Singers From India

"Cultural descent plays a vital role in the display of every art form. Music is one such element that cannot escape this embodiment."

"Be the ambassador of your art and take pride in your work. Women today are at the forefront of their craft, the trend is changing across every sector and that’s indeed so inspiring."

"My ancestors have kept our cultural and religious traditions alive over the generations."

"[On her mother's influence] She (Lorna Castelino) has played a pivotal role in every developmental phase that I’ve ever been through. Educational, emotional, psycho-social, and in every sense. I can keep enumerating only to add more. My father (Joseph Castelino) and she have been my pillars of support and guidance, throughout."

"My cultural roots have played a crucial role on my comprehensive perspective, not just artistic-wise. Since we’re talking about the influence of roots on music here, I’d like to mention Sicilian melodies that are hauntingly beautiful and its folk music delivering raw emotions stemming from everyday experiences. My inclination for it is quite obvious as it is innate. Religious music in the form of hymns, chants and a capellas have built the foundation of my music sense as a child. Heritage will be apparent in my English-language recordings that are scheduled for future release."

"Music has always been an integral part since childhood. I’d love engaging with anything belonging to that genre of art, and especially with singing."

"Operatic music is a dominant component, but there’s a broader musical spectrum in Italy. There’s so much you can learn from everybody (it shouldn’t necessarily be a celebrity musician), that I find it really difficult to name someone in particular and overshadow the rest."

"If the Choice is to repudiate the brunt, no storm in the world can stop us. The graph varies generation and culture-wise. For Gen Z and millennial females, the school of thought lies in Women Empowerment."

"Casting couch is not just a man's fault. It is important to say this because we blame the other side always. If women are not willing to sleep for work, then they won't ask for it. A woman should have the confidence and say 'I believe myself and I won't sleep with anyone'... then casting couch will not exist."

"Even when we talk about such incidents, we still refer to them as 'victims'. Referring to them as survivors is a recent phenomenon. Most women are victimised by their families. In fact, I'd pick being murdered over being raped because of the stigmas associated with the latter."

"I believe that this is the time when we youngsters should be more aware of politics than ever before because we have to keep our country in good hands."

"Being a vegetarian always made me feel healthy. I've always felt light. Every time I sit down to eat, I'm helping the environment. I'm proud to be a vegetarian."

"I love the art of cooking. Mixing ingredients, creating an aroma, chopping vegetables — everything about cooking entices me. I learnt to cook from my mother, she is a wonderful cook and that makes me a wonderful eater as well. To make things better for me, my wife Aishwarya is also a wonderful cook and is brilliant with her dishes. My love for food makes it necessary for me to workout as well. I am a vegetarian, so I need to take care to supplement my body with protein."

"When I was doing theatre in Chandigarh, I always played negative and aggressive characters, something that nobody could imagine me in. I did imagine myself to play a cop but maybe people did not. Anubhav Sinha sir also never expected me in the role of a tough cop. And that was the challenge. More than the character, it was the subject that intrigued me."

"We have made street plays on social issues and caste discrimination was one of them. Apart from that, I have been supporting an NGO in Delhi. I did all this before ‘Article 15’ came into the picture."

"As an artist, I'm a constant learner of the craft of acting. I'm always looking out for films that make me better, that challenge my thinking, my beliefs and opens me up to absorb new things. Andhadhun has truly been one such film that has shaped me as an actor today. It taught me to challenge my inhibitions and showcase a completely different side to my craft that surprised me and also pleasantly surprised the audiences. I'm thankful to my director Sriram Raghavan for trusting me with his vision and thankful to the universe for giving me projects like this which I can be so proud of."

"If you have a mainstream actor attached to a subject like this, it reaches out to a wider audience. We want to reach out to people who believe in caste discrimination and if we are able to change the mindset of one person that will be the true victory for us."

"I’ve realised something: Either you have to be a superstar, or your script has to be one. So till the time I’m not a superstar, my scripts should do that job."

"In Darr, SRK says that his height is 5’9" or 5’10", so I wanted to be 5’9", at least. I used to pray to God every day, ki bhagwan meri height 5’9" kar do. My father is 5’5" and my mother is about the same. So my hopes were really meagre. And then, I grew to five-nine-and-a-half! I was over the moon. I always knew that I had the talent, but height was a bit of a gamble."

"Experimentation is the most important thing today. Most young actors will not want to talk about the movies that have made money; they talk about the movies that have given them credibility."

"The male ego is so unnecessarily important in patriarchal societies. When a woman cannot conceive, everyone has something to tell her. When a guy can't get it up, it's shoved under the carpet. Sexual health is important to a relationship. In this film, the girl is in love with the guy and we establish the fact that their relationship goes beyond the sexual act. But the girl is emphatic that she wants to have sex."

"My acting career has been quite a ride. After Vicky Donor, I gave two-three unsuccessful films and that was a great learning curve. But Dum Laga Ke Haisha onwards it was cool. I learnt so much from all my films, successful or unsuccessful. You start believing in your intuition, your gut feeling. It ultimately depends on the choices you're taking. Everyone is talented today. Your career graph depends on the choice of scripts, nothing else."

"As a person, I was always intrigued by the caste divide in the country. We have separate utensils for our domestic help, we do not share a meal with them or any of our staff. It is all deep rooted. It will take time to get rid of all this. We need to look within and then the conversation will be started. In rural areas the caste divide is very rampant, there are honour killings because of inter-caste alliances. We have depicted the situation as real as it could be in our film."

"During my growing-up years in Chandigarh, or even in Mumbai, I’ve never come across nasty people. I’ve only heard of it but never seen the bad side of the film industry. Of course I was rejected many times in auditions. But I wouldn’t call that rude."

"When I auditioned for TV, they used to tell me all sorts of things. Some said my eyebrows were too thick. Others said my accent was too Punjabi. But I also knew that, being an outsider, merely auditioning for film roles wouldn’t have got me a film. You have to prove your mettle as an actor on TV or in some other medium. Be it me, Sushant Singh Rajput or even SRK and Vidya Balan – everyone has proven their worth on television [before entering Bollywood.]"

"Most contestants had moved base to Mumbai to cash in on the Roadies fame. My dad told me that I wasn’t prepared. There was no dearth of talent in Mumbai, but there was a dearth of intelligent talent. He asked me not to skip my education."

"After Vicky Donor, life is coming a full circle for me with this film. We are part of a progressive changing society. As young actors, the onus lies on us to choose subjects which must be talking points. Is our work of any value if we don't have an opinion on things?"

"Last two years were very fortunate for me as my films clocked great numbers at the box office and it only gave courage to me to do a film like Article 15. It was a part of my bucket list to do a film like this because I always wanted to do something on a social issue."

"That's exactly the reaction we wanted. This is good trolling. In a country where erectile dysfunction is a taboo subject, I am glad that we are putting it out there for the public to discuss it."

"I think I’ve evolved as an actor. My performance was appreciated. People are saying I am not a one-film wonder. That’s the best part of being in this film."

"Karan gave me the landline number to his office when I met him. I should have taken a hint there and then. But I was so excited! I even planned exactly when I would make the call: sometime around 11:30am, so he’d be done with breakfast and available to talk."

"I was lucky to have him as my co-star. Just like Annu Kapoor, who was such a help in Vicky Donor, Kunal gave my character perspective and provided concentrated energy. Beyond that, I never have any expectations from life."

"I approach all my films as my first. If you carry that innocence, it reflects in the camera. I know I have become a star but I don't want to believe it. I want to be that simple, no fuss guy who approaches a film as if it is my first movie."

"In this society, chauvinism is mistaken for chivalry. It's tough to change that. This film will trigger change in the right direction."

"Some people presumed I was just being myself in Vicky Donor, a Punjabi boy trying to find my bearings in life. I had to work much harder on this character in Nautanki Saala. I had to get into a different skin. And the bromance between me and Kunal Roy Kapoor is immensely liked as well."

"O heart, with the very stones or bricks that some people hurled at you all along, build a wonderful mosque of love with foundation, solid and strong."

"Let's forget today who is friend or foe, and hold each other in caring embrace. Let your love be the magnet to bring the humanity to Allah's grace. Remember those in perennial fast, constantly in hunger and deprivation, Share with the poor, orphans and the destitutes, to make inclusive your celebration."

"Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel, Shall rest in quiet only when I find The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed. Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet, I am the rebel eternal, I raise my head beyond this world and, High, ever erect and alone!"

"O heart, Ramadan has come to an end, and the happy Eid knocks at the door for all, Come, today give yourself away wholeheartedly, heed the divine call."

"Vajpayee's additional generosity to Muslim pilgrims earned him, in Varsha Bhosle's unsparing satirical columns, the alias Hajpayee."

"Which American values can, even remotely, be called Islamic? Democracy? Freedom? Equality? Secularism? Gender equity? Freedom of thought? The right to free expression? The right to critique any holy cow? Does even one of these values exist in a single Islamic state…? Is even one of these values extended to all Muslim citizens of an Islamic state?…What would be the fate of Hindus working in Saudi Arabia if they should advocate the replacement of the word "Islamic" with "Islamic-Hindu" in all references to the kingdom’s heritage?"

"Pakistan, its namaaz-raising hands dipped in the blood of Hindus and Sikhs, began as an Islamic terrorist State and continues to live up to its foundational values. Take it from Balasaheb and me: nothing will emerge from the latest "hand of friendship." Unless, of course, it is Kargil II."

"You’ll be pleased to know that you ‘secularists’ have a successful and time-tested way of tackling free speech: I am no longer writing for Rediff since its top honcho, Ajit Balakrishnan (also involved with discredited SABRANG communications Communalism Combat, ), finds me ‘very inflammatory.’ That’s surely something to rejoice over."

"This, my friends, is the Jaziya that non-Muslims pay in "free" India, one governed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Hajpayee."

"I would like to inspire the younger generation to go back to the roots we belong to. I feel that the songs will bring back those memories."

"Music indeed changes and evolves with time, as does the preferences of the audience, I believe it is a good idea to listen to and appreciate all kinds of music. That is how we learn to differentiate and educate ourselves. However, it is important to never forget our roots, without roots nothing grows!"

"My mother was a popular folk singer. I grew up listening to her songs and know the lyrics and tunes by heart. Although she wanted me to become a singer, I chose a career in the aviation industry. I have come back after more than 10 years to fulfil her dream."

"I actually have a lot of couples coming and telling me that one of my songs was instrumental in strengthening their romance."

"As someone who worships music, I believe it can never be ugly!"

"Titles or awards are not the mark of your success. They are the beginning of a life-long sadhana. Learning should never stop. Discipline of riyaz is a must if you are serious about pursuing an art."