Riz Ahmed, the acclaimed actor from the Channel 4 drama Britz, hits cinemas in April with the independently made feature film Shifty.

Described as “sharply scripted, witty, urban thriller”, it is set on the outskirts of London and follows the life of a young drug dealer, the charismatic Shifty, played by Riz.
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Last Mango in Paris, aka spoken word artist Shane Solanki, releases his first single ‘Manbag!!’ on 20th April through Soundeasy Records. That will be followed up by his debut album ‘Broken English’, featuring Birmingham grime artist RT.
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Leela Soma published her first book, Twice Born this year, after winning a local literary prize to finish the book. She tells AIM magazine how she got into writing and on the Scottish-Indian cultural scene.

What inspired you to get into writing your debut novel? Was the process difficult?

I had always written stories when I was young and some short poems for family events. I joined the Strathkelvin Writers Group in 2006 and won a few competitions there. In 2007 I won the Margaret Thomson Trophy for the first 10,000 words of this novel. The adjudicator Scottish Writer, Robin Lloyd -Jones’s advice was to make sure I completed the novel as it had a very good story line.Winning the Trophy gave me a boost and I worked hard to finish it.

The process was not easy as some bits flowed easily and others not quite as much. One character Aunty BB took over and grew bigger than I meant to but I had to restrict her scenes and work to the plot. The main thing was to keep the momentum going and have the stamina to finish writing the original 100,000 words then edit it down to 80,000.
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Director Gurinder Chadha started filming her latest venture this week, with the feature film slated to release in cinemas across the UK early next year.

It’s a Wonder Afterlife is being billed as a cross between My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the British horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead, and will star the Indian actress Shabana Azmi alongside Sendhil Ramamoorthy (Heroes) and British actors Shaheen Khan (Bend It Like Beckham) and Ray Pathanki (Eastenders) among others.

The film is a supernatural comedy about an Indian mother who takes her obsession with marriage into frightening territory.
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Sometimes you just want to do something a little different with your life. Something that makes you feel good or makes a difference to other people. Over the next few weeks/months, you can read about a group of young men who decided in the early 1980’s to try and make an impact…and for one night only…you can follow the lives of: The Sultans of Soul.

by Ravi Mangat
Writer

Having left his father to look after Mrs Watson at the shop, Raj had got into the family Ford Cortina and was making his way to the theatre. He was going through Hounslow – east, central and west. A town so big they had to name it three times. The fact that the family Cortina also doubled as the transport for the groceries from the Cash and Carry, probably explained why Raj was frantically trying to prop up a couple of boxes on the passenger seat while negotiating a particularly tight corner. He was desperately trying to avoid spilling anything on his Elvis costume, which he had worn in an attempt to save time.

He stopped at the lights. He was still twenty minutes away and was due on stage in fifteen. A red Capri pulled up beside him and the driver glared at him. Raj knew what the glare meant. It was the Hounslow glare, which meant, ‘when the lights turn green, you’ll only see the rubber on my tyres’. Raj was in no mood to race. The last thing that he needed was either to be caught in a speed trap or to find himself wrapped around a lamppost. With his Elvis gear on, he could just imagine what the police and journalists would make of him.

The driver of the red Capri smiled sadistically and sped away the instant the lights turned yellow. The Ford Cortina moved off slowly and then gathered pace, only to be halted at the next set of lights. The red Capri was nowhere to be seen, but in his mirror, Raj saw a cyclist approaching…and then passing him, with no apparent regard for the traffic lights. Raj sighed heavily and waited.
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I remember when the BBC’s Asian Network was just a twinkle in its creators eyes. I was a member of the advisory council for the local BBC radio station when the proposal was put forward. At the time I was one of the many who opposed to the idea.

I thought that creating a separate radio station was divisive act for the communities. We said mainstream programmes should cater for all.

But with all the commercial stations catering for Asians, they said, they would be left behind. So it came to pass and BBC Asian Network was born. I have only been listening for the past four years or so or since acquiring a digital radio. I have been impressed by its output, though something has been bothering me of late.
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Film company Stormglass Productions are casting for an English language film in London and require junior artistes and extras for various roles.
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Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was named the most powerful British Muslim woman last night at an event hosted by the Equalities and Human Rights Comission.

Picking up the award at the Manchester event, the shadow minister for Community Cohesion said: “I personally come from a family of all girls and was brought up to believe that anything was possible and being a Muslim woman should in no way be seen as a barrier but as an asset to achievement.”
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Zara Martin is a television presenter living in London, who fronts a show on the satellite channel Current TV – owned by former American vice-president Al Gore. She tells AIM magazine how she got into the industry.

Which came first? Presenting or modelling? And how?
The modeling I guess. I was doing my degree in Economics and Business studies at UCL in London, and did a few bits of modeling and some commercials on the side. Found it all a bit embarrassing to be honest!

But I always new that I wanted to get into acting and presenting (I did a load of plays and drama classes from a young age) and thought it was a good way to start. So when I finished university I decided to go for it, and off I went to LA!
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Have you had documentary commissions or some other success on Asian and Muslim channels? Are you ready to get onto mainstream TV? Then this opportunity is for you.

The Cineforum on Muslim Women: Visibility and Leadership is a one day film festival and conference on the 30th March 2009 in London. They are offering 10 people the chance to pitch to a panel of commissioners from mainstream broadcast channels.
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Radio presenter Veena V has launched her own online show for pregnant women – VIPregnancy. It will offer information for all stages of pregnancy with experts, celebrities and real life stories.

She told AIM magazine: “Becoming pregnant myself unexpectedly has motivated me to do something challenging and completely out of my comfort zone. My aim with VIPregnancy (Very Important Pregnancy) is to inspire other woman, provide a wealth of information and raise awareness about serious pregnancy conditions.”

Most recently Veena won ‘Best Radio Presenter’ award at Channel 4’s 4talent Awards 2008.
www.VIPregnancy.com

Sometimes you just want to do something a little different with your life. Something that makes you feel good or makes a difference to other people. Over the next few weeks/months, you can read about a group of young men who decided in the early 1980’s to try and make an impact…and for one night only…you can follow the lives of: The Sultans of Soul.

by Ravi Mangat
Writer

It was almost as if Elvis had been re-born. Raj stood in front of the half-length mirror and surveyed his impressive costume. The one piece, white suit shone in all its glory and his black, slicked back hair was the very copy of Elvis’ memorable quiff. If the setting had been Las Vegas, then surely Raj had found his destiny.
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Two films released in cinemas next month, by the same director, will tackle mixed heritage relationships and homosexualty among Asian families.

Writer and director Shamim Sarif made both films with the same lead cast: actresses Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth.

I Can’t Think Straight is a romantic comedy featuring love between an Indian and a Palestinian woman living in London.

It also stars Nina Wadia. (trailers below)
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The Armageddon Mandala is the debut novel by writer Gopal Mukerjee, about a small-time private investigator who finds himself in the middle of a planetary holocaust.

The book is being published by upcoming company Revenge Ink, which describes itself as a “revolutionary, subversive publishing company that was launched to showcase cutting edge works”.
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The third annual Muslim Writers award will take place on the 27th of May at the Hilton on Park Lane, organisers announced this week. The event aims to recognise the very best of British Muslim literary talent.

Project director Irfan Akram said: “[Our] staggering growth reflects a growing desire for good quality literature amongst what’s expected to be the fastest growing sector of the book buying public over the coming months and years.”

Theatre group Tamasha launches its latest production – Wuthering Heights – this week in Oldham. The Bollywood adaptation of the classic novel will then tour around the UK, including the Lyric Hammersmith at the end of April.

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Last week author Hema Macherla (pictured, left) from Hornchurch has won the accolade of ‘Reading Hero’ for her outstanding reading achievements following a nationwide hunt for heroes. The award was presented by the Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown.

Hema spoke very little English when she arrived in England decades ago. Determined to fit in, she decided to learn to read. Last year she became a published author, in English, and her novel, Breeze from The River Manjeera, reached the top 26 out of 44,000 entries for the Richard & Judy Novel writing competition in 2005.

A major event held at the end of the month will examine how Muslim women in the UK are doing, and aim to equip media professionals to get ahead in the industry.

Titled ‘Cineforum on Muslim Women: Visibility and Leadership’, the one day event will showcase documentary films, hear from commentators from across the world, feature media industry trainers and debates on a range of issues.

Event director Jobeda Ali told AIM magazine: “We believe that Muslim women’s voices, once mainstreamed, have a particular capacity for creating deep and lasting social change. I came up with this event as an independent venture, just because of my own experiences as a Muslim woman trying to get ahead in a mainstream career.”
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Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto is likely to become the highest paid Indian actress in the world.

Soon after the eight Oscar winning performance in Los Angeles, a spokesperson announced she had signed up for Woody Allen’s next film.

She will join A-list Hollywood stars such as Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins for the yet untitled project, which will be filmed in London.

Interest in the actress remains sky-high as she adorned the front cover of Vogue India this month.
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BBC soap Eastenders is introducing another Asian character to its storylines by introducing actress Preeya Kalidas in coming weeks.

She will play Amira, the girlfriend of the Masood family’s eldest son, Syed.
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Communications agency Sterling Media was honoured at the annual Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards last week for the Media Company of the Year Award.

The event is organised by publisher of the west London based Asian Voice newspaper and took place at the House of Commons. Actress Nina Wadia (Eastenders) was awarded TV Personality of the Year.

Rapper Neil Patel says: “On the 26th of November 2008, my brother was taken hostage in the Mumbai terrorist attacks that shocked India and the world. He escaped and survived being shot dead. He was the lucky one. My reaction was to shoot too… but not a loaded AK-47 sub machine gun, but a music video loaded with spiritual ammunition. I aimed my lyrical revenge at decapitating the ignorance that dared mess with my family.”

He told AIM magazine: “I called the song and video ‘Same Skies’. It detailed my frustration at this event and others like it; whilst conveying a positive message for peace and for the future of my planet…yes, I said MY planet. I was born here and I don’t like what I see… I will take as much responsibility as I can carry for sorting this place out.”

Production Company: Chi Kri Beats