Latest uptodates on Idols/Bollywood..

Copyright 2006 by MusicIndiaOnLine.com

"I don't know why. But I'm constantly made to look like a villain when all I want to do is work," Abhijeet told us from Britain.

He is accompanying singer-composer Himesh Reshammiya for the Aap Ka Suroor live concert.

"I don't want to sound like a victim. But the latest example of my alleged villainy is that I agreed to sing for a blind orchestra called Udaan at Ghatkopar and then backed out of fulfilling my commitment.

"The truth is, it's the mediator, a cousin of mine, who played dirty. I was promised Rs.1.5 lakh (Rs.150,000) to come to the show. Out of this, I finally got only Rs.50,000. I went to the show, sang and fraternised with the orchestra. As soon as I came to know that the organisers were unhappy about my performance, I refunded all the money.

"It was made out as though I was forced to return the money when the truth is I readily and voluntarily gave it back. I later came to know the organisers had given Rs.80,000 for me. The mediators had swallowed up Rs.30,000."

Abhijeet is finding it hard to cope with all the negative vibes.

"But I'm happy with my career after becoming the first Indian Idol. I'm doing innumerable shows in India and abroad. And I've sung the songs of a film called 'Mumbai.com'. I'm also starting work on my second film."

Abhijeet also cleared the air once and for all about the controversy surrounding his secret fiance.

"Yes, there's a girl. And she is a very special friend. But she isn't my fiance, as some papers wrote. She works for Jet. She's from a middleclass family and wants to be kept away from the limelight. We should respect that. Let's see what future holds for the two of us."

Copyright 2006 by MusicIndiaOnLine.com

What better gift for Anu Malik who shares his birthday with King Khan on 2nd November, than the release of Umrao Jaan this week. He has scored the music of the film, which released this Friday. Anu didn't have any birthday bash but must be rejoicing with the music of the album doing well and must be looking forward to the film now. Trivia - Anu Malik and Shah Rukh Khan not only share their birthday but also share a series of hits in their career from Baazigar to Main Hoon Na.

London, Nov 3 (IANS) Bollywood singer Himesh Reshammiya, who has 36 hit songs to his credit, rocked the famous Wembley Arena here with a show that had the mainly Gujarati audience dancing and even crying. Said Farhath Hussain, who promoted the show: "I have got richer thanks to Himesh. The collections were excellent." While singers like Abhijeet Sawant, Vineet and Wembley-based Indian singer Paresh opened the concert, television actress Sonia Kapoor from the hit soap "Heena" hosted the show. In true Bollywood style, Reshammiya made a late entry wearing his trademark cap and opened the concert with his famous "Tera suroor". He kept up a constant interaction with the audience, including children, encouraging them to come on stage and dance with him. "I don't mind if the British cops arrest me, but I want a few kids to dance with me on the stage," he said. Reshammiya's father could also be seen dancing to his son's tunes. His first concert at Wembley saw Reshammiya unveiling the promo of his film "Aap Ka Suroor - The Movie, The Real Luv Story". Directed by Prashant Chadda, the film is produced by Vijay Taneja with Reshammiya playing the main lead. "Aap Ka Suroor...", which is set for release in June 2007, is said to be based on Reshammiya's real life story. According to Reshammiya, it would not only be the most expensive film ever made in Bollywood, but also the biggest hit that Bollywood has ever seen. He said next year people would see him perform without his cap for the first time.

The producers of Tanuja Chandra's Hope and a Little Sugar have made a music video for the film. The track is sung by Sonu Nigam who features in the video. The entire video has been shot in New York. In fact it's so happened that Sonu was doing a concert in New York when the producers of the film asked him if he would do the song for the film based on post 9/11 situation. Sonu agreed instantly and things started rolling.

Interestingly, the music video is directed by Adolfo Doring who has worked with artistes like Bon Jovi, Santana and Sting.