Syamantak Payra correctly spelled the word ‘dghaisa’ during the 2012 South Asian Spelling Bee Finals to clinch the title of National Champion. During the event on August 17, which was taped live for broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television, Syamantak along with 21 other finalists competed for the title. Chetan Reddy from Plano, TX was the National Runner-Up.

Twenty-two top spellers from the 11 regional centers gathered at the Rutgers College auditorium to battle it out for the title of champion and a $10,000 Grand Prize from MetLife. It took spelling words like ‘drahthaar’, ‘Neufchâtel’ and ‘wappenschawing’ for the winner to emerge.

The event was organized by leading South Asian advertising firm, Touchdown Media Inc. and sponsored by MetLife, a leading provider of insurance, employee benefits and other financial services. Sony Entertainment Television is the exclusive rights holder and will be broadcasting the event across the globe in over 119 countries.

“An elite group of 22 spellers from across the country gathered here tonight and the contest was tough! The best finally prevailed, so heartiest congratulations to Syamantak, our youngest champion so far, and all the spellers”, says Rahul Walia, CEO, Touchdown Media Inc. and Founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee.

He also adds “This is a great platform that helps children showcase their talent, hone their skill and inculcate a sense of discipline and discipline that will help in their overall development. I urge parents to take advantage of this unique contest next year.”

The special guest at the Finals was Narahari Bharadwaj, 2011 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, who helped co-host a portion of the event.

The champion received a $10,000 grand prize from MetLife along with the South Asian Spelling Bee trophy.

Kuly was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April 2011 and underwent radio and chemotherapy. He was receiving treatment at a specialised clinic in Houston at the time of his death.

Kuly was an intrinsic part of RDB, a leading international music group, famed for their contribution to globalising Bhangra and Indian music. His legacy will remain with RDB and their super-hit tracks such as Aaja Mahi, Singh is Kinng, Aloo Chaat and Shera di Kaum.

RDB and the family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time and thank their fans and well-wishers for their continued support and condolences.

RDB’s facebook page has been opened up for those who wish to pay their respects to Kuly and his family. To leave a message please visit: http://facebook.com/rdbmusic

Talking about the role in the film, Karisma said “This was a role which I have never done before, and I also get to play 4 different Avatars which reflect various traditions & cultures”.

Rajniesh who has made his Bollywood debut with 1920-A Vikram Bhatt film has done his third film with the talented director and is really excited about playing the different avatars which has a span of 500years.

Produced by Reliance Entertianment, DAR Motion Pictures & BVG Films ‘Dangerous Ishhq’ is a film based on past life regression   which revolves around Sanjana (Karisma Kapoor)- a super model and the love of her life Rohan (Rajniesh Duggall)  son of a big industrialist who vanishes under mysterious circumstances. Sanjana has 24 hours and has to travel a life span of 500yrs to get her love back! Will she be successful at it?

Find out as ‘Dangerous Ishhq’ is all set to release on 11th May, 2012!

Celebrating its 5^th anniversary in 2012, the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee has received unprecedented support from the community and sponsors alike, year after year.

Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the 2012 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee will be conducted in 11 locations across the United States starting on June 16. Regional level events will be held in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, New Jersey, Washington DC Metro, New York and Boston. This year Seattle has also been added to the roster. All events will be free to attend and open to the public.

“We are excited about celebrating our 5^th anniversary this season. Over these past few years we have seen some amazing talent and lots of new talent develop. The Bee has become a critical platform for the youth and we aspire to continue this effort year after year,” said Rahul Walia, CEO of Touchdown Media Inc. and founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee.

The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It will give South Asian children a chance to test their spelling skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers need their parent or guardian to register them online at www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

Each competition will begin with a written test of 25 words. The participants must spell 15 or more words correctly to advance to the afternoon oral round, which will be conducted by experienced pronouncers and judges. The top three in the oral round will receive prize money.

The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey in August. Like last year, MetLife has inducted the $10,000 champion’s scholarship that will be awarded to the winner at the finals.

“It continues to be a pleasure to partner with Touchdown Media Inc., and to see the growing number of families who participate in the Spelling Bee. We know that education is highly valued in the South Asian community, and this is a great venue for children to compete for scholarships toward higher education,” said Laurel Daring, assistant vice president of Diverse Markets at MetLife. “We look forward to another year of bringing families together for a fun event, and helping them create sound financial strategies.”

As always, The 2012 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee will be telecast on Sony Entertainment Television, Asia in over 120 countries. Sony Entertainment Television Asia has the broadcast rights and will be showing the contest worldwide (except India and Pakistan) on their channel.

“We are delighted to celebrate the 5^th anniversary of the South Asian Spelling Bee on Sony Entertainment Television, Asia. We pride ourselves on quality family based content and consistently delivering innovative programming to our diverse audience, our passion in partnering with the best events is no exception. The Spelling Bee is a fantastic platform for youth of all ages to showcase their language skills, dedication and self-motivation. SET Asia is always looking to entertain and to involve our international viewers in shows such as the Spelling Bee. SET Asia plans to considerably enhance international viewer participation in its premium programs,” Jaideep Janakiram, Head – North America, Sony Entertainment Networks said.

For a complete schedule, registration and any other information, please visit: www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

Known for his boy-next-door good looks and natural flair for acting, Shahid’s hosting skills laced with his very own straight-faced hilarious dialogue delivery will give the IIFAs a different look this year. While the night will have its share of the awards, glitz and glam that goes with the mega event, the host for the evening will also have celebrity co-hosts.

The Videocon IIFA Weekend celebrations, presented by Videocon and organized by Wizcraft International Entertainment, will see the entire Indian film industry in Singapore for the 3-day weekend. The weekend will feature various film briefings, the IIFA World Premiere of SHANGHAI featuring Kalki, Emraan Hashmi and Abhay Deol, IIFA Rocks - a fashion and music extravaganza, culminating with the night of nights, the IIFA Awards presentation ceremony.

Taking Indian Cinema to glorious pinnacles beyond national shores the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) has previously been held in Europe, the Middle East, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Canada. This year, the 13th Videocon IIFA Weekend and Awards will be held in Singapore from June 7th - 9th, 2012.

Previous films premiered at the IIFAs over the years include, Aamir Khan’s Lagaan, Aankhen, Parineeta, Provoked, Train and Yuva.

“The concept of ‘Shanghai’ appealed to me and I am truly looking forward to the release of the film. IIFA’s journey over the last 12 years has opened many doors for the Indian film industry and we feel fortunate that our film will enter that elite list and will be screened at the IIFA World Premiere.” said actor, Emraan Hashmi.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ramesh Sippy, IIFA Advisory Board Member said, “On behalf of IIFA, we are very pleased to showcase ‘Shanghai’ as the IIFA World Premiere film. We are happy to support a  passionate Director like Dibakar Banerjee and we are sure the movie will score big both with critics and at the box-office.  IIFA has always been a medium that broadens the reach of the films it showcases and we are sure that it will do the same for ‘Shanghai.”

Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment said, “With the premiere of ‘Shanghai’, we will set yet another milestone in our endeavors to continue to take Indian Cinema to its fans. The 13th Videocon IIFA Weekend will continue to provide the impetus for the crossover of Indian cinema to global audiences and delight the Indian diaspora with the grandest celebration of our cinema.”

Come June 7th- 9th, Bollywood fans in Singapore will have a chance to get up close and personal with their favorites from the world of Indian Cinema. The celebrations have only begun at IIFA 2012 and there is a long list of surprises lined up for the audience globally!

The year 2011 has been spectacular for Hindi Cinema, with impressive movies making a mark not only with ground-breaking box-office collections but also with sincere critical acclaim. The year also witnessed many new faces which were welcomed by Indian audiences worldwide. The 13th edition of Indian Cinema’s most alluring accolades, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, is scheduled for the 7th – 9th June, 2012. Having ventured across 4 continents and 10 countries over the last 12 years, Wizcraft International Entertainment this year brings its followers a three-day enthralling IIFA 2012 extravaganza in the Lion City – Singapore.

Nominations for IIFA Awards 2012 have Zoya Akhtar’s multi-starrer, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara leading the tally with a whooping 14 nominations followed by Ekta Kapoor’s runaway success, The Dirty Picture with 13 nominations. Rockstar follows closely with 9 nominations to its credit; whereas Salman Khan’s chartbuster which broke all the box-office records – Bodyguard has received 7 nominations. Movies like Saheb Biwi aur Gangster, Stanley Ka Dabba and Pyaar ka Punchnama have also done well at the overall IIFA nomination chart.

For Performances In A Leading Role (Male), Amitabh Bachchan (Aarakshan), Salman Khan (Bodyguard), Shah Rukh Khan (Don 2), Ranbir Kapoor (Rockstar), Ajay Devgn (Singham) and Hrithik Roshan (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) will be seen battling it out for the coveted trophy. In the female category, Priyanka Chopra (7 Khoon Maaf), Kareena Kapoor (Bodyguard), Mahie Gill (Saheb Biwi aur Gangster), Kangna Ranaut (Tanu weds Manu) and Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture) will come face to face.

Vishal Bhardwaj (7 Khoon Maaf), Sohail Sen (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan), Vishal – Shekhar (Ra.One), Shankar – Ehsaan – Loy (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) and A.R. Rahman (Rockstar) will be vying for the Best Music Direction trophy. Melody queen - Shreya Ghoshal has bagged two nominations for her songs Teri Meri and Ooh La La. Usha Uthup & Rekha Bhardwaj for Darling, Sunidhi Chauhan for Te Amo and Harshadeep Kaur for Katiya Karunhave have also been nominated in the Playback Singer Female Category. Nominated for Best Playback singer Male Category are Mika Singh for Subha Hone na De, Ash King for I Love You, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Teri Meri, Mohit Chauhan for Nadaan Parinde and Kamal Khan for Ishq Sufiyana.

No movie can be complete without its Director and rightly so, the year 2011 has seen some of the best directorial talents. Raj Kumar Gupta (No One Killed Jessica), Rohit Shetty (Singham), Imtiaz Ali (Rockstar), Milan Luthria (The Dirty Picture) and Zoya Akhtar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) have been nominated for their outstanding work in the field of direction.

Wiz Sabbas Joseph, Director - Wizcraft International Entertainment said, “We at IIFA take pride in announcing the nominees for IIFA Awards 2012 which celebrate the best work done by the Indian Film Industry over the last year. We are thoroughly pleased with the nominees a result of the film industry’s secret ballot; and we hope the audience will make a worthy choice in deciding the winners of this year’s IIFA accolades.”

The Videocon IIFA Weekend, Singapore will be an outstanding celebration of Indian Cinema which will showcase the excellence of Indian Film Industry on the global dias. The spectacular weekend this year will include an extravagant line-up of mega events like the IIFA World Premiere, IIFA Rocks and the magnificent IIFA Awards.

The IIFA Weekend is presented by Videocon and the prestigious night of nights, the IIFA Awards will be broadcast globally on Star Plus, for the 7th year running.

IIFA AWARDS 2012 POPULAR AWARDS NOMINATIONS

BEST PICTURE
1.        Bodyguard Alvira Agnihotri, Atul Agnihotri & Reliance Entertainment
2.        No One Killed Jessica  Ronnie Screwvala
3.        Rockstar Dhillin Mehta
4.        The Dirty Picture Shobha Kapoor & Ekta Kapoor
5.        Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
    
BEST DIRECTOR
1.        Raj Kumar Gupta No One Killed Jessica
2.        Rohit Shetty Singham
3.        Imtiaz Ali Rockstar
4.        Milan Luthria The Dirty Picture
5.        Zoya Akhtar Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
    
PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE (MALE)
1.        Amitabh Bachchan Aarakshan
2.        Salman Khan Bodyguard
3.        Shah Rukh Khan Don 2
4.        Ranbir Kapoor Rockstar
5.        Ajay Devgn Singham
6.        Hrithik Roshan Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
    
PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE (FEMALE)
1.        Priyanka Chopra 7 Khoon Maaf
2.        Kareena Kapoor Bodyguard
3.        Mahie Gill Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
4.        Kangna Ranaut Tanu Weds Manu
5.        Vidya Balan The Dirty Picture
    
PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (MALE)
1.        Abhay Deol Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
2.       Randeep Hooda Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
3.        Naseeruddin Shah The Dirty Picture
4.        Emraan Hashmi The Dirty Picture
5.        Farhan Akhtar Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
    
PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (FEMALE)
1.        Divya Dutta Stanley Ka Dabba
2.        Parineeti Chopra Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl
3.        Sonali Kulkarni Singham
4.        Swara Bhaskar Tanu Weds Manu
5.        Kalki Koechlin Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
    
PERFORMANCE IN A COMIC ROLE
1.        Paresh Rawal Ready
2.        Riteish Deshmukh Double Dhamaal
3.        Divyendu Sharma Pyaar Ka Punchnama
4.        Pitobash Shor In The City
5.        Deepak Dobriyal Tanu Weds Manu
    
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A NEGATIVE ROLE
1.        Irrfan Khan 7 Khoon Maaf
2.        Boman Irani Don 2
3.        Vidyut Jammwal Force
4.        Prakash Raj Singham
5.        Naseeruddin Shah The Dirty Picture
    
MUSIC DIRECTION
1.        Vishal Bhardwaj 7 Khoon Maaf
2.        Sohail Sen Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
3.        Vishal – Shekhar Ra.One
4.        Shankar – Ehsaan – Loy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
5.        A.R.Rahman  Rockstar
  
BEST STORY
1.        Imtiaz Ali Rockstar
2.        Amole Gupte Stanley Ka Dabba
3.        Himanshu Gupta Tanu Weds Manu
4.        Rajat Aroraa The Dirty Picture
5.        Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
    
BEST LYRICS
1.        Shabbir Ahmed Teri Meri  ( Bodyguard)
2.        Gulzar  Darling (7 Khoon Maaf)
3.        Irshad Kamil Naadaan Parindey(Rockstar)
4.        Javed Akhtar Khaabon Ke Parinday
            (Zindagi  Na Milegi Dobara)
5.        Rajat Aroraa Ishq Sufiyana (The Dirty Picture)
    
PLAYBACK SINGER – MALE
1.        Ash King I Love You (Bodyguard)
2.        Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Teri Meri (Bodyguard)
3.        Mika Singh Subha Hone Na De (Desi Boyz)
4.        Mohit Chauhan Naadaan Parindey (Rockstar)
5.        Kamal Khan Ishq Sufiyana (The Dirty Picture)
    
BEST SINGER – FEMALE
1.        Usha Uthup & Rekha Bhardwaj Darling (7 Khoon Maaf)
2.        Shreya Ghoshal Teri Meri (Bodyguard)
3.        Sunidhi Chauhan Te Amo (Dum Maaro Dum)
4.        Harshdeep Kaur Katiya Karun (Rockstar)
5.        Shreya Ghoshal Ooh La La (The Dirty Picture)

Opening Night Film – Bedabrata Pain’s CHITTAGONG: Set in the turbulence of the 1930s British India, Chittagong is a true story of a 14-year-old boy, Jhunku, and of his journey to find where he belongs. For the first time in Indian history, the British army is defeated by a ragtag army of schoolboys and their teacher, Masterda. Called a traitor by his peers, and let down by a man he trusts, Jhunku impulsively joins the movement. As his world is turned upside down, Jhunku is forced to confront his self-doubts. As the leaders of the movement are progressively caught or killed, Jhunku battles against seemingly insurmountable odds to win a victory of his own. The film is a brilliant, poignant action-drama, made more so by the fact that it is true. Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Barry John and Delzad Hiwale.

Centerpiece Film – Tribute to the Late Great Dev Anand through HUM DONO RANGEEN: Hum Dono Rangeen was restored and colorized using Legend Film’s proprietary colorization process. The process has consistently been lauded as the highest quality color conversion technology in the world and has been used extensively on Hollywood feature films over the past 10 years. Hum Dono Rangeen was one of the latest colorization projects using the technology and it is considered light years ahead of Mugal e Azam in the quality of its color, artistry and overall design. The colorization of Hum Dono Rangeen was executed by Jagan Mohan at Goldstone Technologies, a technology licensee of Legend Films under the collaborative eye of Legend Films engineers and technicians. It lives as the finest example of Bollywood colorization that exists today.

Sidebar Festival – Shyam Benegal Retrospective followed by a post-screening discussion with director: Mamoo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996), and Zubeidaa (2001) - the first such programming of Benegal’s trilogy based on scripts by renowned critic, journalist, and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed. All three films are Mohamed’s personal stories about his mother, grandmother, aunt, and grandaunt. Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934, Hyderabad) is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films, Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977), he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the “middle cinema” in India. He has expressed dislike of the term, preferring his work to be called New or Alternate cinema. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991. On 8 August 2007, Benegal was awarded the highest award in Indian cinema for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2005. He has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi seven times.

“To commemorate the one hundredth year of Indian cinema, our 2012 line-up celebrates all that NYIFF finds inspiring about great films – depth, character study, ingenious plots, and riveting messages,” says Aroon Shivdasani, Executive Director of the Indo-American Arts Council, the non-profit organization responsible for organizing the New York Indian Film Festival. “These movies have already won National Awards in India, at Cannes, Sundance, and the Berlin Film Festivals. We are proud to share our entire schedule with New York cinephiles.” For more information about NYIFF and to see the entire film schedule, please visit: www.iaac.us/NYIFF2012/

Receiving the Grand Jury Prizes were: Karan Gour’s CORRODE (KSHAY) for Best Feature; Best Documentary went to Gemma Atwal’s MARATHON BOY with an Honorable Mention to Rajan Khosa’s GATTU; Best Short honors went to Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Noise (Shor)” with Ravi Kapoor’s “The 5” and actress Meera Simhan for her performance in “Sujata” each receiving an honorable mention.

Rajan Khosa took home a second honor of the evening when GATTU won the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature; Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary went to Gotham Chopra for his DECODING DEEPAK and Anirban Roy’s AUDACITY (”Aashprodha”) won the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film.

GRAND JURY AWARDS:
•    BEST FEATURE: CORRODE (KSHAY) directed by Karan Gour, HONORABLE MENTION: GATTU directed by Rajan Khosa
•    BEST DOCUMENTARY: MARATHON BOY directed by Gemma Atwal
•    BEST SHORT FILM: “Noise” (”Shor”) directed by Neeraj Ghaywan; HONORABLE MENTIONS: ”The 5” directed by Ravi Kapoor and Meera Simhan for her performance in “Sujata”

AUDIENCE AWARDS:

•    BEST FEATURE: GATTU directed by Rajan Khosa
•    BEST DOCUMENTARY:  DECODING DEEPAK directed by Gotham Chopra
•    BEST SHORT:  AUDACITY (AASHPRODHA) directed by Anirban Roy

This year’s Jurors included FEATURES:  SUNIL PERKASH (Prod./SALT), Academy Award Foreign Film Selection committee member and marketing guru GARY SHAPIRO and JONATHAN REIMAN (YRF Entertainment Production Head); DOCUMENTARIES: KRISTIN FEELEY (Associate Director of the Documentary Film Program at Sundance Institute), DAVID MAGDAEL (founder and president of David Magdael & Associates) and filmmaker KATHERINE FAIRFAX WRIGHT:  Shorts jurors include actress HANNAH SIMONE (“New Girl”), actor IQBAL THEBA (“Glee”) and independent producer NICHOLAS BRUCKMAN.

In addition to the sold out screenings, IFFLA, known for its exceptional events, treated film fans to music and dance via the return of Rhythm Village/Rhythm Village Unplugged and introduced a Family Day to its roster this year. Continuing its commitment to bridging the industry gap between the Indian and American entertainment industries, IFFLA held two seminars that explored the journey that its filmmakers make from production to distribution. “From Script to Screen: of the Making of PATANG” which included Actress Seema Biswas, screenwriter, director and editor Prashant Bhargava, producer Jaideep Punjabi, writing consultant James Townsend, and composer Mario Grigorov; and  “Aiming High: The Personal Journeys of Three Indian-American Industry Leaders” with panelists Universal Television Production Head Bela Bajaria, Producer Sunil Perkash (SALT) and Producer Adi Shankar (THE GREY) moderated by Rupak Ginn (“Royal Pains”). Eros Entertainment head Kishore Lulla along with Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter and Alesia Weston and IFFLA Board and HFPA member Ahmed Lateef were this year’s Industry Leadership Awards (ILA) honorees on Thursday, April 12th, at the House of Blues in Hollywood which was emcee’d by ABC 7’s Eyewitness team member Subha Ravindhran.

Source:  Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles