Indian-American singer Kabir manages to win hearts with Got Me Hooked

 When Indian-American singer Kabir released his debut single Got Me Hooked, he was anxious how well it will be accepted. The Brown Debonair as he has been nicknamed by the US media, Kabir has a very unique silvery voice compared to traditional Indian singers abroad.

 Singer Kabir. Pic 8.

A fortnight after his release, he is a happy man. Got me Hooked has not only been well-received, but has earned rave reviews in the American, Canadian as well as British media. Winning hearts of the huge Asian community as well as on the mainstream music circuit, its fast emerging a hot favourite with many radio stations playing it several times a day.

Written and produced by Damen Heyward and Juan ‘Majik’ Peters, the number has a set of hypnotic rhythms with the video having a very chilled-out feel. This has also managed to win Kabir a strong female fan-following.

 Singer Kabir. Pic 9.

“I should admit I was a bit nervous before the release, but the response from radio stations and social media has been heartening,” quips Kabir. Moreover, his video has steadily been growing in popularity on YouTube with consistent organic views and lots of positive comments, which has brought more cheer.

The singer narrates an incident when he recently visited an Indie club in Brooklyn and the DJ immediately recognized him. “The club managed to get hold of the number from YouTube and began playing it, announcing my presence. It was a touching and overwhelming moment for me. They made me feel like a rockstar,” recalls the debutant.

 Singer Kabir. Pic 11.

Not many are aware that Kabir actually belongs to the family of Partap Brothers with a rich musical heritage. Music runs in his blood, with some of his family members being veterans of traditional spiritual music and ambassadors of the Sikh community in North America. This makes it all the more interesting to see how Kabir will steer his musical journey from here.

Singer Kabir. Pic 10.

Indian-American singer Kabir releases debut single Got Me Hooked

Singer Kabir - Single Cover Pic

Indian-American Brooklyn boy Kabir worked as a financial analyst in New York for the multi-billion-dollar company Bloomberg LP. But when it came to his dreams, he was man enough to quit his high-flying job to pursue his passion for singing. Released this week, his debut single Got Me Hooked, is sure managing to catch attention.

Singer Kabir. Pic 2.

Written and produced by Damen Heyward and Juan ‘Majik’ Peters, Got Me Hooked is a peppy pop number with electrifying beats and racy lyrics. The music video reveals Kabir in a suave and stylish avatar. With a set of hypnotic rhythms and silvery voice, he comes across as a chilled-out ladies man out to conquer hearts.

 

 

Kabir’s voice has the pitch of a Punjabi jat combined with a soothing touch of flowing melody. A very unusual sound from what we are used to hear from Asian-American singers. And that is also what makes him stand out.

Singer Kabir. Pic 3.

He has a rich musical heritage that includes the Partap Brothers; veterans of traditional spiritual music and ambassadors of the Sikh community in North America.

Singer Kabir. Pic 5.

It turns out that over the years, classic and contemporary American songs have shaped Kabir’s sound along with traditional Indian music, reflecting his varying influences even on a pop track.

Singer Kabir. Pic 6.

That’s an interesting personality-sound combo we have here. Now we’ll have to wait and watch how well it hooks the listeners.

Singer Kabir. Pic 7.

Tiger Zinda Hai photo resembles one in Maine Pyar Kiya

When I saw this Salman Khan pic from Tiger Zinda Hai, it immediately reminded me of the posters of Maine Pyar Kiya. So I decided to Google pics from MPK and bingo… that was it. :):) Cute, isn’t it?

Bollywood publicist Dale Bhagwagar posted a cute memory on Twitter.

PR client Preetisheel Singh featured in Mumbai Mirror

Got a feature done for PR client Preetisheel Singh in Mumbai Mirror. The National Award winner for make-up and prosthetics is pure magic for Bollywood flicks.

Preetisheel Singh in Mumbai Mirror

The Post beats Paid News and Fake News

In an era of Paid News and Fake News, comes a movie about journalistic ethics. ‘The Post’ has it all and more.

The Post

Ashmit Patel’s parents appeal to ‘save’ their son

With just a day remaining for Bigg Boss Season 4 to come to an end, contestant Ashmit Patel’s parents, Asha and Amit Patel, are keeping their fingers crossed for their son.

 

Though Ashmit has repeatedly proved that he is the ‘most genuine’ Housemate, the boy is facing very strong competition from Shweta Tiwari, Dolly Bindra as well as The Great Khali.

 

Meanwhile, there is widespread speculation about ex-contestant Manoj Tiwari having ‘bought’ and manipulated votes by the lakhs to make his old friend Shweta Tiwari win the show.

 

Ashmit’s parents have appealed to all to ‘save’ their son from losing. “Please help our son Ashmit in his quest for righteousness. He is a fighter and has always stood for ethics with uprightness and honesty. In his hour of need, we feel he is lonely in Bigg Boss and needs your help,” they appealed.

 

For the sake of righteousness, Ashmit has been witnessed standing firm against the unruly Dolly Bindra, an arrogant Manoj Tiwari, and holding his own, even against The Great Khali, when the WWE strongman was physically pushing Housemates in the show.

 

If you too feel for Ashmit’s genuine nature, you can vote for him upto 99 times by sms’ing ASH to 56882 and help the righteous one survive the ones with nastiness and double standards.

Shweta Tiwari, Dolly Bindra, The Great Khali DITCH ‘genuine’ Ashmit Patel!

When Bigg Boss gave the remaining four Housemates the liberty to make a unanimous decision about removing any one contestant from the House, they were all clear about whose names they would take.

 

Shweta Tiwari and The Great Khali wanted Dolly Bindra to leave and they discussed this in detail. In turn, Dolly wanted Shweta to leave. But Ashmit Patel voluntarily accepted to leave the House if that made the other Housemates happy. At this time, all the three other contestants strongly objected to Ashmit’s words and sacrifice, saying he should not leave. They reassured him that they stood by him and supported his continued stay in the House.

 

But when Bigg Boss asked the Housemates about their final decision, to everyone’s surprise, ALL three of the others – Dolly Bindra, The Great Khali as well as Shweta Tiwari – took a U-turn, unabashedly deserting and ditching Ashmit Patel for their personal gain of staying put in the House.

 

Exposing their double-standards, they all agreed to Ashmit’s ouster, without giving it second thought.

 

But God had other plans for the most genuine man on the show. As it turned out to be, Bigg Boss asked Ashmit to open the mysterious ‘red box’ which was given to Dolly two days ago, and the person who was voted out by the contestants, was not only allowed to stay back in the House, but also earned an extra prize money of five lakhs.

 

“Jaako raakhe saiya maar sake na koi,” remarked Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar outside the House. If you too feel for Ashmit’s genuine nature, you can vote for him upto 99 times. Just sms ASH to 56882 as many times as possible and help the righteous man survive the ones with double standards.

‘Dolly Bindra fooled India!’

Looking at the way Dolly Bindra has been inciting Ashmit Patel, the Bollywood actor’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar says, “Dolly Bindra never changed. She just fooled the nation that she had mellowed down. It was a farce we all fell for. But now we all know how she fakes for TRPs.”

 

It can be recalled how Dolly’s entry into Bigg Boss spoilt the peace and calm of the House. While most found her behaviour despicable, a few even enjoyed her antics.

 

First, she unabashedly attacked Shweta Tiwari with vengeance (Shweta’s ex-husband Raja Chaudhary is said to have slapped Dolly at a party a few months ago). Shweta, who couldn’t bear it after a few days, even patched up with Dolly.

 

But after the unruly lady allegedly hit Sameer Soni with an iron rod (apparently we weren’t shown this footage on television), she was removed from the House.

 

On her return (wonder who in their right sense of mind, voted for her) as a wild card entry, her attitude ‘seemed’ to have changed. But Dolly has once again showed her true colours, going back to her old ways, this time, attacking Ashmit Patel.

 

Unluckily for her, Ashmit has turned out to be mentally stronger. The gutsy actor has been giving it back to Dolly (sometimes teasing her in her own peculiar style, tone and language).

 

This seems to have puzzled and shaken Dolly. But Ashmit needs to beware. Wonder what she would do next!

Veena Malik gone; will Ashmit Patel be cornered?

After Sara Khan, Ashmit Patel has had to bid farewell to another ‘good friend’ Veena Malik, who was evicted from Bigg Boss this Friday.

The Pakistani starlet was the last of the housemates to maintain a pro-Ashmit stand. She used to pamper him like a baby; feeding him his morning dose of papaya, making and serving chai, cooking his favourite dishes, massaging him and even providing the daily dose of kisses and bear hugs.

In fact, Veena was the only person Ashmit could count on, while other housemates disliked his frank and straight-forward ways.

Moreover, it was the couple’s obvious fondness for each other that added spice, not only to their lives, but also to the viewer’s interest.

For latecomers, Veena’s affection for Ashmit surfaced during their task this Diwali, where night cameras caught her fondling and caressing him, as he fell asleep. Despite their arguments, the couple had immense understanding for each other and Veena had become Ashmit’s emotional support in a House full of back-biters.

Now that Veena is out, everyone expects Ashmit to be cornered by the unruly Dolly Bindra, who seems to be calculatingly waiting for another chance to pounce on him.

But the Bollywood actor’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar is still confident of his client. “A little aloofness will give Ashmit a breather and time to introspect in a House full of stress. Knowing him, I can vouch for his guts to slug it out and try to be a survivor even in this hostile environment,” remarked the PR specialist.

As the drama escalates, only time will tell, how Ashmit Patel will cope with life without Veena Malik in the Bigg Boss House.

Bhansali’s revenge on Salman?

Wonder if Sanjay Leela Bhansali has found a new and unique way to attack the Dabangg superstar Salman Khan for having given statements for his film Guzaarish on Bigg Boss.

 

A Mumbai local tabloid has published an article, with Bhansali’s pet journalist Subhash K Jha alleging that “Bhojpuri star Manoj Tiwari blames Salman Khan for his ouster from Bigg Boss 4.”

 

The article states that Tiwari believes his ouster against Ashmit Patel was a “slap on his face, given his thousands of fans.”

 

That’s not all! It says, Tiwari has now alleged that the song ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ in Arbaaz Khan’s Dabangg has been plagiarized from a song of a late composer called Tarabano Faizabadi.

 

The article adds that an insulted Tiwari has deputed his men “to track down Tarabano’s family who live somewhere in Delhi. He has taken up the task of getting them ‘justice’ from the Khans.”

 

Tch tch! Seems some people can go to any extent and use any method for revenge!

Manoj Tiwari attacks Salman and Arbaaz Khan!

Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari is now ruing over a tweet of actor Arbaaz Khan which said, “I would try save Ashmit by sending a SMS,” insinuating that the Khan brothers Salman (the host of the reality show) and Arbaaz, have ‘scripted’ his eviction from Bigg Boss. Manoj is also learnt to have told a television channel that his eviction could be a ‘conspiracy’ against Bhojpuri actors.

 

“Mr Tiwari is singling out Arbaaz just because he is unable to digest his defeat opposite Ashmit Patel and probably feels the need to blame someone for it. If Arbaaz tweeted, what’s wrong about it? Doesn’t Arbaaz have his own identity, independent of Salman Khan? Just because he is Salman’s brother, can Manoj Tiwari hold him guilty for tweeting? By doing so, he’s being a petty superstar,” reacted Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar.

 

In his moment of embarrassment, Manoj seems to have conveniently missed out the fact that Karan Johar, Amisha Patel, Manyata and Sanjay Dutt, Farah Khan, Ali Merchant, Hrishant Goswami, Ishq Bector and a host of Bollywood people, along with Ashmit’s growing fan-following, put in their bit to help him win the round opposite the Bhojpuri superstar. We are aware how most of them SMS’d, emailed, posted messages on their Blackberry Messengers, Twitter and Facebook and even spread the word-of-mouth.

 

Moreover, the biggest chunk of votes must have come from Gujarat, where a mass SMS campaign called ‘Save Aapno Gujjubhai’ (Save Our Gujjubhai) was conducted in the state by Ashmit’s managing team.

 

Inspite of this, fans of Manoj Tiwari have burnt effigies of Salman Khan in Patna. Manoj Tiwari Fan Club president Manish Kumar, along with some 20-25 supporters, protested against eviction of their superstar and claimed that Bigg Boss had ‘insulted’ the 26-crore Bhojpuri community.

EXPOSED: How Ashmit Patel was ‘saved’!

While everyone is wondering how Ashmit Patel could upstage Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari in Bigg Boss, here’s how he won the round. Not many are aware that the Bollywood actor has a huge friend-circle lobbying for him outside the House every time he is nominated.

 

Tapping all channels of communication including SMS, emails, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, word-of-mouth along with personal requests; most of his close friends doubled up as lobbyists to make sure Ashmit had a stronger vote bank than Manoj Tiwari.

 

Karan Johar tweeted and requested everyone he met to vote for Ashmit. Sister Amisha Patel sent out several messages requesting all Bollywood folks and her fans to vote for her brother. Sara Khan’s husband Ali Merchant and evicted Bigg Boss participant Hrishant Goswami were among the strongest lobbyists for Ashmit.

 

Manyata and Sanjay Dutt fiercely supported him and asked their entire friend-circle to vote for Ashmit. All of his family as well as friends like Ishq Bector exhausted their 99 SMS’s per week limit to save him.

 

Plus, the actors managing team swung into action and sent out mass messages requesting fans and friends for support with the SMS-votes. Even Veena Malik’s fans were largely tapped.

 

But the biggest chunk of votes must have come from Gujarat. A mass SMS campaign called ‘Save Aapno Gujjubhai’ (Save Our Gujjubhai) was conducted in the state by Ashmit’s managing team.

 

All this, while everyone thought Ashmit would lose out to Manoj Tiwari.