Bollywood playback singer (Kambakkht Ishq) Navin is offering you the chance to order his new single Tere Liye, with a twist. He will personalize it with a special audio dedication to you or your loved one.
Read the full story

Newly appointed Bollywood singer for Akshay Kumar in Kambakkht Ishq Navin performed for the very first time in live, unplugged, acoustic sets on BritAsia TV on Saturday, February 14, 2009. There were three songs and an interview that were taped on this special night. All videos are the courtesy of BritAsia TV
Read the full story

Navin's Saavy New Look

Due to his whirlwind lifestyle, it has been some time since we have been able to catch up with Navin. Busy promoting his new chart-busting club song ‘Love Thing’ is only one of the many projects he has on his plate at present.  His loving and supportive fans recently nominated Navin as a contender for the prized UK Asian Music Awards in the Best Newcomer category (held on Thursday, March 5, 2009).

If that were not enough to set his world on fire, the news of filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala choosing him to be the playback singer for Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar in his new film ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ (Incredible Love), in which Kareena Kapoor plays opposite Kumar, sealed the deal. It is a romantic comedy. An Indian stuntman takes Hollywood by storm but he cannot find true love.

Definitely a dream come true for Navin, as in the very first interview I conducted with him almost 2 years ago, he said, “I have grown up listening to playback singers all my life and that is how I developed my singing and love for music. If the opportunity for playback singing came my way, I would definitely consider it.” Well now, he is having his cake and eating it too, as they say.

ICB – Please tell us how ‘Love Thing’ was created.

NAVIN – I remember being introduced to producer Mushtaq by my manager earlier last year and one of the first pieces of music he played for me was an instrumental draft of the track which we developed into ‘Love Thing’.  We created a fusion using the famous Bollywood sample ‘Bindiya Chamkegi’ with a heavy urban beat and I started writing to the track straight away.  It was summertime here in the UK so I was in a feel good mood and wanted the track to reflect the same.

I knew that after ‘Tukde Tukde’ and ‘Zinda Hoon’, which were well appreciated, I had to come back with something different. Working with a different producer helped me achieve that new sound.  Lyrically I wanted to mix Punjabi and English while riding the famous Hindi sample.  It was important that both the Punjabi and English parts were performed authentically on the track. That is perhaps why everyone keeps asking me ‘who is singing the English part?’ Laughs!  It’s an interesting mix of influences blended into one track and I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

ICB – Response toward this song?

NAVIN – So far the response has been fantastic!  I was nervous before exposing the song because I thought that the people who heard ‘Tukde Tukde’ really would not expect me to switch it up and come out with a track like this … and I was right!  Nevertheless, I have gained more exposure to new audiences with ‘Love Thing’, particularly younger music lovers, and that has broadened my fan base.  I have also been performing the track nationwide and the response has been brilliant.  There are some new remixes for the single coming out too, so keep a lookout for them!

ICB – How does it feel to be chosen as the playback singer for Akshay Kumar and how did this come about?

NAVIN – It feels awesome!  I have grown up listening to Bollywood music and I am a big fan of Akshay Kumar, so to be given the opportunity to sing for him still feels somewhat unreal.  This came about through producer Rishi Rich. Rishi was working with Bollywood music director Anu Malik and he played a song that I had recorded for my new album.  Anu Malik liked my voice, so Rishi rang me up and casually said, “Come down to the studio. Anu Malik is here and wants you to record for Akshay Kumar on his next Bollywood movie.”  I was like … what???” I thought he was playing a prank on me but it was for real and it was an awesome experience recording with them!  I hope that you will hear the soundtrack soon.

ICB – What other future hits can we look forward to in the near future – Club? Classic?

NAVIN – A mixture – I could never just do one type of music because it would get boring after a while for both the listeners and myself.  I love experimenting with new sounds and using different influences to keep my music fresh, innovative and contemporary.  I believe that people love listening to all kinds of songs, but they only get to hear what is accessible to them.  I want to give them access to a broader range of music, while challenging myself as a singer to stretch my voice further and write quality songs.

ICB – How do you decide which genre of songs to do? Any specific method?

NAVIN – There is no real method. It all depends on time. My mood and the inspiration at that moment also play a huge role.  I do not really sit down and think “now I’m going to compose a track for the clubs.” To be honest, I quite often end up forgetting that the tracks I am working on are going to be released to the public. I just enjoy the creative process.  My manager Nyrone Persaud has also been a key factor in guiding the shape of my new music.

ICB – Is your album coming out anytime soon so that all your fans can start lining up at the various music stores around the globe?

NAVIN – It is coming out this year but I do not have a release date yet. As soon as I do, I will let you all know!

ICB – International worldwide tour in the near future?

NAVIN – Absolutely! We are already in talks with companies about an international tour – so all in good time!  I love performing live and meeting the people who I make the music for!

ICB – Over 100,000 hits on your myspace musician’s page (http://www.myspace.com/NavinKundra), with ‘Love Thing’ being played almost 6,000 times! What do you say to that?

NAVIN – It is brilliant and I am really pleased with the support from my fans.  I am always updating my website with new material so they come across something new every time.

ICB – Your debut song ‘Tukde, Tukde’ has been played over 20,000 times and your second hit ‘Main Ha Tere Naal’ over 13,000 just on your site, not to mention the hits generated on You Tube, Facebook, and several desi music sites. Amazing! Besides this, you have been nominated for Best Newcomer on the UK Asian Music Awards 2009 (http://www.theukama.com/). Way To Go!

ICB – How can your fans help with this?

NAVIN – It is all about representing, supporting and votes!  They all need to log onto www.theukama.com, select voting, register and submit their vote for me under the Best Newcomer category.  The more friends and family they can get to vote for me, the more chance we have of winning. It is quick, free, and every vote counts, so please make your voice heard and while you are there, vote for your favorites in the other categories too.

ICB – Speaking of your fans … Do you have a personal message that you would like to share with them?

NAVIN – I just want to say that you are awesome! The reason I am here doing what I do is because of YOU!  Thank you so much for all your love and support and I hope 2009 brings you all much happiness, love and success!

ICB – Anything else you what to add?

NAVIN – Just a reminder to please vote for me on the UK AMA website. It is because of my fans that I am up for this award so I really feel that we are in this together.  If we win, it will be something for us all to be proud of … it is all in your hands now.

ICB – Thank you so much Navin for taking the time to be with us. We wish you all the best and much success from all of us here at I Crave Bollywood!

NAVIN – Thank you Simran.

Download Love Thing now on iTunes.

Check Out Navin’s New Music Video ‘Love Thing’ – Right Here!

New Delhi, Although Bollywood has an array of big-ticket films lined up for release in 2009, Hollywood could prove tough competition with an assorted platter of movies to woo Indian audiences, including “Changeling”, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Seven Pounds”.

Bollywood films usually have an upper hand over international films in India, but there was no Hindi release in the first week of 2009. Interestingly, the year began with Baz Luhrmann’s period drama “Australia” followed by Colin Farrel-starrer “In Bruges”, Australian dance musical “Razzle Dazzle” and director John Jeffcoat’s “Outsourced” – all four opened to mixed reviews.

Last year wasn’t too exciting for the Hindi film industry, but it ended on a good note thanks to “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” and “Ghajini”. While “Rab Ne…” is a romantic drama with superstar Shah Rukh Khan and newcomer Anushka Sharma in the lead roles, Aamir Khan-starrer “Ghajini” is an action thriller. Both the films are still raking in the moolah at the box office.

While the first week was dry as far as Hindi movies are concerned, Jan 9 will see the release of a bouquet of five small budget Hindi films – “Bad Luck Govind”, “Horn Ok Pleassss”, “Kaashh…Mere Hote”, “42 Kms…” and “The President Is Coming”.

But the first major Hollywood-Bollywood clash would surface Jan 16 when Golden Globe nominated period thriller “Changeling”, starring Angelina Jolie, releases along with Akshay Kumar’s much-hyped “Chandni Chowk To China”.

On Jan 23, Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” will hit the screens and will compete with actress Nandita Das’ directorial debut “Firaaq”, “Raaz – The Mystery Continues”, the much-talked about sequel to the 2002 hit horror film “Raaz”, and “The Murderer”.

In the last week of January, Brad Pitt’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and Will Smith starrer “Seven Pounds” are pitted against Harman Baweja’s second film “Victory” and Zoya Akhtar’s much-talked about directorial debut “Luck By Chance”. The cast of Zoya’s film includes her actor-director brother Farhan along with Hrithik Roshan and Konkona Sen Sharma.

Mega Hollywood projects are in line for release throughout February as well. Historical film “Frost/Nixon”, and British-American drama “Revolutionary Road” will open with Anurag Kashyap’s “Dev D” and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Billu Barber”.

The following month will have American superhero film “Watchmen”, which would most probably coincide with the release of Vishal Bharadwaj’s “Kaminay” and Amrita Rao-starrer “Shortcut: The Con Is On”.

Golden Globe nominated “Gran Torino” is also expected to release in March alongside Anurag Kashyap’s “Gullal”. Both are tentatively slated for March 13 release.

It is not just in the first quarter of 2009 that Hollywood will be inundating the theatres.

There is an interesting line-up of films, including much-awaited biggies like “Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince”, “Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen”, “Star Trek 11″, “Fast and Furious 4″, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”, Johnny Depp-starrer “Public Enemies”, for the later months as well.

But Bollywood seems ready to match up to these with quite a few much-awaited biggies. These include Shahid Kapur starrer “Pathshala”, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor’s”Kambakkht Ishq”, Aamir Khan’s next production “Delhi Belly”, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s “Delhi-6″, Kabir Khan’s “New York” and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “My Name Is Khan”.

Bollywood brought cine goers a mix of both, massive hits and massive flops in 2008 but this year has some big hits coming our way. Here’s what we can look forward to in 2009.

First up we have Salman Khan producing a periodical Veer — Salman Khan’s Scripted Mythology, and after that he goes back to his dreams London Dreams i.e., where he entertains the audiences as a pop star. But that’s not all, Salman has loads of surprises up his sleeve, and as the year comes to a close, we also get to see him in an action flick, the type of action that only Salman can do justice to in Wanted.

And that’s not all, Akshay Kumar has got a few tricks up his sleeve also, he brings to the big screen a wide variety of flicks and what’s more we get to watch him do what he does best — a host of different roles. First in line, we have Chandni Chowk to China, a kung fu hit you won’t want to miss. Next up is an action thriller Blue and the list doesn’t end there. Tagged one of 2009’s biggest Bollywood flick — Kambakht Ishq worth 80 crores and has a super star cast, the likes of Silvester Stallon, Denise Richards, Kareena Kapoor and of course Akshay Kumar. Now that sounds like fun, but Akshay doesn’t stop there, at the end of this most spectacular year, Akshay turns producer and gives us De Dhanadhan.

As always Aamir Khan always leaves us wanting more — with his one big release every year and 2009 is no different, we can look forward to his big budget release 3 Idiots — where he romances Kareena Kapoor.

And finally, we saved the best for last; King Khan is following in the foot steps of Aamir Khan when it comes to one big movie a year, so for 2009 Shah Rukh Khan gives us My Name is Khan which is supposed to be a remake of Rainman.

So cheers to 2009 and the very best of Bollywood, promising us that our visit to the cinema will be worth it.

Courtesy of Disney Channel

HELP DETERMINE CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF THE UPCOMING DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE TAKING PLACE IN INDIA – THE CHEETAH GIRLS ONE WORLD VIA POLL AT DISNEYCHANNEL.COM

Disney Channel viewers will play a part in determining certain elements of the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie The Cheetah Girls One World via a global online poll, Play Your Part, at Disneychannel.com rolling out beginning December 31 and concluding February 1, 2008.The music-driven movie will begin production in Udaipur, India, in January. Starring Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan, it continues the story of best friends Chanel, Aqua and Dorinda as they pursue their dream to become recording artists and embark on their biggest adventure yet – a role in a Bollywood movie.

Kids across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Japan and Australia can log on to their respective Disney Channel websites and, via several poll categories, can help choose some aspects of the movie including The Cheetah Girls wardrobe and the Indian cuisine they’ll sample. The winning choices will be revealed during its premiere next summer.