Bringing the colour and moves of Bollywood to the neighbourhood, get involved with BollyRed’s high energy moves for an unforgettable afternoon full of jaw-dropping performances and fun skills workshops.

First catch a performance by BollyRed’s sensational dancers then, do it yourself! BollyRed’s skilled dancers will teach you some of the key moves for a truly grand finale.

Performances times:

12:30pm to 1pm
2pm to 2:30pm
3:30pm to 4pm

Free to attend. No ticket required. Just turn and have fun.

Written and directed by two-time Academy and three-time Emmy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, SITARA: LET GIRLS DREAM takes the audience on a journey through the old city of Lahore, where, Pari, a fourteen-year-old girl dreams of becoming a pilot and whose story is told through the perspective of her younger sister, Mehr. It is a story about the burdens of a family and the impact of a culture where girls are still struggling to fully realize their dreams. SITARA is a silent film [no dialogues], which embodies this struggle.

“Waadi Animations is proud to have created an animated short that is at par with the best of the world and we are delighted that SITARA will be available to a global audience on Netflix. We hope it will lead to thoughtful discussions as we also begin screening the film in schools and community centers around the world. We strongly believe that Investing in the dreams of young girls will lead to a more equitable world.” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

SITARA won three awards at the Los Angeles Animation Festival (LAAF) 2019 in the categories of Best Produced Screenplay, Best Music Score and the Humanitarian Award.It is the only animation film from Pakistan to have won three awards at LAAF 2019. 

Chinoy had earlier launched a campaign with GUCCI’s social impact initiative Chime for Change to #LetGirlsDream by encouraging girls around the world to share their dreams and gain inspiration from one another. A robust school outreach program is already underway across the world to encourage girls to hold meaningful conversations about their dreams and how to achieve them. More details for this campaign at www.LetGirlsDream.org.

The music for SITARA has been composed by Grammy and Emmy Award-Winning composer Laura Karpman. Finances and produced by VICE Studios, the film’s Executive Producers include Gloria Steinem, the iconic women’s rights activist, and Darla Anderson, the Academy Award Winning producer of ‘Coco’ and ‘Toy Story 3’, VICE Media Group CEO Nancy Dubuc, and Emmy-nominated Ariel Wengroff as well as Sharmeen’s animation production company Waadi Animation with Imke Fehrmann as the producer for SITARA: LET GIRLS DREAM.

In Pakistan, the Waadi Animations Team is spearheaded by Art Director Salman Nasir, Animation Director Kamran Khan, CG Lighting Supervisor Adnan Saeed, Director of Photography Faizan Ali, Editor Husain Qaizer, Sound Effects Editor Sameer Khan, co-producer Eleyna Sara Haroun and Associate Producer Syed Ayub with Salman Iqbal, Jerjees Seja, Imke Fehrmann and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as producers.

Indeed, SITARA: LET GIRLS DREAM joins a growing slate of Netflix animated titles for families, which includes feature films ‘Klaus’ from Sergio Pablos [November 2019] as well as ‘The Willoughbys’ from Kris Pearn and ‘Over The Moon’  from Glen Keane in 2020.

Located in the heart of the lively Broadway Plaza complex, sits ODEON Luxe, a hub for film entertainment owned by the UK’s biggest cinema franchise. With 12 HD wide screens, IMAX, 3D showings and luxury recliner seats, you will experience a comfortable and relaxed cinematic experience like no other!

Birmingham’s ODEON Luxe is situated just a short walk away from prominent places such as Brindley Place and Broad Street and welcomes visitors of all ages. The two-tier cinema venue is also home to a range of snack and hot beverage counters such as Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream, Costa Coffee and Oscar’s Bar. On offer are a variety of tasty sides and sweet treats, such as mini potato-waffles, hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and refreshing drinks like Tango ice-blast, Coca-Cola, Fanta and many more. There’s plenty of room for both your food and your feet in ODEON’S screening rooms, with seats that extend to rest your legs, and fitted side tables to hold all your snacks. No more cramping yourself into tiny, packed rows of dusty chairs and arching your neck to see the film over your neighbour’s head. At ODEON Luxe, you can sit back, relax and finally enjoy that film you’ve been so eager to see with no disturbances guaranteed!

As you start to wind down for your ODEON showing, the screen will extend to a wall-length size, and you can enjoy your film with high-quality surround sound and a 4K resolution viewing experience. Unlike most other cinemas, you’ll find the temperature in your screening room to be warm and cosy, and your seats and surrounding area to be immaculately clean and up kept. The staff at ODEON Luxe are always happy to serve and assist you with all of your queries in a polite and cheerful manner.

You can either pre-book your cinema tickets online at www.odeon.co.uk or use one of the cinema’s six modern self-service machines to jump the queues. ODEON Luxe is wheelchair accessible, and certain films provide audio description. Children and family discounts are available, and you can enjoy exclusive previews and savings by purchasing a Limitless ODEON membership card. You can also get 2-4-1 tickets to the UK’s best attractions like Thorpe Park, The Sea Life Centre, Lego Land and Chessington World of Adventures when you book to see any film at ODEON Cinemas right now!

Manisha Bhanot

Adnan Sami was born in London, England, but is of Pakistani heritage, where he has also lived out a large proportion of his life. However, the Bollywood artist is now a national resident of India and has been given the nick-name ‘Major Adnan Sami’ by his social media following due to his major contributions towards the Pakistani cause in India.

As a result of the hacking, Adnami’s Twitter profile picture was changed to one of Pakistani PM Imran Khan. The infiltrating group also posted a tweet with an image of their symbolism and a caption announcing they had taken over the star’s profile.

“Your account has been hacked by the Turkish Cyber Army Ayyildiz Tim. Your DM correspondence and important data have been captured!” the post read. The group then began to send out various other tweets at five-minute intervals, declaring the hacking party’s love for their ‘brother country Pakistan’ and wishing to have ‘a cup of tea’ with their esteemed Prime Minister.

Sami’s Twitter bio was also changed to read ‘Ayyildiz Tim Love Pakistan’ along with emojis of a red heart and both the Pakistani and Turkish flags.

The hacking came a day after the infiltration of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan’s Twitter by the same group, as similar imagery and wording were posted on his profile before the account was deleted.

Bachchan’s profile picture was changed to a different picture of ex-cricketer Imran Khan. His bio was changed to read: “Actor … well at least some are STILL saying so !! Love Pakistan”.

The hackers also patronised India in one of their posts, which read: “The Indian State, who mercilessly attacks the Muslims fasting in the month of Ramadan, is attacking the Ummah Muhammad in this age! Indian Muslims are entrusted to us by Abdulhamid.”

In the following tweet, the hackers asked the mega-star followers for their international support. Whether they plan on continuing to target other Indian national super-stars still remains to be seen.

Manisha Bhanot

Tiger feels that accidents when performing action stunts cannot be avoided as he states: “Accidents like that are unpredictable. No matter how many precautions you take, something can go wrong. So the choice is between doing them and not doing them. The audience today is too smart to be taken in by a body double. They can easily make out when one is faking it.”

When commenting on the safety on set, Tiger claims that artists like himself who perform these stunts are assured on the safety of the environment so that the artist can perform these stunts feeling at ease mentally. The actor has performed many record-breaking jumps in the upcoming movie ‘Student of the Year 2′ and claims he doesn’t overthink before doing these stunts, “I tend to shut all thought out because the moment I start thinking, even an ounce of fear can make something go wrong.”

Movie producer, Pahlaj Nihalani, commented on the subject saying, “Nowadays leading men like doing all their stunts themselves. They know that body doubles don’t work anymore. After seeing live action in Hollywood films, they can easily tell when the hero is faking it.” Tiger is at an advantage as he is a martial artist, however extra precautions may need to be put in place for other artists.

Tiger’s next movie, ‘Student of the Year 2’ is releasing soon and is based on a story of two girls who fall for the character played by Tiger. When discussing the movie, he said, “I have done my best to bring in what people know me for, I have brought in a little ‘Tigerism’ in my character. I am really thankful to director Punit Malhotra for giving me a lot of scope to express myself in that manner. This is the first time on-screen in Bollywood that we are introducing kabaddi, which is exciting.”

Navkiran Bains

This spring saw the opening of the UK’s first Pakistani film festival at the MAC. Created in an effort to engage with the diversity of British Pakistani and Kashmiri communities, it showcased some of the region’s best independent film-making.

It opened with the UK premiere of ‘Lakeer’, the story of a Kashmiri couple separated by the 1947 Partition. Also included in the line-up were screenings of ‘Saving Face‘ and ‘A Girl in the River’ by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, before closing with ‘Josh’ a heart-wrenching film about the realities of social and class struggles in Karachi.
I went along to the screening of Lakeer, including a Q&A with its UK based writer Ali Adalat. The first Pahari film to be made, it was a rare experience to hear this mountain dialect spoken on the big screen just as it’s heard across the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir, and a large percentage of the Pakistani-Kashmiri diaspora in the U.K. Translated as lines and borders, both the title and the dialect symbolise the power of art and language in transcending man-made frontiers. Set at the time of the 1947 partition, politics are set aside to focus on the human cost of conflict with divided families separated by bureaucracy and war. Having rejected social convention, Sakina and Sheeda marry but only by eloping away from their communal village shared by Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus alike. It’s not religious differences that keep them apart, but their caste differences which make them social outcasts.

Their hopes for reconciliation with their families are destroyed when the violence of Partition arrives like a whirlwind, destroying religious harmony and separating the couple and their children between the India and Pakistan divide. The penultimate scene is a poignant reminder of the inhumanity of needless suffering in political conflict, and where to draw the line in power struggles.

The film brings up questions of changing identities amidst a changing political landscape with the Pahari language used as a tool to make a powerful statement about celebrating commonalities despite the turmoil. Sitting in the audience, I was disappointed though that more Pahari speaking people didn’t attend, despite a large percentage residing in Birmingham. There is an increasing interest to support films made in local languages, and rumour has it that Lakeer may hit the big screen in Star City soon, so be sure to look out for it.

There was no shortage of audience however at the Birmingham Town Hall on Mother’s Day. Though not filled to full capacity, the hall was filled with Qawwali enthusiasts enthralled by a three-hour set from Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwals. Nephews of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, they embody the presence of their former Ustadh and uncle in both appearance and performance. They returned to Birmingham after a successful tour in 2017, with their unique style of bringing to life the enduring music and poetry of Sufi mystics. Their focus on more traditional ghazals stretched to longer formal renditions sets them apart from their more commercial contemporaries. Their explanations of the lesser known qawwalis in both English and their native Punjabi were met with ecstatic hand clapping and feet tapping that reached a crescendo with the popular Mere Rashke Qamar and a seamless merging of the two versions of Laal Shahbaz Qalander.

Between the Pakistani film festival at the MAC and the qawwali concert at the Town Hall, March was a great month for the arts close to the cultural roots of many of the Midlands Asian communities. It’s a great way to inspire and channel the untapped talent in our region with greater encouragement to pursue the arts.

Saiqa Latif

Eaten by Lions is a coming of age film about two half-brothers that go in search of my character’s father. Together they travel all the way to Blackpool in the hopes of meeting this vague image of a paternal figure which Omar has imagined. From then on, you see our characters take part in this whacky road-trip, and meet a bunch of crazy people on the way who are played by the likes of Johnny Vegas, Asim Chaudry and Nitin Ganatra, who are obviously some really great comedians.

2)    What was it like being on set and working with fellow cast members Jack Caroll (Britain’s Got Talent, Trollied), Nitin Ganatra (Bride & Prejudice, Eastenders), and Director Jason Wingard (In Another Life)? What was the group dynamic like, did you all get on well with each other backstage?

We all got on really well. I think we had to in order to create something really authentic in regards to playing family members especially. Jack and I had a very intimate relationship that had to translate well on screen. In preparation for that I would essentially become his carer; get him lunch on set and spend all day with him just so we could really build up that brotherly bond. And I’m quite positive that was something we were really able to achieve. In regards to the other actors, it was a very collaborative experience. We had a massive opportunity to improvise scenes and sketches and it really allowed some of the comedic performances to shine.

3)    How does your role in Eaten by Lions differ to playing your other characters in Tomb Raider and Skins? The most obvious being that Skins is a drama not a film and Tomb Raider being an action drama instead of a comedy such as your most recent film.

I think cinema is a very different platform to television or even short films. In regards to the character, I think it was something I’d never played before. It was an opportunity to really question my own sense of identity, and I guess find that in another character. Growing up in an all-white northern town I really struggled to see myself represented in the media. I was one of the only brown kids at my school so I could really relate to this character’s journey.

4)    You were born in Wolverhampton, England, and moved around the West Midlands as a child in pursuit of developing your skills in local theatre. Was it difficult coming from a small city and getting recognised in the acting world for your talents?

I think coming from outside of London it’s very difficult to break into the industry because so much of it is in the capital, including a lot of the agencies and auditions. The main problem I had initially was access to work, which is what really differentiates you from other people in London itself. There’s a massive lack of opportunities in the North, especially in the Midlands. Hence, I had to essentially make the move down South in order for my career to progress.

5)    After graduating with First-class honours in English you turned down an offer to attend the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in favour of leading a national theatre tour of Guantanamo Boy. Can you talk us through this change in direction?

My first love has always been theatre. So, getting an opportunity to actually perform on a stage, take the role of a lead character on a national tour, travel the country, (which I’d never done before as an actor), felt like too good an opportunity to turn down. Any good actor that I’m aware of has begun their career on stage doing theatre, treading the boards as they call it, and I just wanted to take the same leap.

6)    Without revealing too much, can you tell us about your most memorable scene to film in Eaten by Lions?

A memorable scene would probably be one Jack and I have a real visceral and brotherly argument together in a bedsit which is run by Johnny Vegas. It’s memorable for me because we had done about twenty takes and the director still wasn’t happy because he said it didn’t feel real. So, I ended up provoking Jack in order to gain that type of response from him. But, the second we were half-way through arguing the director called action and we went straight into playing the scene, and it just felt like magic.

7)    The bond between the two brothers Omar and Pete is quite humorous and entertaining to watch, which one would you say gets in the most trouble, your character or Jack’s?

It would have to be Peter. Pete is a troublemaker by nature as is Jack so he pulls the other brother into difficult situations with his schemes, and it’s the same case in real life too!

8)    What kind of response are you expecting from the film once it hits local and national theatres?

I’m quite positive people are really going to resonate with this film because it’s about family, love and identity. Especially in a post-Brexit world, I think nothing is more anti-Brexit than a film which promotes inclusivity, diversity and multi-culturalism.

EATEN BY LIONS will be released in UK cinemas 29th March  https://www.eatenbylions.com/

Manisha Bhanot

The filmmakers of the eagerly anticipated new film Gully Boy have launched their official pioneering app Gully Beat, aimed at turning anyone into a Gully rap superstar. Marking the first time that an Indian film has launched a dedicated tie-in music app, Gully Beat lets fans compose, record and share their own tracks, bringing them into the world of ‘Gully Rap’.

Gully Beat is the must-have app for hip-hop and rap fans looking to prove their lyrical skills and become the​ ​voice of the streets. Inspired by the rise of Mumbai’s rappers, Gully Beat lets users create and discover freestyle raps and share with their friends and future rap stars across India from their device. All that users’ need is a beat and lyrics, with the app allowing them to express themselves through music.​

​Gully Boy tells the story of a gifted street rapper (played by Ranveer Singh) who becomes the face of Mumbai’s underground rap music scene and is inspired by the real-life hip-hop scene in Mumbai slums.

The ground-breaking new app launches at a pivotal moment for rap music in India, as artists increasingly gain recognition internationally and the new film Gully Boy propels the Mumbai rap scene to the big screen.

The Gully Beat app lets users embark on their own Gully Boy tale, composing tracks in less than a minute. Users are invited to choose their own rap name upon creating an account and are able to immediately start recording their own rap tracks with a selection of high-quality beats to choose from. In addition to creating an original song with the beats available, users are also able to sing along to their favourite songs with the app’s Karaoke Booth, which features all of the songs from the film together in one place. 

Users can share their own original compositions​ with ​their friends on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Users can also listen to fiery raps and artists from the same gully (streets).​ As rappers become accustomed with the app they can send in their rap creations ​for the opportunity to feature on the Gully Beat app.

The Gully Beat app is perfect for those inspired by the Gully Boy film who want to take their rapping skills to the next level. Whether rap is a passion in life or just a hobby, Gully Beat has something for everyone, and is ​the must-have app for Rap.

 Be the next voice of the streets! Download the GullyBeat app and express yourself on a beat. You can rap! Record your verse now!

#FindYourVoice #GullyBeat  #GullyBoy

Gully Beat app is available to download for FREE now on iOS from the App Store and Android from Google Play

Gully Boy is OUT in cinemas NOW.