices are flowing in abundance.