Meri Kahani with Bhawana Somaaya

Shweta Shalini has been active in Indian Politics for more than a decade now. She holds many organisational posts in Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), both on the state & national level.  At present, Shweta Shalini is the spokesperson for BJP, and a frontliner in the village transformation mission, chaired by the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis ji. There are many fa...

JayPrakash Sharma is a credible name in the television business. In 14 years, he has directed 18 series, mostly mythologicals like Devo ke Dev Mahadev, Siya ke Ram, Vighnaharta, or historicals like Porus, Jodha Akbar, Chandragupta Maurya, and Hatim to name a few of his magnificent works. He works round the clock and is always on the move.  Listen to him share his experiences from the televisi...

Parag Desai, CEO of Universal Communications, started operations in 1993 with Corporate Communications and later diversifying into the Films & Entertainment space. In 2004 he marked the entry in Bollywood with noteworthy and acclaimed films such as National Award winner Madhur Bhandarkar’s PAGE-3, Corporate beings amongst our early projects. In 2006 he helmed the publicity of one the big...

Rasika trained in Acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII, Pune ).  She has played significant roles in films, original series, and short films, exploring the nuances of diverse characters in artistically challenging and socially relevant productions. She is known for her performance in feature films 'Manto' (directed by Nandita Das), 'Hamid' (directed by Aijaz Khan), 'Qiss...

Siddharth Anand Kumar has worked in varied aspects of the film and TV industry from writing, directing, photography, editing and teaching in a career spanning 18 years. He has directed two independent feature films and over 20 TV shows. He is currently VP of films and events for Saregama where he has a mandate to produce compelling story-led feature films for theatrical and digital audiences in In...

Lalit Pandit constantly upped competition by churning out hit tunes, keeping with the changing trends of times & giving back the essence of the youthful emotions of the large masses of Indian population.​ Lalit Pandit composed the song "Munni Badnaam Hui" for 2010's all-time blockbuster movie Dabangg.​ He won over 48 Awards for this song.​ Apart from this, Lalit Pandit has won several national...

Rajitdev has worked in the film industry for more than 15 years. Started working as Background Dancer and then as an Assistant Choreographer to Vaibhavi Merchant for 8 years. He has also participated in a Dance Reality Show “JUST DANCE” in 2011. Since 2018 he started working independently and have done several music videos, film songs and Advertisements. To name a few, my recent songs...

A distinguished and internationally renowned Kathak exponent who brings a track record in dance and academics as a holder of a Bachelors in Commerce, Masters in Dance (Gold Medalist) and has audited contemporary dance courses at York University, Toronto Canada. She is a rare combination of an accomplished performer, choreographer, visualizer, director, teacher, administrator and artist. A choreogr...

Shitala Pandey better known as Sameer Anjaan, is the son of famous lyricist Anjaan. Sameer is a Guinness World Record holder for writing most songs. Sameer started his career as a lyricist in 1983 with the film  Bekhabar  (1983). The first film song he recorded was "Maar Ke Kataaree Mar Jaibe" for the Bhojpuri film  Bairi Saawan (1984).  In 1990, he came into prominen...

Best known for the role of Jagdeep Chaddha in the Indian adaptation of The Office on Hotstar. Apart from this, has acted in other films like Sherni (to be released), Gurgaon , Shaadi ke Side Effects , Island City , Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu , and I, Me Aur Main; and web shows like Sunflower (to be released) , Bichoo Ka Khel, Broken But Beautiful, and Zero Km. Has been active on the Mumbai Theatre circuit...

Anuradha Parikh is the Founder and Artistic Director at G5A. An architect and filmmaker, she envisioned and established G5A in 2015, as a multi-functional, multidisciplinary, cultural center and community hub, for the city. Mumbai has been an integral part of her creative journey, as her work continues to be foregrounded by the city and community. As an architect, her practice consists of an eclec...

Ankit Kothari completed his undergrad in Fine Arts and has worked as an art director in advertising agencies like Ogilvy. He was the graphic designer and assistant director to Indian films like Oye Lucky Lucky Oye(2007), Love Sex aur Dhokha(2009) and Shanghai(2011). He was the First Assistant Director For Tumbbad. It was the opening film of Venice International Film Critics Week (2018). Ankit Koth...

Sanjoy K. Roy, an entrepreneur of the arts, is the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 33 highly acclaimed performing arts, visual arts, and literary festivals across 40 cities in countries such as Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK, and the USA, including the world’s largest free literary gathering — the...

Nyla Masood is an actor, costume designer, and the co-founder of Dhai Akshar Educational Trust, a holistic after-school NGO in Mumbai where underprivileged kids are taught skills-based courses in languages, maths, and co-curricular activities including dance, theatre, art, and much more. For her work at Dhai Akshar, Nyla was awarded the 'Radio Nasha Voice of Change' award at the &nb...

Varun Badola is a familiar name for those who are watching television.  While most of us know him through his serials- Koshish, Ek Astha, Desh Me Nikla Hoga Chand, Astitva, his directors & writers lean on him for creative participation.  Few are aware that he a co-writer for Ek Chabi Hai Pados Mein, Undekhi & Apharan - 1&2. He has done films like Haansil, Charas, 7 Hours To G...

Manish Malhotra is the very first proponent in the fashion space to launch the structured role of costume designing in the world's biggest film industry, Bollywood.  He made his costume designing debut with 'Swarg' starring Juhi Chawla in 1990 and soon he won his first-ever Filmfare award for 'Best Costume Designer' for his work in Rangeela, a debut category launched by Filmfare in 1995, and...

Raja & Radha Reddy world-renowned dancing couple, Choreographers, and Gurus have given a new dimension to the age-old art of Kuchipudi Dance.   Their illustrious career spanning over five decades has been marked by several prolific public and private performances in both India & abroad and has gained them a reputation for rare excellence and perfection of technique.   The unique...

Dr. Sonal Mansingh was nominated by the President of India to Rajya Sabha the Upper House of Indian Parliament in July 2018 in recognition of her life-long dedication and service to India’s arts. She is the recipient of  Padma Vibhushan in 2003 from Shri APJ Abdul Kalam and Padma Bhushan in 1992 from Shri R. Venkataraman. Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi nominated her as a NAV...

Irfan Hamid started teaching the art of dance in the year 1990 and has taken workshops in India and abroad. Over the years he has taught street Kids, physically and mentally challenged kids, and also kids from orphanages, not just that, he has encouraged them to actively take part in his stage shows. In this episode of Meri Kahani with Bhawana Somaaya - Diary of a Dancer, Hamid talks about the tra...

Designer and Jeweller Roopa Vohra began her journey in the late 90s when she accidentally discovered Thewa, 400-year old dying art form of gold created on glass, practised by the royal artisans and today a designer trademark. Listen to how Roopa studied the history of the art and slowly revived it and restructured to suit the contemporary times. Only on Meri Kahani with Bhawana Somaaya - Art &...

Born into a family that has nurtured art and creativity, Esha had the good fortune of being in the midst of a vast range of cultural activities right in her home. She has given over 100 performances solo and in partnership with her sister, Ahana. In this episode, Esha shares her childhood stories and also how she got introduced to Odissi dance. Listen to her on Meri Kahani with Bhawana Somaaya- Di...

Be it Circuit in the Munna Bhai series, or his character as a lawyer in Jolly L.L.B, Arshad Warsi's acting has always been loved by the audience. Those who worked with him never disputed his talent, and only those very close to him knew, that he was, in fact, a treasure house of talent. It is not just acting, he sings, he dances, he entertains, and in a quiet corner of his home, away from the spot...

Ashvini Yard was responsible for launching one of India’s premium brand COLORS as the Programming Head. Ashvini focused on creating differentiated content that took the new channel zooming to the No 1 spot in a short span of 9 months. Business Week awarded her as one of the top 50 most powerful people of 2009. She co-founded Grazing Goat Pictures along with Mr. Akshay Kumar. Where she produc...

Aditi Subedi is a student, residing in Mijwan. She debuted her acting career in the dance film Mee Raqsam directed by Baba Azmi. She talks about, how she landed the film, her preparation for the film that involved Bharatnatyam dance & acting. Listen to her on this episode of Meri Kahani with Bhawana Somaaya- Diary Of A Dancer. For advertising/partnership, you can send us an email at bonjour@ep...

Sonakshi Sinha is an actor yes, but also an artist, and when not shooting, she is sketching/ painting bold strokes in BXW and color on the canvas. For the first time, Sonakshi talks about the ‘other’ artist inside her. Passionate. Pristine. Promising. Only on Meri Kahani with Bhawana Somaaya - Art & Artiste You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitt...