Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

A new international fashion platform rolls out

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

The event saw actors and celebrities like Prajna, Surabhi, Harshika Poonacha, Bhuvan Ponannaa Ramesh, Aravind and Ajai Rao in attendance
The event saw actors and celebrities like Prajna, Surabhi, Harshika Poonacha, Bhuvan Ponannaa Ramesh, Aravind and Ajai Rao in attendance

Taking fashion and glamour into a whole new level, actress Harshika Poonacha and actor Bhuvaan Ponannaa launched their dream company — GlamGod Fashions and Events, which specialises in every aspect of fashion, modelling, films and glamour.

A huge bunch of actors and celebrities including actors Ramesh Aravind, Ajai Rao, Prajna, Surabhi, Indian idol winner Sriram, director AMR Ramesh were present during the launch.

Harshika was on top of the world, attired in a red dress along with celebrity director Bhuvaan Ponannaa, as both welcomed everyone with open arms and posed for the shutterbugs.

“While acting is still a part of me, I wanted to branch out and try out new things. The opportunity came my way when Bhuvaan told me about his plans of starting an international fashion agency,” says Harshika.

She added, “Through our company, we plan to promote young talent in fashion industry and films and give them a platform to showcase their art on an international platform using our tie-ups with agencies overseas. I remember when we entered the industry, both of us had no background in films and we took every day as it came. So I want to give something back. With this launch, I hope to do just that.”

The guests and her team surprised Harshika by getting a cake on her birthday. The actress played along when they smeared the cake on her face.

“It was the best birthday I ever had, not only because I could celebrate it with people whom I love, but also because I have entered a new phase of my life,” she said.

The evening also had an exclusive fashion show choreographed by Braveem Thamaya where international designer Reshma Kunhi showcased her spring summer collection.

The show saw models dressed in ethnic clothes like long kurtas, sherwanis and dhotis in bright summer colours along with Indo-western attires like kurtis, smart jackets and pants.

With only ten unique creations on the ramp, the audience were left craving for more. “Our main motto is to simplify fashion and provide opportunity to all the budding talents in the city and subsequently all over India.

The focus will not only be on clothes, but on hairstyle, make up, choreography and also on the quality of models. There is a huge demand for Indian models overseas and our company will bridge that gap.

All newcomers and freshers can sign up with our agency at no cost and the deserving will be selected and groomed for free and subsequently be used for commercial events and films all over the world,” said Bhuvaan Ponannaa, the director of the company.

The evening saw the celebrities let their hair down at Tango Calypso as they wished the best to both the directors and their team.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express Features – Bangalore / May 13th, 2013

Ajai: Galloping all his way to glory

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Ajai Appachu started his winning streak in competitive riding in 1996. | EPS
Ajai Appachu started his winning streak in competitive riding in 1996. | EPS

For the son of an army man, taking to tough sports and adventure is second nature. Coorg lad Ajai Appachu is no different. Being based in Bangalore, Ajai was attracted to horse riding and took to equestrian events like ducks to water in 1995. He took part in local events and then graduated to bigger events. He started his winning streak in competitive riding in 1996 when he was adjudged the best rider in the zonal championships at Kolkata.

There has been no looking back for Ajai, whose parents Maj Gen Cheppudira Jai Appachu and Gita, have given him all encouragement and opportunities to excel in it.

A truly gifted rider and an extremely successful instructor, Ajai has won innumerable equestrian accolades in India, South Africa and Australia in every field of equestrian sport, whether dressage, show jumping or eventing.

Ajai has been trained under world-class instructors and is now the guiding force behind the Embassy International Riding School competition yard.

His students reflect his ability and the EIRS team for the Junior National Equestrian Championship is a force to reckon with, having achieved the highest medal tally at national level since 2003. The young rider has a long list of achievements under his belt.

Just sample this:

*Won the Individual Gold (1.30 mt) at the recently held KRA Cup, Seoul, South Korea. Also, won the Team Silver for Jumping.

* Qualified for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in the year 2010.

* Won FEI World Jumping challenge Category A in Meerut (2011).

* Won the FEI World dressage challenge held at Embassy International Riding School in 2008.

* Won Team Gold in show jumping at the Junior International (1999)

* Best Rider at the Tollygunj Horse Show (1997-98)

* Junior National Champion at Bangalore (1998)

* Represented India in South Africa where the team won a gold and three bronze medals

* Represented India for the 4th time in the International Tent Pegging meet (2000)

* Won the gold in the Lance and silver in the Team Sword events.

Ajai’s recent success in the World meet has given him immense confidence “I will be participating in a eventing meet in Germany.

My target is the 2016 Olympic Games,” said Ajai, for whom, his mentor and coach Maj Ahluwalia is the know-all and be-all of equestrian.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by S. S. Shreekumar / ENS – Bangalore / July 06th, 2012

When fitness regimen sows seeds of entrepreneurship

Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Chennai:

Rohit Kuttappa was a budding bowler who played first division cricket in Chennai for over eight years. But a knee injury during six years ago led him to take up cycling as a part of the rehab programme which later sowed the seeds of an entrepreneur in him.

What started as a personal exercise became a group activity and later bloomed into a sports management company in 2009. “Initially, my brother, a college-mate and I used to cycle as a part of my fitness regime every weekend,“ recalls the 27 year-old who did his Master’s in economics from Loyola College in Chennai.

This attracted a lot of queries which later became a cycling group on Facebook called Chain Reaxion.

“But when the group of four grew to 150, we saw a business opportunity that could also activate people to take up cycling as a sport,“ reveals the first generation entrepreneur hail ing from a coffee planter family in Coorg.

“There was no motive to set up a structured business team and I had always wanted to do something with sports and when corporates as TI cycles approached us to host cycling events, we floated a fullfledged sports management firm,” adds the MD of CRX Sports Ventures.

Today, CRX hosts all major cycling events in the city including the 2013 Chennai Cycling event that saw about 4,700 people participating and even the 2012 International BMX tour of India that saw riders from across the globe joining.

Impelled by the success that came its way through the Internet and following queries from clients on helping them choose the right kind of bikes, CRX now has added two web portals to its portfolio — choosemybike.com and choosemybicycle.com.

“The idea is to promote a user-driven review portal which could also service corporates providing consumer insights,” says Rohit who completed his part-time MBA in marketing alongside.

Cricket and cycling apart, CRX is also focused on hockey and conducted the World’s largest hockey tournament in Coorg in 2012 that saw 220 local Kodava team taking part.

“It’s time to do something for our national game,” says Rohit who is now training for the first division league of Chennai Hockey Association.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Business/Tech / by K. Sreedevi, DC / May 07th, 2013

Joshna’s journey resumes

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

THAT'S THE SPIRIT Joshna Chinappa / Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu
THAT’S THE SPIRIT Joshna Chinappa / Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu

After a year or so off-court following a knee injury, Joshna Chinappa is back to doing what she loves best — playing squash. The former national champion says her focus is now on fitness and participating in more tournaments

Grit and patience… these are the key factors behind any sportsperson’s achievements. Joshna Chinappa, former national squash champion, is a prime example of this. Having seen the highs and the lows of competitive squash, she’s now keen on a career that’s on an upward trajectory — one that is as satisfying as it is productive. Currently she has touched her career best rank of 25.

There was a time, not long ago, when this Chennai girl had the distinction of being almost invincible. None in India could match her. Reaching the final of the World junior singles was the highest level of achievement as a junior. And when she completed her graduation from Ethiraj College and decided to pursue squash seriously, her only aim was to “keep playing as long as I enjoy myself, let’s see what comes of it all later.”

No sacrifice too big

She had no hassles about following a strict diet, besides regular visits to the gym and being away from home and parents. Nothing seemed like too big a sacrifice. But somehow her progress never seemed as fluent as during her junior days. The transition was not easy.

But then, Joshna was always a star when she played under the country’s banner in Continental competitions. The senior pro knew her strengths and was a source of encouragement to her colleagues. Yet the highest she went in terms of the WSA ranking was 28, a number long surpassed by her friend and rival Dipika Pallikal, who at 15 is the highest ranked Indian in the professional circuit. As luck would have it, a little over a year ago, in a tournament, Joshna sprained her right knee so badly that she knew the worst had happened. Medical tests confirmed her fears: a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. Surgery and rehabilitation followed and that meant nearly 10 months off the professional circuit and her ranking tumbling to 71!

But then Joshna’s confidence was not something that would fall apart easily. Grit is her other name, and true to it, she clawed back. Her comeback story began at the Otters club where physical training and sparring sessions restored her to fighting fitness. Thanks to former national champion and good friend, Ritwik Bhattacharya, Joshna could get quality playing time at the club. Then followed a training stint at the Indian Squash Academy, Chennai, where National Coach Cyrus Poncha and Consultant Maj (retd) S. Maniam along with a host of other coaches and players offered help. In London, she was ably guided by Malcolm Willstrop. Suffice to say, Joshna was back to winning or at least was in a position to make an impression. The ten-odd tournaments she took part in proved satisfying; she even won one — the Chennai Open.

Mantra for the future

“To stay fit and keep improving” is her mantra for the future. “If I keep myself fit and remain that way, I am sure my ranking will take care of itself,” Joshna responded to a query on what her aims are for the year ahead. Still she is not averse to revealing what her goal is: to be in the top 12 by year-end. Just a little over 26 now, Joshna believes her best days are still coming. Can the former World junior runner-up rise up to expectations? Only time will tell but, as of now, her focus is on the tournaments ahead, including the prestigious British Open.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports /by S. R. Suryanarayan / April 17th, 2013

Bangalore girls who promise to rock the Kannada screens this year

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

If 2012 saw more of Ramya, Radhika Pandit, Ragini Dwivedi and Sindhu Lokanth, the year 2013 will see a host of ‘relatively’ new stars who will make a splash with a lineup of films. BT first put together a list of Bangalore-based actresses who have debuted over the last year or so, and shortlisted that to the top five (based on their hits, projects that they have signed up for, their popularity and of course, their looks). We then got filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh, fashion guru Prasad Bidapa and photographer Waseem Khan to comment and rate the top five on a scale of five. Here’s a look at the results…

Deepika Kamaiah
After a five-year-stint as a model, Deepika Kamaiah won several beauty contests before taking the plunge into Sandalwood. She made her debut opposite Darshan in Chingari. After a six month break, the actress signed her second film Neene Bari Neene, and also replaced actress Chaitra in Auto Raja. This year, will mark Deepika’s Bollywood debut, as she’s done a cameo as a village belle in the Shahid Kapur-Ileana D’cruz-starrer Phata Poster Nikla Hero.
Indrajit: I’ve seen some of her clippings and I am surprised by the confidence the actress portrays. She’s one south actress, who has the potential to make it big in Bollywood. 4/5
Prasad: She’s got a pan Indian look, which will work for south as well as north. If she works more on her Hindi, she can make a cut in Bollywood too. 4/5
Waseem: Suave, sophisticated, articulate and not a cliche’d dumb starlet. Deepika has a lot of potential and I believe she will be the girl who will outlast most of the film stars of the south film industry. 4.5/5
Total: 83.3%


Shwetha Srivatsav
Shwetha Srivatsav comes from a theatre background and getting into films was a natural progress. After working for a television serial, the actress made her Kannada debut with Cyber Yugadol Nava Yuva Madhura Prema Kavyam. Even before her debut hit the screens, Shwetha signed her second project Simplag Ond Love Story opposite Rakshit Shetty. The film that saw a release recently is doing well at the BO.
Indrajit: I’ve seen some of the promos from her recent release and I must admit that she is a good actress. In fact, she’s a better actress than the rest. She’s very expressive and has a lively face. 3.5/5
Prasad: Shwetha has got lovely features and it will work well for south Indian films. Her expressive face also makes her a good actress. 3/5
Waseem: I haven’t seen much of her work. I am waiting to see her take up more projects. 3/5
Total: 63.3%

Kavya Shetty
The former Femina Miss India contestant made her entry into Sandalwood with a small budget film I Am in Love. But the actress has got lucky with a Tamil-Telugu thriller Shivani. She also plays one of the lead roles in Preetham Gubbi’s youth flick, Nam Duniya Nam Style.
Indrajit: Though I’ve not seen much of her work, as a model she looks stunning. Kavya’s got great height and good body and we need such actresses in our industry. 3.5/5
Prasad: Kavya has worked with me on a couple of shows and I’ve trained her for the pageant as well. She’s well-groomed and her westernized looks will work well in the south film industry. 4/5
Waseem: Sweet personality, but probably a bit too sweet for the big bad world of filmdom. She will make it big if she plays her cards right. Nevertheless, she works the camera superbly and shoots like a dream. 4/5
Total: 76.6%

Kriti Kharbanda
Bangalore girl Kriti Kharbanda made her debut in a Telugu film Boni, opposite Sumanth. She took up her next project in Kannada with Chirru, which marked the Sandalwood debut for both Chiranjeevi Sarja and herself. He next break was Prem Adda opposite Prem, which got her more yet-to-be-released films like Googly opposite Yash and Sakhatagawne opposite newbie Karthik. She’s also worked on Telugu films like Ongole Githa with Ram Pothineni and Theenmaar with Pawan Kalyan.
Indrajit: I find Kriti pretty, off the camera. She’s got a face like Bhavana Ramanna, where she’s more lively off screen than on screen. Nevertheless, choosing the right scripts will help her get to a better place. 4/5
Prasad: She’s got a very sweet and innocent face. She has the girl-next-door looks that will work wonders for her at the BO. 4/5
Waseem: She’s another smart girl who surprised many, including me, when she joined the south film brigade. She has the potential to score some mega hits. 3.75/5
Total: 78%

Soundarya Jayamala
Daughter of former actress Jayamala, Soundarya’s entry into films was predictable. While there were many speculated debuts, the actress made entered showbiz with Godfather, opposite Upendra. After several months of her debut, the actress took time to zero in on her second film, Paru w/o Devdas opposite Srinagara Kitty.
Indrajit: Being a famous actress’s daughter, Soundarya has got everything it takes to make a mark. However, her debut saw mixed responses. She needs to prepare herself better for upcoming films. 2.5/5
Prasad: She comes from a good lineage and has a lot of potential to make it big in the film industry. In fact, she’s promising as an actress when compared to the rest. 4.5/5
Waseem: She’s got tremendous oomph, sex appeal, charisma and has that X factor. In my opinion, Soundarya is the next superstar in the south. 5/5
Total: 80%

Debutants to look forward to this year
Here’s a list of promising Bangalore-based actresses who’ll be making their debuts this year
Milana Nagaraj: Brindavana and Nam Duniya Nam Style (Kannada)
Rajshri Ponnappa: Paru w/o Devdas (Kannada), Pithavinum, Puthranum, Parishuddhathmavinum (Malayalam), Aram (Tamil-Malayalam)
Nikki Galrani: Ajith (Kannada), Yagavarayinum Naa Kakka (Tamil)
Rachita Ram: Bul Bul (Kannada)
Jahanvi Kamath: Parari (Kannada)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada / by Sharanya CR, TNN / March 14th, 2013

Indians impressive again at 2nd leg of Asian GP athletics

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Chonburi :

Indian athletes continued their impressive performance in the Asian Grand Prix series by grabbing 10 medals, including four gold, in the second leg on Wednesday.

M R Poovamma (women’s 400m), Rajiv Arokai (men’s 400m), Jithin Thomas (men’s high jump) and Nitin Rawat (men’s 3000m) bagged a gold each while Krishna Poonia (women’s discus), Kheta Ram (men’s 5000m) and Renjith Maheswary (men’s triple jump) grabbed a silver apiece.

Siddhanth Thingalaya (men’s 110m hurdles), Anu Mariam Jose (women’s 400m) and Arpinder Singh (men’s triple jump) won a bronze each at the IPE Chonburi Campus Stadium.

Poonia, who had finished fourth in the first leg, missed the Moscow World Championships ‘B’ standard of 59.50m by seven centimetres.

India had won 12 medals (four gold, five silver and three bronze) in the first leg in Bangkok on May 4.

M R Poovamma won his second gold of the series in women’s 400m race in 53.57sec. She had won the race in the first leg in Bangkok in 52.97sec.

Another Indian, Anu Mariam Jose finished third in 54.86sec, well below her bronze-winning effort of 53.95sec in Bangkok.

Rajiv Arokia changed the colour of the medal from the silver he had won in Bangkok in the first leg to gold here in men’s 400m race as he set new personal best timing of 46.54sec. He had finished second in Bangkok in 46.91sec.

Jithin Thomas also defended the title he won in Bangkok by clearing 2.21m, three centimetre more than his gold-winning effort in the first leg. Compatriot Nikhil Chitarasu, who was second in Bangkok, finished sixth with 2.18m.

India dominated men’s 3000m race as Nitin Rawat won gold with a timing of 8:18.25s with compatriot Kheta Ram taking second place with 8:18.74s. Rawat and Ram had won gold and silver respectively in the 5000m race in the first leg.

Siddhanth Thingalaya moved down one place from the second place he finished in the first leg to third here in men’s 110m hurdles with a timing of 13.90sec. Almandeel Abdulazia of Kuwait remained unbeaten in 13.69sec while Rittidet Jamras of Thailand grabbed second place in 13.88sec.

In wen’s triple jump, national record holder Renjith Maheswary settled for the silver for the second time behind Roman Valiyev of Kazakhstan. Maheswary had a leapt of 16.68m while Valiyev managed 16.69m. Another Indian, Arpinder Singh took the bronze with 16.53m.

In women’s discus throw, Poonia came up with season’s best of 59.43m. Her personal and national record stands at 64.76m. Su Xinyue of China won the gold with a throw of 61.67m.

In women’s high jump, first leg winner Sahana Kumari disappointed as she finished fifth with a modest 1.79m. Nadiya Dusanova of Uzbekistan won the gold with an effort of 1.86m. Sahana had cleared 1.86m in the first leg.

In men’s shot put, national record holder Om Prakash Karhana disappointed again by finishing sixth with a below-par 17.64m throw. Wang Li Ke of China won the event with a throw of 18.86m.

The third and final leg of the Asian Grand Prix will be held in Colombo on May 12

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Athletics / PTI / May 08th, 2013

Nidhi gets nostalgic

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg
(Nidhi Subbaiah More Pics )
(Nidhi Subbaiah More Pics )

Sandalwood actress Nidhi Subbaiah, who is making her mark in Bollywood, seems excited to watch Bombay Talkies. “Waiiiting to watch bombay talkies!Never been this excited for a film for a long long time!What was the last film you were excited to watch?” tweeted the actress.

Nidhi, who has acted in Kannada movies such as Pancharangi, Krishnan Marriage Story and Anna Bond, after talking bout Bombay Talkies, could not resist sharing some of her Bangalore memories. “I remember Sarfarosh, with dad-for someone who hated standing in long queue’s in d theatre,he actually bought tickets in black!Lido theatre!” she tweeted.

The actress, who featured in the 2012 Hindi film Ajab Gazabb Love opposite Jackky Bhagnani, is likely to return to the Sandalwood screen with the film Vara that’s likely to release sometime this year.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional / by Parinatha Sampath, TNN / May 04th, 2013

Former athletes urge IOC to sort out India mess

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

New Delhi :

A group of prominent athletes fighting for better administration of sports in India has asked the International Olympic Committee to send a team to resolve the country’s suspension.

“We’ve written to the IOC about the latest developments and requested them to send a team to assess the situation,” Clean Sports India vice president Ashwini Nachappa told The Associated Press on Thursday. “Officials here are trying to mislead the IOC and there is no justification in what they say. They’re only employing delaying tactics.”

(The IOC suspended the Indian…)
(The IOC suspended the Indian…)

The IOC suspended the Indian Olympic Association on Dec. 5 for conducting illegal elections and the election of tainted officials.

It then asked the IOA to liaise with government officials and set a meeting date with the IOC, but the proposed meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, has not materialized.

Former IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who has been corresponding with the IOC since the new body was not recognized, wrote to the world body last week saying the government did not seem interested in a solution.

“While we endorsed your move for a dialogue involving the government, it has gone ahead and constituted a committee to re-draft the controversial sports bill, which is in total breach of the Olympic charter,” Malhotra wrote to the IOC.

Sports minister Jitender Singh reacted with disappointment on Wednesday, saying Malhotra was only trying to delay the meeting with IOC.

“I will appeal to the IOA to quickly fix the dates. If they are not going, then (someone from) the ministry will or I will personally go there and speak to the IOC,” Jitendra said.

The sports code puts an age restriction of 70 years on officials while Malhotra is already past 80. It also puts a cap of three tenures for the main office-bearers but Malhotra has been the president of the Archery Association of India for more than three decades.

Nachappa said the sports bill was inevitable and that long-serving officials should look beyond their personal interests.

“I think the ministry is clear about having the code. That code is being drafted out with good representation from all stake holders. I feel the IOC has taken cognizance of that and trying to give them a wrong impression will not help,” Nachappa said. “This is the only time to do it right. Even if it takes a long time, it will be good for Indian sports.”

The IOA had cited a Delhi High Court order in conducting its polls according to the sports code even though the IOC had asked it to follow its own constitution while meeting an election deadline. Though the IOC does not want government interference, it is not opposed to the Indian body re-drafting its constitution in line with the code, which is based on the IOC’s own constitution.

The IOC’s ethics commission had also advised that tainted officials shouldn’t hold administrative posts, but Lalit Bhanot was declared elected unopposed as the new secretary-general despite spending 11 months in jail for corruption cases related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Suresh Kalmadi, who headed the IOA for 16 years, decided not to seek re-election after graft charges relating to the Commonwealth Games but backed new president Abhey Chautala and Bhanot.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports / by AP / April 11th, 2013

Harshika celebrates her big day

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

(Harshika Poonacha )
(Harshika Poonacha )

Harshika Poonacha turned a year older on May 1. And the actress was in great spirits, starting her big day at midnight and having cut three cakes already by the morning, when we at Times of India called the actress to wish her.

Her plan of action for the day, she told us, was to spend time at home with family and friends, and then head out in the evening for the launch of a fashion event company that she will be a part of, which will culminate in her birthday celebrations. Her involvement in a fashion event firm does not come as a surprise, given that Harshika has, in the recent past, been a judge on a talent hunt show exclusively for the Kodava fraternity.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional / by Prathibha Joy, TNN / May 01st, 2013

Decoding California

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

The Silicon Valley, a rough triangle that stretches from San Francisco and Oakland in the north to San Jose in the south, could be mistaken for an extension of an Indian city.

From streets with names such as Gurudwara Road to Indian restaurants and even a store named The Love Of Ganesha, the area is home to thousands of Indians, many of them techies. And first-time filmmaker Rucha Humnabadkar, who has assisted Nagesh Kukunoor on his films Hyderabad Blues (1998), Rockford (1999) and Bollywood Calling (2003), is looking to capture the journey of these people in her new film, For Here Or To Go?
“It’s the story of every Indian who comes to the Bay Area with dreams of making it big,” says Rucha. The script is written by Rishi Bhilawadikar, who is actor Atul Kulkarni’s nephew, and is based on posts from his blog, Stuff Desis Like. “I met Rishi about a year ago and we got talking about this script that he’d written. I was interested in making the film right off the bat,” she says.

Actor Gulshan Devaiah, who was last seen in Hate Story (2012), is playing the lead character, a first-generation immigrant from Mumbai. “He is a loner who likes western culture. He wants success and goes to America in search of it,” says Gulshan. “However, he soon finds that he’s facing the age-old dilemma of migrants, where do I belong?” he adds. Although the actor hasn’t had a similar experience himself, he will be meeting techies in the States and hopes to draw inspiration from their lives.

The film, which goes on the floors by July, will be shot in the Bay Area and Mumbai. “It’ll be nice to have a wide release,” says Gulshan. “This is a story that needs to be told, especially with the spotlight on immigration reform right now,” says Rucha, referring to the Mark Zuckerberg-led initiative FWD.us (pronounced forward US).

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Movies> Entertainment> bollywood / by Sumedha Deo, Hindustan Times / Mumbai, April 30th, 2013