Showing posts with label Halka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halka. Show all posts
If I earned enough from acting, I’d not have felt the need to sell fruits-Solanki Diwakar
8:17 AM
Solanki Diwakar, who’s acted in films such as Dream Girl and Sonchiriya, sells fruits on Delhi’s streets to support his income when he isn’t working on a film
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; May 29, 2020)
Solanki Diwakar, an actor who has worked in films like Dream Girl, Halka, and Sonchiriya, has been supporting his family with his ‘side-business’ of selling fruits from Okhla to Malviya Nagar in Delhi. The 38-year-old actor, who hails from Agra, lives in Sriniwaspuri in Delhi, and when he is not auditioning for (or acting in) films, he’s back on the streets with his fruit cart.But it’s not like filmmakers haven’t tried to help him. Solanki says, “When directors came to know I’m selling fruits during the Coronavirus pandemic, they got in touch with me to help, but I have been selling fruits as a part-time job for almost 10 years, and now when shoots have completely stopped, this is what’s keeping me afloat. My directors Nila Madhab Panda, who gave me a role in Kadvi Hawa and Halka, and Raaj Shaandilyaa, who directed me in Dream Girl, got in touch with me, but I’m doing well. Everyone’s in distress during the pandemic, not just me.”
Cine associations are supporting actors and crew members in Mumbai, didn’t he get in touch with them for support? He says, “While I am supporting myself by selling fruits, several artistes and crew members want to do only film industry-related work, hence they need more help to sustain themselves right now. All shoots have stopped. Maybe, in a couple of months, we’ll start shooting again.”Solanki adds, “I have done small roles in over 30 films. I went to Mumbai in 2005, but I didn’t get the opportunities I wanted, so I came back to Delhi.” He says that since the income from films is not sufficient, he can’t stop selling fruits.
But with interested customers, Solanki loves to share his experiences from the film world. He says, “Yes, people often ask me, ‘Aisa lagta hai aapko kahin dekha hai.’ I smile and tell them that they must have seen me in movies.”
Shankar Mahadevan records song with Rising Star contestants for Nila Madhab Panda's Halka
6:54 AM
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 31, 2017)
Singer-composer Shankar
Mahadevan was so floored by the performances of the Diljot Qawwali group
and Ankita Kundu on the singing reality show Rising Star, which he
judges alongside Monali Thakur and Diljit Dosanjh, that he's giving both
the contestants a Bollywood break. On Thursday, Ankita and the group,
whose members are between the age of 10 to 40, recorded a song for I Am
Kalam's director Nila Madhab Panda's next film, Halka, revolving around
children living in the slums.
“The Diljot Qawwalli group are a rocking bunch of singers who don't strictly sing qawwalis. They are always in perfect sync and always trying to improve themselves. Ehsaan (Noorani), Loy (Mendonsa) and I were composing a qawwali-style, peppy number when it struck me that the energy of these happy kids would only enhance it,“ Shankar said, adding that he believes Ankita can become a top-class playback singer if she continues with her passion. “She's a young kid but her voice is mature and she sings perfectly. If we are able to fulfill some of the dreams of these children, it will be great,“ he says.
About scoring for an off-beat film, Shankar says that the composer trio accords equal attention to both mainstream and small films that support causes. “We decided to do it the moment we heard the script which aims at spreading social awareness,“ he signs off.
“The Diljot Qawwalli group are a rocking bunch of singers who don't strictly sing qawwalis. They are always in perfect sync and always trying to improve themselves. Ehsaan (Noorani), Loy (Mendonsa) and I were composing a qawwali-style, peppy number when it struck me that the energy of these happy kids would only enhance it,“ Shankar said, adding that he believes Ankita can become a top-class playback singer if she continues with her passion. “She's a young kid but her voice is mature and she sings perfectly. If we are able to fulfill some of the dreams of these children, it will be great,“ he says.
About scoring for an off-beat film, Shankar says that the composer trio accords equal attention to both mainstream and small films that support causes. “We decided to do it the moment we heard the script which aims at spreading social awareness,“ he signs off.
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