Veejay and DJ Nikhil Chinappa was in Ahmedabad recently for an event performing a gig for Amdavadis, and he appeared very articulate and full of love for his music. In an interview, he tells us why he does not like it when someone asks him for favourite requests at a party and how playing music for him is a journey than just an entertaining event!

What do you like about the crowds in Ahmedabad?
I have done some really nice parties in Ahmedabad. The crowd are very open and appreciative of good music, unlike bigger cities like Mumbai where people are sometimes ‘too cool’ to enjoy good music. They often don’t dance on the floor thinking that their make-up will go away, their hair is sweating so gel will go and all that! Amdavadis do not have such frills when they come to a party! At my gig I will be playing House music because that’s what crowds like here.

What puts you off when you play music?
Another thing I don’t like about people when I play at some places is that they expect a deejay to play their favourite requests. I play only what I love and it is my responsibility to entertain the crowds. But if you are wanting to listen to a Punjabi song in the middle of some interesting English songs I am playing, then you should go home or your car and play your song. The minute you play a favourite request the person will go home! Why would I want that? I like people who have high levels of energy. Unlike to what people think, the last gig I enjoyed the most was in Indore.

Will you pursue acting in films? Why did you connect with the masses?
I like Bejoy (Nambiar) so I worked in Shaitan and David. I think I connected as a deejay or veejay with the masses because I was very cool about my what I liked and what I didn’t like. I hated maths, I loved chemisty and I said it! I didn’t take off my clothes on stage to look cooler but I loved my music and digged my heels into it and did it right.

I started deejaying 10 years back and people are loving electronic dance music now. I even know that I am not a great deejay and there are many better deejays in the country. But I got many good deejays to perform for my company.

Don’t you feel people miss the shows on MTV where VJs presented music?
Not at all. MTV is a youth channel and a major research goes into what they show on television. In the past 6 years, trends have changed. When I was in college, TV played music constantly, and you waited for your veejay to play or recommend new songs ….now its Youtube and Internet. I feel MTV is 100 percent right on the content andyes the number of people who want VJs are much smaller today. Nobody wants to watch veejays recommend songs on television.

Do you feel that there was a greater recall value for the kind of western music played at gigs before than now?
Every generation has felt that their music is the best but change is constant, today a cold play band song has an enormous following like Eric Clapton had its followers in his time. In fact I am constantly fascinated by the variety of bands and singers who are emerging on the party scene. There is a lot of new disco that s coming out here. When I started my own company and my first party we threw in a club that had 800 capacity and we only had 42 people on the floor. But we had so much fun playing for them, and we did what we felt right. Today my company is doing 7 gigs in 2 days in 2-3 different cities.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Music> Entertainment / by Tanvi Trivedi, TNN / February 28th, 2013

Nishan Naniah’s claim to fame? He gave the very respectful term chechi a sexual undertone! Many by now would have connected the dots to the obvious reference to Nishan’s character in Ee Adutha Kaalathu. His quaint accent in speaking the Malayalam language and his rakish charm endeared this Mumbai boy to a whole lot of women.

After a brief lull, he is back with 10.30am Local Call in which he plays the lead. A suspense thriller, he has his fingers crossed about the outcome of the film. Talking about being selective while choosing roles, he says that his prime criteria has always been his interest level from the point of view of the audience and of course, the credentials of the producer and the director. The defining factor would be the script he says, “I take up only those roles which are scripted well. There is many a slip between the cup and the lip! Sometimes the script that gets translated on screen is so very different and I have made those mistakes before!”

Nishan is elated at having shared screen space with Vikram for the multi-lingual David and says that it was wonderful to share screen space with an actor who was hassle free and down to earth. The Mumbai boy says that the language barrier never stopped him from attempting films in the South. In fact, his first film was in Telugu, after which he got offers from Malayalam. Nishan very candidly says, “Hindi is a language I think in and I love but that has never stopped me from branching out! My only principle is that I will do only one film at a time; I prefer to sit idle than sign six films simultaneously.”

An eclectic interest in books has shaped this intelligent actor’s thoughts and he is a firm believer in destiny. Nishan stoically believes that whatever is intended for him will come to him; otherwise it will pass him by. Supporting his theory he reveals, “ For most of my films, I was never the first choice but circumstances converged to ensure that I do those roles.”

Nishan is also very confident about his talent and why not? Notwithstanding the fact that he is a Film Institute product, he says that he has never accepted any role for the sake of the greenbucks and adds, “I do not want to compromise on my work, I work hard and put my heart and soul into my performances which is why I am not insecure about my talent.” It is his confidence in his craft that made him sign a woman-centric film like Radio.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Entertainment> Mollywoood / DC, by Priya Sreekumar / February 25th, 2013

Nidhi Subbaiah celebrated her birthday, which falls on February 16, with her closest friends in Mumbai. The Kannada actress, who is best remembered for her roles in Pancharangi and Krishnan Marriage Story, has now shifted to Mumbai, ever since she began shooting for her Bollywood films, a couple of years back.

Nidhi, who has had two releases to her credit – Oh My God! and Ajab Gazabb Love – has been living it up in Mumbai, say her close friends. The actress has been seen partying with her bunch of buddies from the industry there, which also includes her Ajab Gazabb Love co-star Jaccky Bhagnani.

Recently, Jaccky and Nidhi were in Bangalore, where they walked the ramp as the showstoppers for designer Ramesh Dembla at the Bangalore Fashion Week. Nidhi, we hear, is currently listening to a few scripts, but hasn’t narrowed down on any particular project to sign on. We also hear the actress has been receiving a few Kannada film offers to

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada / by Sunayana Suresh, TNN / February 16th, 2013

Nikhil Chinappa in a tell-all interview with TOI

Technology has changed how we listen to music. Do you welcome the change? Music channels earlier had VJs presenting their favourite songs. Then they were replaced by reality TV shows and other formats of presenting music because only a minuscule perctange wanted a VJ to present music. I feel that the trend will eventually shift to people listening to music on internet. One day you’ll also have a VJ on the internet who will present music. As more and more people people use smartphones, people will discover newer genres of music.

What do you like about the audience in Gujarat? The audience is very appreciative of good music here unlike the metros where people often don’t dance thinking that their make-up will fade, their hair will get messy. They feel that they are too cool to dance unlike Gujaratis here who like House music.

Classical musicians often say how Gen Y loves the western concept of partying and clubbing than Indian music. If you look at music across the world, then Eric Clapton will have more fans than Beethoven, and a Madonna will outsell all of them. But that doesn’t mean that any one of them is bad. Many artists complain how people don’t come to their events but nobody goes to the government and asks for permission to organize a national level classical festival where musicians across the world can participate. Just like there is a club scene and there are dance festivals in Goa, one could have classical music fests too!

Is deejaying lucrative? Deejaying pays my bills. But my cheques comes from working for music channels, dance festivals and RJ-ng. I connect with masses because I’m honest about what I like. I know that I am not a great DJ and there are many better than me, but I don’t take off my clothes on stage to look cooler. I feel that if you want to do something well, do it right, otherwise don’t bother.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Tanvi Trivedi, TNN / February 24th, 2013