Masala & Spice

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KANIKA – THE ACTRESS IS BACK IN THE MOVIES

Kanika, an engineering graduate from BITS, Pilani, and a former Miss Chennai Runner-Up, recently graduated from BITS.  Although she had made Five Star, a hit movie that was directed by Mani Ratnam, she waited till completing her studies to take on new projects.  Obviously she thought the BITS degree was worth it !

She is making a grand re-entry in director K S Ravikumar's latest venture Ethiree in which she acted opposite Madhavan. Kanika also played a guest role in director Cheran's run-of-the-mill Autograph. She is currently playing the lead in director Keyar's Dancer and in a Telugu film too.

RASIKA – THE BAND

Rasika was formed by a small group of music lovers in Atlanta in 1994. The group has grown since then and has performed in many cities in USA , often to benefit charitable causes. Most of the members of the group are budding professionals and long time music students who have come together due to their overwhelming passion for music and it is this passion that they wish to share with the Indian community and all others who love Indian music.

The variety of music played by Rasika ranges from old and new "chatpati" Hindi songs to the latest "dhamaka" popular scores..from the sizzling Hindi music of the 80's and 90's to some exquisite compositions of R. Rahman and Iliaraja.

The orchestra is provided by an array of very talented instrumentalists who have performed widely on stage both in India and the U.S. The singers are some of the most talented and popular singers who have already won the hearts of the "junta" during the past performances in Charlotte, Atlanta, Augusta, Richmond, San Jose, and other cities.

BITSIANS in Rasika include Tirthankar Das (Drummer/ Percussionist), Pankaj Sharma (Electrical/ Acoustic Guitar), Priya Raman (Vocalist), Shyamsunder Vaidanathan (Composer / Sound Engineer / Keyboardist), Sundi (Keyboardist/ Violinist). 

SHYAM VAI – THE KEYBOARDIST LAUNCHES HIS CD

Perhaps the first instrument Shyam began experimenting with was the harmonica. He borrowed an old harmonica from his neighbor when he was in grade 6 and played it at home everynight before he slept. His dad noticed this skill and bought him a wonderful  HOHNER harmonica from Germany

At BITS Pilani, he performed with the Music Club at BITS Pilani for 5 years with a total of over 70 performances on different stages with its members.  Shyam won the coveted BEST KEYBOARDIST in ROCTAVES for three consecutive years, 1993-1995.

Since 1999, he has been affiliated with DOUBLE FORTE @ CHICAGO:  He has to his credit two complete albums of Indian music. His music and CDs can be heard/purchased online at mp3.com

His website is www.shyamvai.com

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Supernatural thriller Rudraksh premiers on  October 3

Bollywood's new generation directors are making an arduous effort of breaking away from the song-and-dance movies of the 80's and 90's. BITSian Chemical Engineer Mani Shankar's latest venture, Rudraksh, starring Bipasha Basu, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty and Isha Koppikar, hovers between science and magic, myth and reality. Rudraksh is an unusual movie with mind-blowing seventy-five minutes of special effects - the most ever seen on Indian cinema. Its spellbinding narrative promises to keep the viewers enthralled till the end. ■

Greencard Fever is another successful crossover film

BITSian Vijay Vaidyanathan joins an increasing number of Indians producing crossover films in the United States .  This first venture produced by Vijay and his wife, Sheena (also a BITSian), and directed by first timer Bala Rajasekharuni, with recognizable Indian American actress, Purva Bedi, and Vikram Dasu, an actor that could pass for a BITSIAN (with kurta, jeans and no money in his pocket), the story is a classic one about Murali, who comes to America, looking for a way to get a green card and become legal.  He becomes a victim of corruption, local politics and racism. The movie, which received mixed reviews, contained excellent performances, providing romance, comedy and drama. 

The performances certainly tugged at the heartstrings of BITSians who could relate to their first experiences in America .  Vijay sees NEMI as a convergence of his passions for Technology and Theater.  Vijay was the Chief Strategy Officer of NBC Internet (NBCi), on the Board of Directors and CTO of Xoom, President & CEO of Paralogic Corp. and also on the Board of Directors at The University at Albany Foundation. ■

Alter Ego, hits New York with Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink.

In April 2002, a BITSian EDC veteran, Anuraag Agarwal, joined hands with Bhavna Thakur and other theater enthusiasts in New York to launch AlterEgo productions. Almost all founders were desi lawyers, doctors, or investment bankers that had 9-5 jobs! After successfully presenting Girish Karnad's Hayavadana at the Present Company Theatorium and Anuvab Pal's Chaos Theory at the Here Arts Center , Alter Ego is now launching its biggest production to date.  As NYMetro.com aptly put it - "Tom Stoppard's 1995 play Indian Ink hasn't been done in New York until now... It is how it's coming to the city has people talking: Usually, Stoppard plays debut on Broadway or at Lincoln Center, but in this case, the first staging will be in Tribeca's little Walkerspace Theater, in the hands of the one-year-old company Alter Ego." ■

Anu Hasan stars in Run, another hit movie

"Run" is "running" to packed houses: The Madhavan starrer "Run" has been playing to packed houses in the south for nearly 100 days. Anu Hasan (1989 to 93–Physics and MMS) plays Madhavan's sister in the movie and here is what one reviewer had to say about her role – "Anu Hasan looks beautiful and dignifies her role. Anu leaves a lasting impression. The dilemma of a woman when her husband and brother are at loggerheads, her happiness when they finally become friends and her concern for the family…Anu Hasan comfortably delivers the performance." Click here to read more about Run.

Padmini Chettur, award winning international dancer and choreographer

If you were in Pilani between 1987 and 1991, you will certainly remember Padmini Chettur. PC, as she was known, was in several EDC plays and was a core Backstage member.

Trained in Bharatanatyam, Padmini (87 Chemistry) never looked for a campus job like most of us. Instead, she joined the Chennai based dancer- choreographer - Chandralekha. While working with the Chandralekha group, Padmini has developed her own identity as a soloist and choreographer. She choreographed and danced the solo pieces "Wings & Masks" (1994), "Brown" (1994), and in the same year, with Krishna Devanandan, the duet "Unsung." With "Soliloquy" (1996) and "Fragility" (2001) she developed choreographic pieces for a larger number of dancers. Padmini Chettur's dance and choreographic works have been shown in numerous forums in India and abroad. Both the India government and the UNESCO have honored her with grants. Padmini's latest work "Fragility" - a co-production of Theater der Welt, Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Berlin and Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, received rave reviews in Europe.

Additional links:

Reviews

Theaterderwelt

Theatredelaville Paris

Mani Shankar, short film movie director scores a hit with Hindi film titled 16 December

November 5, 2002

Mani Shankar ('78) (BE Chemical), has been making short movies, music videos and documentaries for many years via his Hyderabad based production house called Bhairav Films.  This year, he got his break on the big screen - Mani Shankar's debut Hindi feature film,'16 December' was a surprise hit.  The movie was  an iDream production released by Columbia Tristar and starred Milind Soman and model-turned-actress Dipannita Sharma.

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