Actor Kartik Aaryan, 34, has denied any involvement with an Independence Day event in Houston (USA) after the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) raised concerns over the organizers.

In an official letter, FWICE claimed that the event, Azadi Utsav – The Indian Independence Day, is being organised by Aga’s Restaurant and Catering, a “Pakistani-owned restaurant”. The body further pointed out that the same organisers are also promoting Jashn-e-Azadi, a Pakistan Independence Day celebration, along with a concert by Pakistani singer Atif Aslam.

Responding to that, the actor’s team issued a clarification that read: “Kartik Aaryan is not associated with this event in any capacity. We have contacted the organisers and requested to remove all promotional materials featuring his name and image.”

FWICE’s letter also stated that “the simultaneous promotion of Indian and Pakistani national events by the same establishment not only creates a conflict of interest, but also violates the ongoing national sentiment and directives”.

Vivek Anand Oberoi, who was shooting for Rohit Shetty’s web series Indian Police Force until early May, has taken a few weeks off to spearhead a multi-city fundraiser across the USA. The actor has teamed up with CRY America for the initiative that aims to benefit over 7.5 lakh underprivileged children in India. The donations will be utilized to work towards the safety, health and education of kids. Oberoi, who has finished the San Francisco and San Diego leg, is grateful that people are doing their bit for children.

“Both fundraisers were phenomenal successes. We are looking at doing [three more] fundraisers — in New York, Seattle, and Houston. We hope to create a big impact with this initiative,” he says.

Last year, the actor had started a similar event that provided aid to over 3,000 kids battling cancer. Stating that the donations pledged at the recent fundraisers have exceeded his expectations, Oberoi says, “Acting is my passion, but the meaningfulness that comes into my life by helping others and trying to bring a smile to someone else’s face is exceptional. That joy is more fulfilling than any award or reward I have ever got.”

Hot cross buns and Easter are pretty much synonymous for Ileana D’Cruz. With a mom who is quite a ninja when it comes to kitchen skills, it is not too difficult to imagine the kind of delectable Easters the actress has grown up with. Talking to us a day after Easter, Ileana says, “It was obviously a little lonely for me because my parents are in Houston, while I’m alone here. But I made it special by going out to one of my favourite bakeries and buying some Easter eggs. Since social distancing is the need of the hour, I sent it over to a couple of friends. I got some healthy ones for my friends and me. That’s how I managed to spread my own kind of Easter cheer.”

Recalling her Easter celebrations during her childhood, Ileana says, “Easter was an incredibly religious festival in our house, especially because of my mother. Every year after Mass, Easter Sundays would be a day of goodies! The best part about having a mom who can belt out scrumptious dishes like a genie is that festivals become all the more fun. She comes up with new recipes all the time. One thing that’s special, which my mother always makes for Easter, is hot cross buns.”

Getting a tad philosophical, the Raid actress shares, “The pandemic has changed not just the way we celebrate festivals, but practically everything for everybody. It definitely has muted festivals, and for good reasons. But there’s no denying that I miss our festive, family get-togethers. Last Christmas, I missed the big parties that mom would host with all her friends coming over, and everyone crowding over a massive table full of food. So, it’s different for sure, but I have a lovely big family. I have had a chance to hang out with them over the last few months. I am going to stick with those memories for now until I can spend the next festival with them.”

Ananth Mahadevan is back from the Houston Indian Film Festival where his film, Rough Book, was adjudged Best Feature. The elated filmmaker is quick to point out that it was an all-American jury and most of the audience too were locals rather than the Indian diaspora. “In fact, I discovered that the Chancellor of the University of Houston, Renu Khator, an Indian immigrant had turned the system around much like the protagonist played by Tannishtha Chatterjee,“ points out Ananth.

The project evolved when Aakash Chaudhry, a Harvard graduate and the founder of the Aakash coaching Institute, approached him with the idea of making a film on the Indian education system. Initially, Ananth wasn't too excited because education is more academic than cinematic good for debates but not movies. It took him two months and interviews with several teachers to come up with an interesting idea.“It's the emotional journey of a teacher who thinks-out-of-box and challenges the system to move towards a global education pattern in which aptitude scores over marks,“ says Ananth.

He recalls meeting Dorothy Weener, one of the selectors for Berlinale, when she was in India two months ago. Though his film wasn't ready for screening at the time, he showed her a rough cut to gauge her opinion. When she asked him what it was about, he told her that it was the first Indian film on the education system, only to have her rattling off the names of a few Tamil films and Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots. “But after watching Rough Book, she admitted that I had put my finger on the wound,“ says Ananth.

What's encouraging is that children from schools and colleges are identifying with the film and after the screenings in Dallas and Houston, Ananth not only got calls from distributors but also principals of several education institutions wanting to screen Rough Book for students and parents. Ananth who is looking to tie-up with a studio for a mid-June release, is hopeful that such reactions will convince the trade that it has a much bigger box-office potential.

“During shows of Gour Hari Dastaan in Kerela, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa, I heard people whistling, clapping, tearing up and admitting later that they felt they were watching a Rajinikanth film. We've moved beyond the star system to films that touch the mind and heart,“ he reiterates. “The education system today is like the rough book we were given to scribble in before the teacher told us to make it fair. Now the system needs to be faired too.“