In Passing

Singer Angelique Kidjo

Stellar performance

Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Angelique Kidjo rocked the audience with her soul-stirring foot-tapping numbers. Kidjo, who performed in India for the first time, recalled how Bollywood music influenced her during her growing years. “In Benin, where I come from, Bollywood films and music are extremely popular and I remember recording a song based on an Indian film song.” Kidjo said she has the “greatest regard” for artistes like Anoushka Shankar. “I have also performed with Trilok Gurtu, Talvin Singh and feel Indian music has a lot in common with African music. It is easy to amalgamate the two.” Adept at singing in five different languages, Kidjo claims the complexity of her own traditional music led to her being able to evolve and experiment. “You can do whatever you like with our traditional folk songs; mix it up and, voila, have your own style.”

Wooing Lady Luck

Actor Preity Zinta has just added another feather to her cap as host of a new television show. Zinta, who was hoping to put her cricket chat show on air, had to wait for a final kick-off date. But not one to lie low, the actor has got another show going. “It's enough between the movies to keep me busy,” she said. “But the cricket chat show is definitely on the cards. There has been a delay but it has been sorted out. I think it should now be fast tracked.” She admitted that the cricket show was close to her heart and said it was for that reason she needed to work on it before launching it on air. Meanwhile, she is hoping her team will be able to perform well “now that all the allegations are off.” Zinta said that her team was “hardworking and giving the tournaments its best shot,” For the rest she is still depending on Lady Luck.

All good friends

He may not have made waves on the big screen yet but actor Neil Nitin Mukesh has been working quietly and steadily at bagging interesting and unusual roles. After “Saat Khoon Maaf”, where he played an army officer, Mukesh said he had to learn to live and work in a prosthetic cast. “It was tough but I am happy people appreciated my efforts.” Now shooting for his next film, Mukesh said he got along with all his co-stars. “It's true that some relationships change every Friday. Yet, even in the industry, there are strong and solid ties that are not affected.” Mukesh said maybe he was “lucky that his friends remained just that; good friends.”