In the lieu of reality shows, Zee TV has announced a new show modelled on the Indian Premiere League, albeit for music lovers. First one to come on board, Ankit Tiwari makes his television debut with the show titled, Indian Pro Music League (IPML). "This will be my debut, and I am excited to be part of the new format," says the singer, who has been roped in as a captain to the contestants.

IPML will have six teams representing different regions of India, which will be owned by Shraddha Kapoor, Govinda, Rajkummar Rao, and Riteish Deshmukh among others. Each team will be captained by two playback singers. Following the format of a sports league, the show will have five innings where audience votes and umpire points will decide one of the teams as the league champions.

Despite the popularity of traditional shows like Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Tiwari isn't bothered by the comparisons. "There is no comparison as even the performance formats will be different. It stands apart from all other reality shows," says the singer, adding that he is in prep mode. "I have a lot to prepare before I join the team as a captain."

MID-DAY (March 21, 2020)

After international singers like Chris Martin and John Legend, a slew of Indian musicians, including Ankit Tiwari, Akhil Sachdeva and Amaal Mallik, have decided to perform impromptu home concerts for fans via social media. It will be held in the wake of Sunday’s “Janata Curfew”, which will be imposed from 7 am to 9 pm.

Sachdeva, who sang Tera Ban Jaunga in Kabir Singh (2019), said he was “looking forward to this concert”. Sunny Leone’s husband Daniel Weber will also participate in the gig. “We urge people to stay at home. In the meanwhile, we will try our best to entertain you all with our music,” Weber added.

The concert will take place on Sunday between 4 and 5 pm, with artistes going live on their respective social media handles.

Singers like Tulsi Kumar, Jasleen Royal, Richa Sharma, Shruti Pathak, Jeet Ganguli, Abhay Jodhpurkar, Osho Jain, Bhoomi Trivedi, Ravi and Shargun Dubey, have also joined hands to be part of it.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 20, 2019)

Aparshakti Khurana who was last seen on screen in the Kartik Aaryan-Kriti Sanon romcom, Luka Chuppi, has now been paired with Alia Bhatt’s bestie, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, who is making her acting debut. She will feature in the music video of Ankit Tiwari’s single “Tere Do Naina”. The video was shot in Lucknow over two days by Kookie Gulati. Ankit describes the Gourov-Roshin composition as a melancholic ballad, “the perfect song for monsoon, the season of love”.

Akansha adds, “I heard it and I was sold on it. Aparshakti is a good friend and Lucknow is a beautiful city with a great cuisine. I couldn’t ask for a better first experience.”

Any acting tips from Alia or actor-sister Anushka? “I didn’t think too much and only focussed on what the director wanted. The narrative was sweet and everything was pretty and filmy. It’s going to be the new love anthem, the new ‘Galiyan’ (from Ek Villain),” she promises.

Kambli’s wife accuses Tiwari’s 59-year-old father of ‘deliberately brushing his hand’ against her. Ankur Tiwari says his father was punched after which he ‘blacked out’; Bangur Nagar police investigating the fracas
Sanyukta Iyer and Vijay Tagore (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 2, 2018)

Patrons at Inorbit Mall in Malad witnessed a massive ruckus on Sunday afternoon, when former India cricketer Vinod Kambli and his wife Andrea had an altercation with music composer Ankur Tiwari and his father. Ankur is the brother of Bollywood singer and music director Ankit Tiwari.

Kambli and Andrea have alleged that Tiwari’s father R K Tiwari deliberately brushed his hand against Andrea, even as the latter claimed the couple punched his 59-year-old father, and that Andrea took off her sandal to assault him.

The matter is being investigated by the Bangur Nagar police, but nobody was arrested till the time of going to press.

Mumbai Mirror spoke to Kambli, who insisted that “an old man inappropriately touched” his wife. “We were at the Game Zone in the mall around 3 pm when my wife caught hold of an old man’s hand. He had deliberately brushed his hand against her and when she caught him in the act, he pushed her away. Minutes later when we were at the food court, two men, who we assume were the man’s sons, tried to attack my wife. When I told them to back off, they told me, ‘You don’t know who we are’.”

Andrea told Mirror that she was certain the man had attempted to take “advantage of the crowds” to touch her “inappropriately”. “I was playing with my children when this guy took the opportunity to rub his hand against me. Maybe he thought nothing would happen because it was crowded. When I caught his hand, I was surprised to see this old man. He appeared embarrassed because I had caught him red-handed. He appeared scared, and said something in Hindi, on the lines that ‘I cannot do something like this’,” Andrea said. “The inappropriate touching ka zamaana is over. Such things should be dealt with strictly,” she added.

Kambli said he tweeted about the incident, after which an officer from Bandra Police Station visited his residence around 8 pm yesterday.

TIWARI’S ALLEGATIONS

Ankur Tiwari said he was at the mall with his parents, wife, and daughter. “My father, a retired bank employee, had accompanied my daughter to the Game Zone. My father told me he spotted Vinod Kambli there, and as he was walking past a woman, he blacked out,” Tiwari said.

“My father was disoriented after the attack,” Tiwari said, “He couldn’t believe he had been punched, and that a woman was screaming, accusing him of brushing his hand against her. I asked my father to identify the woman, and we realised she was Kambli’s wife.”

Rubbishing the Kamblis’s allegations that he tried to assault Andrea, Tiwari said, “I told them I wanted to speak with them, but they pushed me and hurled abuses. Kambli’s wife removed her sandal and threatened to hit me with it.”

He claimed that Kambli threatened the onlookers who had started recording the fracas on their phones. “He was abusing loudly, cursing everyone around. I asked him to speak to me politely, but he kept pushing me. His wife pushed me too. When I tried calling up the police, he snatched my phone. He even chased a woman to make sure she deleted the video recording from her phone,” Tiwari said, adding he and his father filed a complaint at Bangur Nagar Police Station around 4.30 pm.

Andrea admitted Kambli was “upset”, but according to her, it was because “nobody from the crowd tried to help”. “Vinod was upset because the onlookers were busy recording the incident. He was particularly upset with a lady who was doing the same. It was very annoying that they thought it was entertaining,” Andrea said. “When these guys were misbehaving with my wife, the onlookers were recording the incident,” Kambli said, adding it was a frightening experience for his children, Christiano and Johana.

Senior Inspector Vinay Bane from Bangur Nagar Police Station confirmed the Tiwaris had filed a complaint against Kambli and his wife.

“We are probing the matter, after which necessary action will be initiated. As of now, a non-cognisable offence has been registered.

The singer-composer will tie the knot with mechanical engineer Pallavi Shukla in Kanpur on February 23
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 15, 2018)

Last October, singer-composer Ankit Tiwari’s paternal grandmother was travelling by train from Kanpur to Delhi when she met a young girl, Pallavi Shukla, who was in the same compartment. The two started chatting and hit it off instantly. Dadi knew she’d found the perfect match for her musician grandson, who according to his mother Suman Tiwari, had “no time for love” and often misses family gatherings because of work commitments.

Three months later, the Tiwaris and Shuklas are on a last-minute shopping spree for Ankit and Pallavi’s wedding. The couple will get engaged on February 20, then after the traditional haldi, sangeet and mehendi ceremonies will tie the knot in a typical North Indian shaadi on February 23 in Kanpur, followed by a reception on February 26. The families will also host a reception in Mumbai once Ankit returns from his Delhi, Chandigarh and Kolkata tours by the month-end.

“Usually weddings in our family last 10-12 days, but Ankit doesn’t have the time. His shows are booked months in advance and we worked around his dates,” Ankit’s older brother Ankur, who also manages his work, says, adding that his conservative in-laws don’t wish to share a pic of the bride-to-be before the pheras.

The couple will dance to the tunes of Ankit’s award-winning Aashiqui 2 track “Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu” as well as his other chartbusters, “Galliyan” and “O Yara”. The groom describes his first meeting with Pallavi in Mumbai as a “private and personal affair”. “Once dadi announced that Pallavi would be the family’s daughter-in-law, everyone agreed. I’m happy that the family is happy and a little nervous too. She is a very sweet and simple girl. During our first meeting there were 10 others seated between us,” Ankit laughs.

Pallavi is a mechanical engineer who has spent the last 10 years in Bangalore. “I’ve introduced her and her family to my work and life in Mumbai where she will live after marriage,” Ankit signs off.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; February 4, 2018)

Singer-composer Ankit Tiwari is set to start a new chapter in his life. The Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu singer will tie the knot with Pallavi Shukla, a Kanpur-based mechanical engineer, on February 23. The wedding, an intimate affair, will be held in his hometown, Kanpur. The couple will exchange rings on February 20 and a reception will be held on the 26th.

Ankit tells us, “It’s an arranged match. Pallavi and I were introduced to each other by our parents around a month ago. I liked her simplicity and the way she bonded with my parents, especially with my father. She is his choice. Pallavi is an educated girl with high family values. I am from a middle-class family and I wanted a partner jo parivaar ko saath lekar chale.”

Pallavi is also a fan of Ankit’s music and her favourite composition of his is Galliyan (Ek Villain). Does she also like to sing? “Usko gaana gaane ka shauq hai. There will be music sessions during all the rituals and don’t be surprised if I sing her favourite number.”

Ankit, who was accused of rape in 2013 and acquitted last year, says Pallavi has no hang-ups about his past. “We met before the marriage was finalised and I discussed everything with her. Her parents were also made aware of everything right from the start. Ab zamaana bahut aage badh chuka hai. Aaj bhi log discussion kar sakte hain, I can’t stop them. What’s important is ki jiske saath mein judne wala hoon, nothing is hidden from her and her family. I didn’t need to justify myself to her,” he says.

A get-together with industry friends will be held in Mumbai later. Here’s wishing the soon-to-wed couple all the very best for a melodious beginning.

– With inputs from Itishree Misra

London-based actress is all set to feature in an upcoming music video which is an Arabic dance number
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 23, 2017)

When “Sunn Raha Hai” and “Galliyan” hitmaker Ankit Tiwari wanted to take an Arabic dance number from his bank of film songs and convert it into a racy music video, he thought of London-based Amy Jackson. The 25-year-old actress had been flying in and out of the country to wrap up her portions in S Shankar’s 2.0 alongside Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar and wanted to listen to the song first. “She loved it and instantly said yes,” a source close to the development told Mirror, adding that the song was extensively shot in the snow-capped mountains of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

The video, which is produced by the singer-composer’s brother Ankur Tiwari, had been composed a while ago, but conceptualizing it and locking Amy’s dates took three months. A unit of over a dozen technicians was flown down to Bishkek, where Sanjay Dutt and Nargis Fakhri are presently filming their upcoming thriller-drama, Torbaaz, for a week-long shoot. “The country is opening up its locations to Bollywood and welcomed our team whole-heartedly to explore rare locations. Amy will be seen in belly-dancing costumes with fur coats thrown over, alongside Ankit in the song,” the source added.

Three months ago, Ankit had released the single “Tum Hardafa Ho”, which had featured him alongside Miss India 2015, Aditi Arya. The Times Music romantic track had been written by Abhendra Kumar Upadhyay with Ankit behind the console and female vocals by Leena Bose. “To take the ‘singles’ movement to another level, Ankit wanted to sing and feature in a completely different track from his earlier release. He will release three-four more singles in quick succession through 2018,” the source signed off.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 31, 2017)

Ever since its advent, social media has served as a great equaliser — Bollywood celebs share glimpses of their everyday life alongside their fans — and an enabler, letting everyone with an opinion voice it freely.

And while outrage is subsequently the new cool, Bollywood singers are using it to effectively rally behind a common refrain. They feel robbed of what is rightfully theirs — a sense of autonomy in their music and a more well-rounded equation with the stars they lend their voice to.

Mistaken identity
Neha Bhasin, the silken voice behind Priyanka Chopra’s burlesque act in “Assalam-E-Ishqum” from Gunday and the lilting “Jag Ghoomeya” from Sultan, expressed her disappointment not so long ago. “A little respect for the music industry wouldn’t hurt anybody. We are where we are with credibility and integrity,” she argued. The 34-year-old singer who rose to fame as part of a girl band which grew out of a 2002 reality show, was among the first to address the issue.

Composer-lyrcist Armaan Malik noted that he was mistaken for his singer brother Amaal Mallik by the media and leading actors at a comically alarming frequency. At an awards show, Aditi Singh Sharma, who lent her voice to the title track of Dhoom 3, was also mistaken for the “Baby Doll” hitmaker Kanika Kapoor.

Meanwhile, Armaan addressed the trend of actors taking up singing gigs for their films and also the much coveted opening act spots for international performers like Coldplay and Justin Bieber. “Leave the stage and mic to us, that’s our playground not yours,” he had said. He was seconded by Kailash Kher.

The lip-sync battle
Ayushmann Khurrana, a singer-VJ before Vicky Donor, acknowledges that many singers strongly believe actors shouldn’t sing. He asserts that there are only two others of his kind, Farhan Akhtar and Diljit Dosanjh, so singers should not be insecure. “In India, we consume music visually. We would listen to a song more if Salman Khan was lip-syncing to it than Arijit Singh,” he explains, adding that an actor like him realises his limitations as a singer. “In Dum Laga Ke Haisha, ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhage’ was a classical song. I’d never attempt that. It’ll always be Papon’s.”

Ankit Tiwari, who composed and sung “Galliyan” for Ek Villain, which also had a reprised version by Shraddha Kapoor, admitted that technology has made it simpler to tune voices and use singles for promotional purposes.

Assembly line
Ankit reveals that he’s met producers who’ve asked him to “get inspired” by certain songs before making new music. “As a result, most of our songs end up sounding the same. Unlike the West, where the final song is the singers’ alone, in Bollywood, everyone from the producer, director to the composer has a say,” he grouses, noting that if producers encourage non-filmi, pop songs with videos, it’ll change the face of music in India.

“Ours is an industry driven by superstars. They are the face of not only films, but also songs. Singers merely give playback. In commercial cinema, everyone wants to promote songs with known faces. So the need of the hour is to have singers and composers acknowledged at music launches,” the voice behind “Go Go Govinda” and “Jaaneman Aah”, Aaman Trikha, says.

To market, to market
Trikkha iterates that overseas, every artist is self-sufficient because of strategically cut out deals with music labels. “They have support from music labels with the commercial aspects of their work. They do promotional tours, gain fans and popularity. So what they invest in, they earn it back. This set-up doesn’t exist in India at all!” Aaman rants, adding the system needs to be changed from the origin up.

“Paani Da Rang” composer Rochak Kohli brings up a crucial argument, “The royalty system in the West is sorted and efficient. Not only singers and makers, but also programmers, engineers, musicians earn royalties. There’s a need for this in India if a strong, independent music industry is to be developed.”

Royalty matters
Kavita Seth admits that mutual trust and understanding between the fraternities is the ideal scenario but today’s world only understands the language of legal documents. And technicians suffer in the absence of a royalties system. Meanwhile, Ankit Tiwari recalls an event that gave him a new perpective on the status quo. “I was to perform at a charity event and was taken aback to learn that some of the funds raised was meant for senior technicians on strings, bass and dholaks and other recording artists from the ’70s–’80s who have no source of income today. Some of these technicians worked on key notes in 'Mere Rashke Qamar', which I remixed for Baadshaho, as well as the originals of other recent remixes, 'Keh Doon Tumhe' and 'Hamma Hamma'". Veteran singers Shaan and Sonu Nigam admit that the number of song offers has dwindled ever since they brought up royalty. “Even at the age of 50–60, musicians have to perform live to stay afloat. How is that fair? If I, as an accomplished singer, don’t use my work to fight for what’s right, who will?” Sonu asks.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 30, 2017)

Sunny Leone’s special song “Piya More” with Emraan Hashmi in Baadshaho won’t sound the same anymore. Mirror has learnt that the lyrics of the song have been changed following allegations by filmmaker Jay Prakash, who claims it’s copied from the song “Nasha Sar Pe Chadke Bole” from his 2014 film, Dee Saturday Night. The filmmaker had threatened to take the matter to court for copyright infringement.

Incidentally, both songs were composed by Ankit Tiwari, while Mika and Neeti Mohan have given playback for “Piya More”. The hook line of the Baadshaho version has now been changed from “Haule Haule” to “Slowly Slowly”. While Tiwari chose not to comment, a spokesperson for Baadshaho told Mirror that the decision was taken in order to avoid further controversies. “Ankit Tiwari undertook the task to resolve an issue from his earlier composition which resembled the song 'Piya More' slightly. When he failed to do so, the filmmakers decided to make the necessary changes to avoid conflict,” the spokesperson revealed.

Incidentally, lyrics of another Baadshaho number, the new version of the 1975 Deewar hit “Keh Doon Tumhe” also had to be altered following a judgment passed by the division bench of the Mumbai High Court on Monday, where Rajiv Rai, who has the rights to the original, won the case. The spokesperson said, “T-Series had bought the rights to recreate 'Keh Doon Tumhe' from Universal, which included underlying rights. The court ruled that Universal can’t sell the underlying rights. So the court order was obeyed.

Producer claims Piya More from Emraan Hashmi-starrer has been lifted from Nasha Sar Pe from Dee Saturday Night
Upala KBR (DNA; July 27, 2017)

The latest song of Baadshaho, titled Piya More, featuring Emraan Hashmi and Sunny Leone, was launched with much fanfare on Tuesday. Now, the number has landed director Milan Luthria, music company T-Series and composer Ankit Tiwari in legal trouble.

Filmmaker Jai Prakkash has claimed that the number has been lifted from a lesser-known song, Nasha Sar Pe Chadke Bole, from his film Dee Saturday Night (2014). Tiwari has composed both the songs.

Speaking to mid-day, Prakash said, “I was shocked when I heard Piya More, it’s the same as Nasha Sar Pe Chadke Bole.” The director further elaborates that this is a case of copyright infringement. “They [makers of Baadshaho] must have asked Ankit to compose an item song and he conveniently lifted Ankit the song from my film. Ankit must have thought, ‘Film kisiko maloom nahi hai, producer flop baitha hua hai, kaun action lega?’”

Prakash has decided to take legal recourse. “I discussed the matter with Ashoke Pandit (vice president of IMPPA) and other members of the committee. They insisted that I take legal action.” He adds, “I’m shocked that people like Bhushan Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Milan Luthria, who are spending Rs 100 crore on the film, cannot [get their composer to] create another [original] song! I’ll take legal action against them and stop the movie’s release, if need be.”

When mid-day reached out to Tiwari, he said, “The two songs are definitely not similar. If you get a music expert to listen to both songs, he’ll tell you about [the difference in their] tunes and chord progression.”

Vinod Bhanushali, [president, T-Series] says the company approved the song composed by Tiwari and included it in the film. “How would I know if the music composer has sent us a tune which is similar [to an existing song]? Mr Jai Prakkash should ideally contact Ankit Tiwari."

Neha Maheshwri and Seema Mattoo (BOMBAY TIMES; May 9, 2017)

After music composer-singer Ankit Tiwari was acquitted of rape charges recently, the complainant, who turned hostile, says she will now move the High Court
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; May 3, 2017)