By Aalia Khan

I went to watch khoobsurat last night and I must say I was really impressed. Having already expected it to be a cute, romantic story, it exceeded my expectations by being all that and more.

Milli Chakroborty (Sonam Kapoor) is a physiotherapist who travels with Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL matches and after the season ends, agrees to go to the royal family of Rathores to treat the king played by Aamir Raza Husain. She meets Prince Vikram Singh Rathore (Fawad) there and falls for him.

During her time spent with the royals she manages to wind up the queen (Ratna Pathak) become a sister to the princess and eventually befriend and treat the unwilling king.

The uptight royals clearly do not know how to have fun and Sonam is just the person who shows them how to have a good time.

Kirron Kher, who plays Sonam’s mother in the film is completely hilarious. Watching her and Sonam’s relationship on screen had many people in stitches and was so refreshing to see. I would go watch the film again just to see Kirron’s antics again.

Sonam Kapoor, looks beautiful in the film, however at times I felt she was over styled for a physiotherapist, nevertheless carries out her role to an OK standard.

Fawad Khan plays his role convincingly well as the prince and his good looks just add to the screen presence of his royal character. A good Bollywood debut for the pakistani actor.

For those of you who like your candy floss romance, you will most certainly enjoy the film, as to it’s credit the film stays true to its genre and handles the straight simple Disney feel good girl meets her prince charming love story well.

Personally, it’s my kind of film and I think the film is a must watch if you want to go into a completely different world for two and half hours with royals, misfits and good looking people at that.

My star rating ****/*****

“Got Talent World Stage Live”, said to be first of its kind and a ground extension of the “Got Talent” franchise, is premiering in India. Scheduled for Dec 6, the event, which will take place at Mumbai’s Andheri Sports Complex, will see performances by 10 Indian and international talents. It will be telecast on Colors.

Shahrukh spoke of the show and his excitement to be a part of it, “They are doing a live show and I really like it…You get a stage where you can showcase people of different talents. I am hosting it for a couple of hours,” He told reporters in India

He also clarified that it is not like an ordinary television show which he is returning to “So it’s a live show, and it’s not a television show as people are assuming that I am back on television. It’s just like I host a Filmfare show,”

Shahrukh hasn’t been a stranger to the small screen and has in the past hosted shows such as Kaun Banega Crorrepati”, “Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?” and “Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout”

SRK “likes” many of the talent shows around “I like ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, I like ‘India’s Got Talent’. I see people and some of them are amazing… So I find interesting.”

He went on to explain how Got Talent World Stage Live will pan out; “So, I guess they have ‘World’s Got Talent’ and they will go to different countries every year and take the world’s top 10 talents from Britain, Australia India and showcase. I think, it is interesting to happen in India, so I said yes…”

The show format was created and is owned by Simon Cowell’s Syco entertainment

Salman Khan returned to host the controversial Indian version of Big brother; Big Boss.

In typical Indian style the contestants entered with a full showdown of dancing, singing and even a bit of acting. They all shared their five minutes with Salman before entering the house.

The house this time round has become an airline theme and there are to be many twists and shocks over the next three months.

The contestants include:

Sonali Raut: The younger sister of supermodel Ujwala Raut.

Karishma Tanna: No stranger to the television, who has appeared in many drama serials.

Upen Patel:  The UK-based model has worked in several Bollywood films, including Namastey London, Shakalaka Boom Boom and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, among others.

Soni Singh:  The vamp in Sanjay Leela Bhansai’s much talked about television series Saraswatichandra.

Arya Babbar: The Tees Maar Khan actor  is expected to add spice to the proceedings like Arman Kohli did in the last season.

Diandra Soares: Model who scorches the ramp with her catwalk, Diandra Soares is known for the bald ramp walk. She is also a fashion designer and anchor.

Sushant Divgikar: Mr Gay India Sushant Divgikar joins the BB 8 house. Whether he can fill the shoes of Imam Siddiqui who is considered as the favourite LGBT contestant of previous seasons.

Gautam Gulati: The actor who featured in popular Star TV serial Diya Aur Baati Hum, Gautam Gulati.

Sukirti Kandpal: Dr Anjali from the popular show ‘Dil Mil Gaye’ entered the Bigg Boss 8 house with Gautam Gulati.

Praneet Bhatt: Shakuni Mama from the Mahabharat on Star Plus.

Natasha Stankovic: Serbian model who was seen opposite Ranveer Singh in the Do-The-Rex condom ad. She was also seen in an item number in Satyagraha.

Minissha Lamba: The Yash Raj actress was the last one to enter the Bigg Boss 8 house.

The surprise element this season is the introduction of three wardens who will add more twists, shock and excitement to the season. Over the next three months we can expect to watch lots of drama, catfights and possible romances in the bb8 house.

By Aalia Khan

The city of Bradford is set to launch a unique literature festival. Taking place during the weekend of  26^th to 28^th September, the ground-breaking festival brings together 60 renowned authors, speakers and artists for a stimulating blend of 25 eclectic events, designed to reflect the cultural sensibilities of Bradford’s diverse demographic.

Celebrating the spoken word and writing in its broadest sense, through an assortment of art forms, the Bradford Literature Festival will showcase the city’s historical, literary, cultural and faith heritage and act as a bridge between different communities, by offering a neutral space for dialogue on themes that are particularly pertinent to Bradford.

For instance, the inaugural annual Sacred Poetry event showcasing Bradford’s entire faithscape, takes place this year in the historic Bradford Synagogue in Manningham. The setting is particularly poignant, given the impact on Bradford of current tensions in the Middle East. In light of the recent rhetoric in Bradford around Israel, where better to hold a panel discussion to examine The Roots of the Conflict in the Middle East. The panel, which includes Bradford East MP David Ward, will analyse the historical fault lines, examine the emerging power bases and consider their potential impact on the turbulent situation in the Middle East.

In the shadow of the referendum vote, Bradford is the perfect place to host a discussion on The Meaning of Identity in Contemporary Britain. Panellists include acclaimed poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, Romany filmmaker Damian Le Bas and comedian Shazia Mirza.

Children are a big focus for the festival with nearly a third of the launch weekend programming devoted to children’s events, from author talks to workshops focusing on digital literacy and safety. For adults, as well as author events, there are exclusive master classes with industry experts including Writing for Stage and Screen with BBC Writers room, Creative Crime Writing with successful crime authors Penny Hancock and Kate Rhodes, as well as Fashion Blogging in association with the London College of Fashion.

The festival also offers special heritage events to bring Bradford’s historical backdrop to life. Bronte enthusiast Christa Ackroyd leads a heritage tourexploring the social history that shaped the works of Britain’s most famous literary family. Meanwhile, author Mark Davisrelates the gruesome yet compulsively fascinating stories of real life 19^th century murders in the Victorian courtroom where the murderers were actually tried.

Syima Aslam, Co-Director of Bradford Literature Festival said, “We are delighted to unveil the programme for the launch weekend of Bradford Literature Festival. The depth and breadth of the festival programme is a first, not only for Bradford but also the UK. This is an exciting time for Bradford and the festival is a key component of both the cultural and economic regeneration of the city.”

Irna Qureshi, Festival Co-Director added, “The festival has been programmed to encourage cohesiveness and to promote literacy as well as cultural understanding. We want to celebrate Bradford’s literary heritage and the diversity of the many communities that make up this wonderful city”.

The full programme itinerary can be found on: www.bradfordliteraturefestival.co.uk.

Tickets for the Bradford Literature Festival launch weekend are now available from www.bradfordliteraturefestival.co.uk or from festival partners, Waterstones at The Wool Exchange in Bradford.