Entertainment

On Sunday morning, around fifty people gather at the Apparo Galleries, trying to find comfortable spots on the chairs, stools and the floor to settle in for the next three hours. At the centre is a keyboard, and musician and vocal coach Medha Sahi drifts around in an unhurried loop. We are a group of strangers, some confident and excited, and some, mostly nervous about the prospect of singing and transforming into a choir of strangers. “I’m glad that all of you are here and ready to put yourselves in a vulnerable position,” Medha laughs.

Earlier this year, Medha started The Strangers’ Choir in Goa when she really wanted to sing with a group of people. “I sent a text to this community art group I am a part of in Goa and asked if anyone was up for coming together to sing. I was so overwhelmed by how enthusiastic people were since I got ten responses immediately. Eighteen people however finally showed up and this is how it started; with a bunch of strangers who were willing to take a chance on an idea that did not exist,” she says.

There are no auditions and no prior music experience is needed to be a part of this experience
| Photo Credit:
S Poorvaja

The idea here is simple. Medha announces the dates for every city she is to visit, and has people sign up to be a part of this pop-up choir. I find myself in Chennai with a group of strangers, many of whom including me have absolutely no music experience. There are no auditions here to fear, and all one needs is a love for music, something people here seem to have in abundance. “In Chennai, you will find the best singers,” a participant proudly tells Medha, who is very impressed with our initial vocal warm up with‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’.

There is a slow but sure lowering of inhibitions here after the first hour. People are getting to know their neighbours (Medha strictly forbids people from sitting next to people they already know), and there is palpable excitement when we get our song for the day — ‘Pink Pony Club’ by Chappell Roan. After a few chaotic minutes of figuring out whether we are high, low, or medium on the pitch scale, we are divided into groups to learn the song.

Medha says from experience, she has seen how quickly people come out of their shells when it is a large group. “You can barely hear yourself sing, so you aren’t acutely aware of what you sound like,” she says. As we learn the lyrics and sing after her, Medha’s energy remains consistently high. “I always tell my students and my choir that the silliest person in the room will always be me. So, you can do whatever you want, and I feel like this sort of puts people at ease,” she laughs.

Singing as a group does put us at ease, and we are mostly amazed at how well we all sound together as a group that doesn’t know each other. Having travelled across the country to cities including Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi with the choir, Medha says the energy of each city is different. “Whether it is the number of people who turn up, or the venue or even the local food I get to enjoy after, every city has been an adventure,” she says.

Medha is hoping to take The Strangers’ Choir to more cities in the coming months, and a second season will see another visit to Chennai as well. “Music is such an inherently human quality that it just exists with everyone, and this is what I think the choir is all about. The joy of music is something that doesn’t need to only be experienced by people who are trained, gifted or talented; it is just something that makes us people,” she says.

An hour and a half of practising later. We are all ready. Medha begins playing the song on her keyboard, and a room of fifty voices sings back with full gusto. “Pink Pony Club, I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Pony Club.” We are all smiling at each other, snapping our fingers and stamping our feet. Not really a group of strangers at the end of it all, and one step closer to becoming fearless singers.

Legendary actor Kamal Haasan congratulated his contemporary Rajinikanth on completing 50 years in the film industry. Rajinikanth debuted in 1975 in the Tamil movie Apoorva Raagangal.

The K Balachander film released on August 15, 1975. The film also starred Kamal Haasan, Sunddarrajan, Srividya and Jayasudha. “Marking half a century of cinematic brilliance, my dear friend Rajinikanth celebrates 50 years in cinema today.” Kamal Haasan posted on X.

Kamal Haasan also wished Rajinikanth the best for his upcoming movie Coolie, which marks the 50th year of the superstar in the industry. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the movie hits the screens on August 14, 2025. “I celebrate our super star with affection and admiration, and wish Coolie resounding global success befitting this.”

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, whose War 2 is set to clash with Coolie, also wished the Tamil star. “Took my first steps as an actor at your side. You were one of my first teachers, Rajinikanth sir, and continue to be an inspiration. Congratulations on completing 50 years of on-screen magic,” Hrithik wrote on X. In his post, Hrithik appeared to be recalling his early days as a child actor, when he worked with Rajinikanth in Bhagwaan Dada (1986).

Malayalam superstar Mammootty also wished Rajinikanth for his special milestone. “Heartfelt congratulations to dear Rajinikanth on completing 50 glorious years in cinema. It was truly an honour to share the screen with you.”

Veteran star Mohanlal praised Rajinikanth’s “unmatched charisma, dedication, and magic on screen.”

ALSO READ: 50 years of Rajinikanth: The superstar’s best friend Raj Bahadur goes down memory lane with unseen pictures

Coolie also stars Nagarjuna, Shoubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan and Sathyaraj. Produced by Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures, Coolie has music from Anirudh Ravichander,

Artist Kaveri Bharath’s ongoing exhibition, Fifty-50, in collaboration with the Alliance Française of Madras, is an ode to her journey as an artist and a ceramicist. “Inspired by my grandfather’s sculpting, I always played in mud and clay as a kid. The last 30 years of making, teaching, and thinking through clay is represented in the ceramics on display here,” says Kaveri.

Born in Chennai, Kaveri grew up in a very non-traditional family that encouraged her love for creating with her hands. “For my parents, education was very important, but not necessarily school education. The emphasis was not to go out and earn a lot of money.”

Kaveri Bharat
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

While still in school, she and four other students, convinced their principal to offer art as a main subject in high school and find them a good art teacher.

“One day, he saw that we were sitting under trees, taking turns to teach ourselves to sketch. He quickly got us a teacher who turned out to be a big blessing.”

Ceramic works
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Creating with clay

Ever since, she has taken an unconventional path, working in theatre and apprenticing under artists, till she found her calling in clay work in 1995. She started learning the basics of clay work from artist and her now husband, Hans Kaushik, in Madras, and then Padma Rajagopal from Studio Alpha, in Yelwal, near Mysore.

She went on to join a full-time course at Golden Bridge Pottery in Pondicherry, (GBP), under clay artists Ray Meeker and Deborah Smith after which she began assisting.

A notable milestone was her six-week visit to Japan earlier this year, which inspired a lot of her recent pieces, fired in a Japanese anagama kiln.

Some pieces at the exhibit feature unglazed forms typical of Bizen, a Japanese pottery town known for its rustic, unglazed surfaces; and others use clays like those from Shigaraki, which contain chunks of feldspar, that emerge during firing. The interaction of the fire and natural clay, creating effects like the wood ash falling and melting onto the clay, is a key inspiration.

There are watercolour pieces and sketches, something that she took up during the pandemic, when a fellow artist, AV Dhanushkodi, encouraged her to try her hand at the medium. “During that one year of guidance from him every week, I found out how I had also forgotten how much I love to sketch in school. So, I got back to it and I started doing these faces, which you can also see in this exhibition.”

Quilted frames
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Visitors can also find quilted frames, inspired by her grandmother’s quilting.

“In 2000, when I was restricted from working in my studio due to health concerns after a miscarriage, I learnt to quilt with my grandmother and channelled into the fabric, my creative energy. These pieces are a ‘thank you’ to that phase,” says Kaveri.

Inaugurating the exhibition on her 5Oth birthday and the titular significance of it, “Fifty seemed like a significant milestone and cause to celebrate. Every aspect of this show is significant to my life and work.”

Fifty-50 is currently on at Alliance Française of Madras till August 22. (Closed on August 15 and 16) from 10.30am to 6.30 pm.

There is a glint in S Karthik’s eye every time he mentions the name. A light smile forms in his lips and he straightens his shoulders spontaneously in preparation to say it: “Thalaivar.” The 48-year-old reserves for Superstar Rajinikanth a rare kind of love. “He is like God to me,” says Karthik, leading us into the temple he has built for the actor. Karthik has converted a portion of his home in Thirumangalam near Madurai as Shri Arulmigu Rajini Kovil, complete with a sanctum sanctorum.

The Rajini idol at Shri Arulmigu Rajini Kovil in Thirumangalam near Madurai
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

The centrepiece of the 700 sqft space is a 3.5 ft tall stone statue of the actor in a pose from his iconic 1989 film Mappillai. In front of it stands his vahanam, an eagle, also made of stone. “The main idol weighs 300 kg; I got a sculptor based in Virudhunagar to carve it,” explains Karthik. It is framed by a brass prabhavalli arch; there even is a copper jaldhara that is usually placed over the Siva Lingam.

In a smaller adjacent room, that Karthik likens to the shrine of the moolavar (the main deity) is another stone statue of the actor that is three ft tall and weighs 250 kg. The smell of camphor and incense fills the air and a sloka from the actor’s popular film Baba plays on loop in the background. Karthik performs an aarti as his daughter Anusha, wife Rohini and brother Meenakshi Sundara Shankar pray to the idol.

S Karthik is a diehard fan of actor Rajinikanth. He is seen in the inner shrine that has the first statue that he installed.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

It all feels surreal. But for Karthik and his family, praying to Rajini is an everyday ritual, something that they do with sincerity. In celebration of the actor completing 50 years in the film industry, Karthik has pasted flex cut-outs from his films — there are over 5,500 stills covering every inch of the room, including the ceiling fan. On the door of the inner shrine, he has pasted acknowledgment notes from each of his letters to the actor sent over the years. He also has a selection of cut-outs of the actor that he sets up as golu during Navaratri every year.

Karthik used to be in the CISF and now runs a matrimony service. “I have been a fan of thalaivar ever since I can remember,” he says, adding that he happened to pray to a statue of the actor in 1999, to be selected for the force soon after. “It could have been a coincidence, but ever since, I started feeling that thalaivar was God to me,” he says.

The first statue was installed in October 2023, and the main statue to which he performs poojas, was opened on December 12, 2024. Karthik offers special prayers on Tuesdays and Fridays, and has even composed a sloka that goes: ‘Om Rajiniye pottri; Om Rajini dheivame pottri; Om Superstar-e pottri…’ “I recite it while performing aarti and abishegams,” he says.

Karthik is not affiliated to any of the Rajinikanth fan clubs and says that he does not do this as a gimmick. “I do not take offerings or money from people who visit the temple,” he says. Last year, he got a call from the actor’s office, inviting him and his family for a meeting. It is a day Karthik will never forget. “Thalaivar took me around his home, showed me the gurus and gods he prays to…we spent 40 minutes together,” he says. Karthik’s office is adorned with framed photographs from the meeting. “He said he hoped to meet us every year,” he says.

Like most diehard fans of the actor, Karthik has watched every Rajini film there is. “At home, we do not watch anything other than thalaivar films,” he says matter-of-factly. “When his film plays in the cinemas, we watch it as a family week after week as long as it runs.” For him, it doesn’t matter how good the film is or who the director is. “All I care about is seeing thalaivar on the big screen,” he says.

He knows some people may ridicule his obsession, but that doesn’t bother him. “This is my way of showing my love,” he states. On our way out, he hands us a box of sweets: prasadam from Shri Arulmigu Rajini Kovil.

The appeal of the Ramayana transcends geographical boundaries and genres. So what better way to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and India, than by staging ‘Ramayana: Celebrating the Shared Heritage’.

Presented by the Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Chennai on August 8 and 9 at Kalakshetra. ‘Ramayana: Celebrating the Shared Heritage between Singapore and India’ on August 8 and 9 at Kalakshetra in Chennai. This cross-cultural performance was conceptualised by Aravinth Kumaraswamy, artistic director of Apsaras Dance Company, Singapore in collaboration with Osman Abdul Hamid, artistic director of Era Dance Theatre, Singapore. The cast included dancers from Singapore and India. Well-known Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Urmila Sathyanarayanan played the role of Sita.

‘Ramayana: Celebrating the Shared Heritage between Singapore and India’ on August 8 and 9 at Kalakshetra in Chennai.
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH

Tamil Nadu Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan was the guest of honour on the inaugural day. S. Vijaykumar, head of branch secretariat of the Ministry of External Affairs in Chennai was also in attendance.

Singapore Consul-General Edgar Pang said: “The production celebrates the close cultural and people-to-people ties between Singapore and India.”

According to Aravinth Kumaraswamy, “As an artiste rooted in Indian dance and music, I draw deep inspiration from this connection that is driven by collaborations among people, traditions and artistic voices from across the region.”

What made the presentation special was also the venue — Kalakshetra. This is where the institution’s founder Rukmini Devi’s Ramayana dance dramas have attained cult status.

Select episodes from the epic were presented in a unique way.
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH M

A few select episodes from the epic were presented in a unique way — through a group of apsaras. The production began with a vibrant portrayal of Rama’s childhood and charming persona, set to the evocative verses of Tulsidas’s ‘Thumak chalatha ramachandra’ and ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. Both these songs stood out for their group choreography.

Episodes leading to the battle between Rama and Ravana stood out for its visual appeal.
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH M

The focus then shifted to the forest, where Rama and lakshmana in their search for Sita encounter Hanuman. The spotlight then turned to Hanuman as the story traced his journey to Lanka, his poignant meeting with Sita at Asokavana and his fiery act of setting the city ablaze. This sequence culminated in the battle between Rama and Ravana.

The choreography, costume and jewellery, lighting design and music added enough appeal and vibrancy to the production.

Jishnu Gopi played the role Hanuman with conviction and finesse.
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH M

The dramatisation of Hanuman’s episodes were the tour-de-force of the production, with Jishnu Gopi playing the role with remarkable conviction and finesse. Urmila Satyanarayanan conveyed Sita’ s emotional state with restraint and sensitivity, while Savita Narasimhan’s poignant rendition captured the mood. However, a little subtlety in Urmila’s aharya, particularly in the context of Asokavana, could have enhanced the characterisation. Mohanapriyan Thavarajah as Ravana made an impact with his costume and jewellery. Wefi Sofianah, a fine dancer from Era Dance theatre, as Trijada, beautifully integrated the Javanese style into Bharatanatyam narrative, adding texture and elegance to the scene.

Rajkumar Bharathi’s soundscape was a melodious fusion of Javanese Gamelan music and Indian classical. Vocalists Abhishek Raghuram, Savitha Narasimhan and G. Srikanth were supported by a large ensemble of musicians, under the deft music direction of Sai Shravanam. 

Lighting design by Surya Rao flowed well with the choreography by Mohanapriyan Thavarajah, Jayanthi Subramaniam and Osman Abdul Hamid.

This retelling of the Ramayana unfolded as a captivating visual spectacle, holding the audience’s attention from start to finish.

Nothing compares to the pitter-patter of rain, accompanied by the repetitious croaking of frogs and Nature’s own symphony of monsoon. But if you are a music aficionado looking for an excuse to drown your senses in raaga Malhar, then the rain could possibly be your trusty sidekick. What? You don’t like Indian classical music? Jazz, then? Perhaps, something mainstream — a Bollywood banger from the ‘90s with pelvic thrusts by women draped in drenched chiffon saris?

In a country where advice and judgement comes cheap, song recommendations can only be perceived in three ways — portentous, perfunctory or passionate. (In case of rain, that would be, respectively and respectfully, Fuzzy Logic’s ‘Guerrilla Monsoon’, Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ or ‘November Rain’ by Guns N’ Roses).

In matters as subjective as the arts, we will (or at least try to) toe the line of objectivity. So, here are four different musicians who have composed songs about rain and here’s how the monsoon fuelled their creative stream.

For the ‘Indie’philes

‘Indian Monsoon’ by Tech Panda and Kenzani

The inspiration came from the vocals of the song that goes something like ‘Jhiri jhiri barre’. Mid-August is when it would rain in Delhi when, I was a kid, says Tech Panda. “The wordings are celebratory and for mesort of captured the message of relief and burst of new life that the Indian monsoon is synonymous with.” For Kenzani it was “The relief one gets from the heat and dust and the promise of rising hopes and dreams and celebrating over chai and pakodas.”

NEWYORK, 24/08/2007: Sitarist Anoushka Shankar and Musician Karsh Kale, at a press conference in New York on August 24, 2007 as part of her latest music album release “Breathing under Water”, on August 28th in Manhattan, New York. Photo: Shaju John
| Photo Credit:
SHAJU JOHN

‘A Perfect Rain’ by Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale

We initially worked on the song back in 2006 when Anoushka Shankar and I were writing sketches for our album Breathing Underwater. At the time I was using an acoustic guitar and we were writing guitar and sitar compositions. So, one of those was the initial idea for ‘A Perfect Rain’. I was writing something in raaga Jog, which also then opened up in the chorus into a major chord. The name ‘A Perfect Rain’ came before we actually had a vocalist. We were writing the song in Delhi and it was raining. The album itself was therapy for Anoushka Shankar and me as our lives were going through transitions. I think, our partnership was based in helping each other to the next place — that’s what the rainy season represents too, the blossoming of a new season.

Regional reprise

M Jayachandran
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

‘Mazhaye Thoomazhaye’ from Pattam Pole by M Jayachandran

Romance and the drizzle — they have always felt inseparable to me, like ragas gently conversing with soft rock and two distinct genres getting together. It is like two moods meeting and creating something tender and timeless. To me, composing the feeling of being in love, musically, is one of the most beautiful forms of expression. Pattam Pole gave me the chance to rediscover romance in the rain. With Mazhaye Thoomazhaye, I wanted to offer something fresh to the younger generation — a song where different musical genres blend seamlessly into one emotion. My director gave me complete freedom to explore. Santosh Sharma penned the lyrics with delicate grace and Haricharan poured his soul into every note. That is how Mazhaye Thoomazhaye was born. It’s a gentle rain of melody, love and freedom.

Talwiinder

‘Baarish Da Mausam’ by Talwiinder

Rain is my favourite weather. There was a week when it was raining continuously. Rippy had written a few lines and I remember I went for a walk and repeatedly listened to Rippy’s voice note as the rain continued to fall. The voice note was the lyrics of ‘Baarish Da Mausam’. It was pensive and deep. That’s what rains mean to me too. We recorded the song, and even today we have people tagging it and playing it whenever it rains.

“There are more than 2,000 user created playlists on Spotify featuring the words rain, baarish, barsaat, and monsoon. A few of the popular Spotify curated playlists for monsoon (across languages) include Barso Re, Tip Tip Barsa, Monsoon Hits Indie, Hits Di Jhadi, Mazhai Feels, Ee Varsham, Monsoon Malayalam, Paus Ani Ti, and Mungaru Malebillu. While Spotify listeners in India generally love ‘love songs’, the consumption of romantic, mellow songs increases during this season. ”SpokespersonSpotify

The Ernakulam Sub Court has dismissed the plea challenging the rejection of nomination filed by Malayalam film producer Sandra Thomas to contest for the post of president in the election to the executive committee of the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA).

Her interim applications for holding the election under the court’s monitoring and to restrain the returning officer from acting further on any aspects related to the conduct of the election were also dismissed by the court on Wednesday. The election is scheduled on August 14, 2025.

In a Facebook post, she termed the court verdict as ‘unexpected and disappointing’. “I will consult legal experts to decide on the future course of action”, she said.

Her nomination papers for the posts of president and treasurer of the KFPA were rejected on the grounds that she did not meet the eligibility criteria for contesting to the post of a key office-bearer. The returning officer claimed that she had only produced two movies under her production banner named Sandra Thomas Productions. However, the rules permitted her to contest for the post of member of the executive committee for which she had filed the nomination.

She had approached the court stating that she was a managing partner of another firm and the films made by it were censored under her name. She said the bylaws permitted a person having three movies censored in their name to contest the election.

Final picture

B. Rakesh, and Saji Nanthiyattu are in the race for the post of president of KFPA. Listin Stephen, Vinayan, Kalliyoor Sasi are the candidates for the post of general secretary. For the post of vice-president, those in the fray include Sophia Paul, Anand Kumar, and Sandeep Senan.

A keen battle is on the cards in the election to the executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) to be held in Kochi, Kerala, on Friday (August 15, 2025).

The outcome of the election will decide whether the association, registered under the Travancore Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act in 1994, will have its first woman president and general secretary.

Also read: Two women actors in fray for key AMMA posts

Shwetha Menon is taking on senior actor Devan in the race for the top post, while Kukku Parameswaran faces Raveendran for the post of general secretary.

The battle for the key posts in the 17-member executive committee is being watched closely after a series of incidents that had all the elements of a potboiler. Both Shwetha Menon and Kukku Parameswaran had hit the headlines after they had filed their nominations.

The Ernakulam Central Police had registered a first information report (FIR) against Shwetha Menon under Section 67 A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 on charges of making financial gains through her roles in movies having alleged vulgar and obscene content. The Kerala High Court later stayed the criminal proceedings initiated against her.

A section of the actors had alleged that Kukku Parameswaran was in possession of a ‘memory card’ that contained the revelations made by a few woman actors in 2018 after the formation of the K. Hema Committee by the Kerala government to study the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. She had rejected the allegations and lodged a police complaint alleging defamation.

Besides the active faces in the industry, the voters’ list in the 507-member association include senior actor Kamal Haasan, who received the honorary membership of AMMA in 2024, and actors Tabu, Abbas, Thalaivasal Vijay, Napolean, Vasundhara Das to name a few.

Actor-turned-MLAs, including Mani C. Kappan, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, and M. Mukesh, are members of the association. Veteran actors Madhu and Sheela also figure in the list.

The election was necessitated after the previous committee led by Mohanlal resigned in August 2024 following allegations of sexual harassment against some of its members after the release of the Hema Committee report.

Telugu actor Manchu Lakshmi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its Basheerbagh office in Hyderabad on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) for questioning in connection with the alleged promotion of unauthorised online betting platforms.

The summons issued to her is part of an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) into promotional campaigns that, according to officials, portrayed unregulated gambling apps as entertainment or charity-linked initiatives. The ED sources said that her statement will be cross-verified with evidence already on record and testimonies from others questioned in the case.

So far, the agency has summoned 29 individuals, including actors, YouTubers and social media influencers, to determine whether the endorsements were isolated or part of a coordinated attempt to skirt regulatory restrictions.

Ms. Lakshmi is the fourth Tollywood celebrity to be questioned this week. Actor Vijay Deverakonda appeared before the ED on August 6 and Rana Daggubati on August 12. Actor Prakash Raj was the first to appear before the agency on July 30.