Sunday, 9 October 2011
Exclusive: Ali Zafar Talks His New Film, MBKD and More!
Pakistani pop sensation Ali Zafar is a multi-talent, who made his mark in Bollywood last year with Tere Bin Laden
He then moved on to films and Ali’s performance in Tere Bin Laden not only brought him rave reviews but also praise from big names in the industry. Now on everyone’s radar as a talented actor, Zafar then signed a movie with Katrina Kaif and Imran Khan called Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, produced by India’s elite production house; Yash Raj Films. Ali Zafar is currently in London shooting his third project which has been titled London, Paris New York and is produced by Fox Star India. Filming for the project began in early August and the actor took out some time from his busy schedule to speak to us exclusively in London’s Covent Garden about his struggle as an artist, his music, movies and his co-stars.
Welcome to London. What brings you here to this beautiful city?
I am shooting my next film here. It’s called London, Paris, New York.
Who is starring in the film besides yourself? Aditi Rao is the heroine of the film. She was in Yeh Saali Zindagi and will be seen in Rockstar as well.
You were a pretty big star before you even made it in Bollywood. Did you actually plan to break it into the Indian market with debuting as an actor in the industry?
Yeah, kind of. I had it in my mind that I wanted to explore Bollywood, acting and films. I did music for five-six year and sometimes then, you want to experience something different. I wanted to experience cinema and I have acted before too.
How did Bollywood films come to you? Abhishek Sharma approached me through a common friend. He had seen my music videos and he liked what I was doing. That’s how it came about.
You had support from big names in the industry during the release of your debut film. Karan Johar was promoting it, Aamir Khan tweeted that he liked the promos and Aditya Chopra praised your performance after watching the film. How did that feel as a newcomer ? It felt really good. If you get that kind of a reception right at the start of your career, you can’t ask for anything more. Also, Tere Bin Laden was not only a commercial success. It was also well respected and people loved the fact that this kind of a cinema was being practised. It would have been really typical if I had come up with a rom-com or a musical.
That’s what you are doing now, as your second film. Yeah, it was the second step. But for the first film to be like Tere Bin Ladenwas fantastic. All credit goes to Abhishek Sharma for having considered me for that role.
How did your next film Mere Brother Ki Dulhan come to you? I was offered the film right after Tere Bin Laden. Ali Abbas Zafar, the director called me up and he thought that I would suit a role in MBDK after watching my debut film.
Do you like the title? Imran Khan does not like it and Katrina Kaif thinks it’s perfect.
It’s alright. I am not anybody to judge it. For me, the director and the producer are the best judge. It’s their project. We, as actors, are tools to portray a story. It’s their creative decision. The film is a mass oriented film. It’s not a niche film.
You are playing the “brother” in the film. What should we expect from you in this film?
There is a little bit of a surprise element in the film. I know that people are looking at it as a film about two guys who like one girl and fight over her. It’s not that predictable. It has a surprise element that is revealed in the later half of the film. This guy wants to get married, but does not know who is the right girl. He sends out his brother to look for her. He is a little confused on what he wants. It’s like a rom-com as a series of comical events happen.
Katrina told me that you are very talented. What do you have to say about her ?
It’s sweet of her to say that. She was a very fun person and very convenient to work around.
She also told me that you would just break into a song at lunch break.
I don’t like to waste my time. I like to keep inventing and creating stuff. I carry my guitar on my sets and everywhere. I am musician at heart. So, I am like a musician on set acting. The time that I am by myself, I keep writing songs. Katrina is wonderful person to work with. Also, otherwise she is a wonderful person besides being an actress.
There has been a lot of speculation about your so called “cold-war” with Imran Khan, the other lead of Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Was it weird for you to read all these stories about yourself?
I have been reading stories about myself for quite a long time. But since I have come into Bollywood, I have been reading more of them. I am kind of getting acclimatised to the media, press and how things go about. I am getting used to it, but I don’t let it effect me at all.
Do you wonder who “leaks” these rumours ? I do wonder. But what can I do? After it was written, Imran was there at my birthday party too.
But do you not believe that there is no smoke without fire?
I don’t know. I like to think positively. Even if there is something, I would like to think that the sky is blue and the sun is shining.
How was it working with Imran Khan for Mere Brother Ki Dulhan?
It was great. He is very comfortable to work with. He is just like a very regular, nice and sweet gentleman to work with. We would sometimes burst into laughter while we were shooting some funny scenes. While the lighting was being sorted out, we had to look at each other in the eyes. I would say something and he would start laughing. Sometimes, our scenes had to be stopped because we went into fits of laughter.
Do you think it’s your luck or talent that your second film is with Yash Raj Films?
Both. I have worked very hard in life. Some people are getting to know about me now. But I have worked really hard for the last ten years as an artist, not just as singer or actor. I started working very early in life. I stepped out of my house at the age of eighteen, started making portraits at a hotel lobby. I got 500 Rupees per portrait. I made money through that and bought my keyboard from my first savings. From there things started going upwards. Fame is nothing new to me and it took me a while to actually learn how to enjoy it. I enjoy the process more than the result. You know, for me, this is what is important when the film is being shot, that day, that very moment rather than what’s going to happen when it will release. Is it going to be success or not, who knows?
Are you competitive?
Not to a destructive level. I would not want it to effect my happiness. I don’t want to be competitive in a way that I want to be the number one actor and waste my energy, just thinking about it. As human beings, we are designed to be competitive. We all want to excel in life and do better than the rest. I would like it, if I do well in life. For me just being famous, a film star, Bollywood and all that is not the ultimate idea of happiness. I think there are bigger things than these. I think, if fame was the pinnacle of the standard of happiness, then a lot of these big artists would not have died of depression. I pursue happiness, not fame and money. If getting famous and earning money leads me to my happiness then it is ok. If it’s the other way around, then I probably would not want to experience it.
What’s your favourite song from MBKD?
‘Dhunki’ is nice. The title song is nice too.
Do you not like your own song ‘Madhubhala’ or are you trying to be modest? (smiles)I like my own song too. Yeah, I thought I would attempt to be modest. I like it because it has been composed and written nicely. In fact, there is a story to this. There was another song that was written and then one day, we decided that this song where everybody gets drunk and gets mad should be madder. The previous song was nice too and it has a nice melody by Sohail. But ‘Madhubala’, I thought if you want to go crazy then go all the way out like ‘Khaike Paan Bana Raswala’ or ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ and all those songs. When Irshaad Kamil wrote the lyrics, it was something I instantly liked it and I tried to sing it in a way that the listeners feel the joy.
There is a lot of news about a Premiere in London besides one in the UAE. Is that true?
Yes, that’s right. I think Abu Dhabi is the 7th September and London is the 8th.
You sang a few songs for Tere Bin Laden and one for your upcoming film Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Is this something that you will do with every film, that you will be a part of?
Actually, for London, Paris, New York I am also composing the music, writing the songs and singing them. You will see that in my future projects as well.
Your album Jhoom recently released under Yash Raj Music. How did this affiliation come about?
Well, since I was working with them on the film (Mere Brother Ki Dulhan), I spent a lot of time in the studios. I met Mr. Vijay Kumar, who heads their record label. I found him to be a very sweet gentleman. I told him about my album and asked him if he would be interested in it. He heard the stuff, saw the video and he liked it.
The songs on Jhoom are also very different from what you released earlier. Was that a conscious decision? Masti, I did 4 year back and Channo about 6-7 year back. You grow as an artist and that’s what I think you should be doing. You should grow rather than being stuck in the same stuff. I grew as an artist and at this point of time, I wanted to experience a different kind of process of creativity. Actually, I wanted to do some serious stuff for quite a long time. My earlier albums were consciously commercial albums and this one was what I wanted to do. I also learnt in the process that some people believe that a commercial song has to be in a certain way and I think that we actually sometimes underestimate people’s taste in music and their intelligence. I think, if you give them good music, be it any genre, any kind of a song, if it’s good then they will like it and it will ultimately, become a commercial success too. That is what happened with Coke Studio. We did something experimental, but it was good music. It turned out to be bigger than many commercial ventures otherwise.
Would you like to work in Hollywood if you were given the chance?
Yeah, why not?
You recently met Priyanka Chopra in London.
I would like to work with Priyanka actually. I think she is really sweet. I just recently found out that she sings too. I was very impressed and we had a discussion about music and acting. We talked about how she translated music into acting and acting into music. It was very interesting to find that out as I like people more who are practising musicians or play some instruments. I am prone to liking them more and feel more connected to them.
Are you planning to tour overseas anytime soon?
This season, I don’t think so. I am focusing on finishing a couple of films and right now I want to act more than tour.
A message for your fans:
Just a very warm thank you to all these people who accepted me. I am thankful for their appreciation and I do it all for them. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You.
Ali Zafar’s next Mere Brother Ki Dulhan will be released on the 9th September worldwide. Stay tuned to BollySpice as we will be bringing you all the action from the London Premiere which will be attended by Ali, Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif.
Photo credit: Atif Malik Studios
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Fix iPhone 4 Battery Drain Issues After iOS 4.3 Update
There are always bugs and problems with any software update. And iOS 4.3 update is also not an exception. Recently many iPhone 4 users faced some problems with battery life after upgrading to iOS 4.3 firmware. PocketLing found out that battery draining issue in iPhone 4 is happening because of the new feature added to your device called “Ping”
Do you face the same Battery Drain issue after upgrading your iPhone 4 or any other iDevice to iOS 4.3? Here is first method to disable Ping and improve iPhone 4 battery life.
- Launch Home Screen and go to Settings
- Select Enable Restrictions under settings
- Enter 4 digit pass code
- Scroll down to Ping settings and click on the switch to disable it.
It may save 2 hours of your iOS device.
If the first method is not working for you, here is second method to stop iOS 4.3 Battery life problems:
- Turn the iPhone 4 off and then on again.
- Go to Setting > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
We would like to hear from you which method works for you.
iPhone 5 Release Date and Features of iPhone 5
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iPhone 5 release date might be most buzzing topic among tech geeks. The rumors about the iPhone 5 launch being in October have finally been confirmed: Apple has officially set iPhone 5 launch event for October 4. The invite of the event clearly says, “Let’s talk iPhone”. It has been very smartly presented: The date is indicated as part of the iOS calendar app, the time by the clock, and the location (which is to be Apple’s campus) by the Maps icon.
Previously there had been lots of rumors about the iPhone 5 release date. Some reports were saying that it might be released in September while others were saying it might be released in October. The October 4 date was first hinted at by All Things D’s John Paczkowski last week. He reported that the new Apple CEO Tim Cook will officially announce the iPhone 5 during a special media event.
It has been reported that Apple has sent out invitations to an event on October 4 when the iPhone 5 announcement is expected. Jim Dalrymple from The Loop has posted on his blog that he has received the invitation by Apple and he will be at the event on October 4. For the very first time the event will be held at Apple’s Cupertino HQ, the famous campus address at 10am PT. Outsiders hardly ever visit the complex so seeing the company on its home turf this time is definitely going to create a rage among the media persons. Invitations are currently being distributed to select members of the press and it is being reported that a UK event is planned in the company’s Covent Garden store.
The invite of this event specifically says “Let’s talk iPhone”, besides the four iOS icons depicting the date, time and location of the venue. The company remained silent about what the ‘event’ might launch. However, it is set to be something classic. And so it seems the official iPhone 5 launch event is set to be on Tuesday, October 4, which is consistent with the day of the week of other major Apple media events. Apple has apparently blocked retail employees from taking days off the second week of October, which coincides with the rumored release of iOS 5, Apple’s new mobile operating system, and the iPhone 5.
It hasn’t been confirmed as yet whether Apple would be launching two smartphones that day or just one. The iPhone 5 release date has been the most talked about subject in recent months. There is very little known about the upcoming device except that it would feature the dual-core processor and a higher resolution camera. This will provide much improvement in the smartphone’s graphics and processing power.
Following are some of the iPhone 5 release date updates which we come across from time to time through reliable sources.
Update (21st September): Is Apple going to announce iPhone 5 on October 4? According to All Things D, Apple will held next big media event on October 4 to unveil the next generation iPhone 5. Find out more.
Update (16th September): Will iPhone 5 be completely redesigned? Check out what Case-Mate, a leading iPhone accessories maker says about iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S.
Update (5th September): iPhone 5 Launch Date – Now to be on the 21st of October??? Check out what recent report says.
Update (26th August): MacPost.net claims that they have received prototype images of iPhone 5 along with other part. Here is more on it.
Update (25th August): Steve Jobs resign throws iPhone 5 release date into question. Check out how Steve Jobs resign may affect iPhone 5 release date.
Update (24th August): Will iPhone 5 be A CDMA/GSM Dual-Mode world phone? Recent report suggests that next generation iPhone 5 will be able to connect to both GSM(AT &T, T-Mobile) and CDMA (Sprint, Verizon) networks.
Update (17th August): Is Apple planning to release much awaited iPhone 5 on October 7? Recent report also suggest that Apple will start pre-orders for next iPhone on September 30. Find out more details.
Update (11th August): One of the guys at ZAGG has posted iPhone 5 unboxing video. Is it fake or real? Check this out here.
Update (1st August): Is Apple set to launch iPhone 5 in October? Here find out what a new reliable source, All Things D says about iPhone 5 release date.
Update (28th July): Is iPhone 5 release date set to 5th September? Here find out more about what recent report says from Italian iPhone blog.
Update (28th July): According to the China Times, Apple is all set to launch iPhone 5 in the second week of September with an opening order of 4 million units. Find out more
Update (6th July): As per the recent report from DigiTimes is claiming that Taiwan based manufacturer, Pegatron Technology has received order of 15 Million iPhone 5s from Apple. Here is more on that.
Update (1st July): Another report from DigiTimes claims that iPhone 5 release date should be somewhere in October. According to DigiTimes, Taiwan-based companies have begun to prepare components for the production of the iPhone 5 along with iPad 3 for an October release. Check out more in details.
Update(29th June): Another iPhone 5 rumor says that Apple may launch iPhone 5 (probably iPhone 4s) in September. Click here to find our more on.
Update(14th June): According to 9to5Mac, next generation iPhone reaches to its final stage of testing for September release. Click here to find out more in details.
Update(10th June): Apple didn’t reveal anything about iPhone 5 release date at WWDC 2011. Find out why?
Update(6th June): What’s Samsung got to do with the iPhone 5 release date? Here’s news on how this might affect iPhone 5 launch date.
Update(5th June): Is iPhone 5 release date affected by battery supply issues? Recent reliable reports suggest that Apple’s appointed manufacturing plant of lithium ion batteries shut down due to recent quake in Japan. Find out more in detail.
Update(4th June): Brian White, an analyst for Ticonderoga Securities has analyzed that Apple is going to release iPhone 5 in September 2011, not at WWDC. Check out what Brian White has analyzed.
Update(17th May): Here is again a rumor about iPhone 5 launch date. In an exclusive talk with T3.com, a sales representative from UK based retailer Phones 4U said that iPhone 5 release date is moved to 21st November 2011. Here is further details.
Update(6th May): According to latest news, an AT&T customer representative confirms that Apple has informed AT&T not to expect the iPhone 5 in June or July 2011. iPhone 5 launch date may be pushed to September. Check out AT&T representative words about iPhone 5 release date.
Update(13th April): Here is again rumor that iPhone 5 release date is scheduled to September 2011 or early 2012. According to press note by Avian Securities, Apple’s next gen iPhone 5 should go in production in July and will be available in September 2011 that leading us to predict that iPhone 5 will not hit stores till late 2011 or early 2012.
If you are equally excited as me for iPhone 5, then following features could be major reason to wait for stunning iPhone 5.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Most Amazing Face Paints
James Kuhn, an incredible artist, is the man behind most of these unique face paintings. An interesting part about this project is that he paints on his own face, a new mask every day for a year. That is 365 totally different designs, everything from cartoons to his favorite foods.
Craziest Sandals You will Ever See
Footwear has turned foodwear with the Brisket Sandal... but buyers beware, it's not edible! This fashionable flip flop is made from foam, different fabrics, trims, and crystal rhinestones
Metal-detecting sandals—the perfect gift for treasure-hunting beachcombers
Alien Sandals by fashion designer Alexander McQueen
Keyboard Sandals.
The perfectly concealed weapon? A pair of shoes that turns into a slingshot!
Wireframe Sandals.
A combo of a Nike sneaker with a sandal.
Tip jar sandal by Pleaser USA.
Topless sandals simulate walking barefoot while protecting your feet. Topless sandals stick to the bottom of your feet, but leave no residue on your feet when you take them off. The “stick” is guaranteed for a year, which is the typical life span of a flip flop. Topless sandals are basically topless flip flops, but so much cooler. You'll be amazed at how many heads you turn while wearing your topless sandals.
How to Fix a Rotation Lock on an iPhone
The orientation lock can be useful when you want to keep the screen from rotating. However, this feature can be very annoying if you forgot about it or accidentally enable it. On iOS devices, the rotation lock can be found by double-tapping on the Home button to bring up the multitasking tray, and then sliding from left to-right on the tray. The rotation-lock icon appears as a circular arrow. When the lock is enabled, the circular arrow will have a small lock in the center. To enable or disable this lock, just tap on the icon. On the iPad, you can also change the mute switch to an orientation lock switch by visiting Settings > General
The small lock in the center of the circular arrow will let you know your device has been locked in portrait or landscape mode.
If this doesn’t fix your locked screen, then there could be a bigger problem. Try doing a hard restart on your iOS device by holding down the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons for a few seconds until the device restarts. Release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. If your device still won’t rotate the image properly, your best bet is a visit to a Genius Bar or a call to AppleCare
