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Monday, 20 January 2014

Actress Sapna Singh says she’s a victim of casting couch, alleges molestation by producer





Mumbai-based model and actress Sapna Singh today alleged that she was molested by a producer  at Versova near Andheri whom she had met at an audition about two weeks ago. Speaking to  Newz66.com, she said the producer tried to pull her towards him and touched her bust, but she slapped him and fled.

Speaking to Newz66.com Sapna said, “I was called for an audition which I attended, but the audition was a farce. After speaking to me for a few minutes the producer asked me point blank if I was willing to compromise.  He said he would give me a big break and launch me in a big way. He tried his level best to convince me, by dropping names and talking about certain known directors who had started their careers with him as Ads (assistant directors) or assistants. He also mentioned the names of some known models and upcoming actresses who he asserted had slept with him and he in turn had financed them or their music videos. I told him bluntly that I do not compromise, and if that was all he wanted to ask me, he could have asked me on phone itself and I would have replied with a capital NO.”

Revealing her ordeal to Newz66.com, Sapna recounts the traumatic incident, “It was then that he got up and touched me inappropriately. I too immediately got up and made for the door, but he held my hand and tried to pull me towards him and tried to touch me on my bust. I turned around and slapped him hard which stunned him for a few seconds giving me time to flee.

My friends have insisted that I file a police complaint. At this stage I do not want to file a police complaint because I am shooting for a Tamil film and I am not in Mumbai for the next 20 days. Also a lot of paperwork, court appearances and other legal formalities are involved and it will cause me great mental stress, but I have spoken to my family and they will take a call on this in a day or two.  I am trying to forget the incident and have made up my mind never to meet any producer or director alone. The incident happened in the first week of January,” she reveals adding that the producer in question has financed two murder-mystery movies in the past which were released under the banner of a known director/producer. 

Sapna Singh has been acting and modelling for the last three years. She has  featured in serials like Mahadev Putra Bal Ganesh on Life Ok and episodic roles in various other Indian television serials like CID and is signed on for a suspense thriller movie going on floors soon. She has also featured in 3 south films – both Tamil and Telugu and has done  several magazine cover shoots and music videos both in Hind and regional languages.

Sapna has also featured in episodic roles in CID, Haunted Nights, Crime Patrol, Savdhan India, Police Diary, Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chasma, Zee Horror Show, Naagin and regional projects like Jai Jagni Ma Durga, Jai Bajrang Bali and many others over the last two years.
 
 
Content and Pix: Newz66.com





Monday, 14 October 2013

1000-plus differently-enabled youth to be felicitated by NGO Blind Dreams on Children's Day (14th Nov)




Tuesday 15th October 2013Mumbai: Over a thousand differently-enabled, autistic, and disabled youngsters and adults between the age of 10 to 40 from all over India will be felicitated in a touching, heart-rending and soul-stirring event, on 14th November - Children's Day in Mumbai by the NGO Blind Dreams in association with Newz66.com. The NGO and Newz66.com are in the process of raising about Rs Ten lakh in donations and sponsorship from the corporate sector to support and finance the career goals of these thousand plus youngsters.
Announcing this project on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra, blind celebrity healer and chairman of Blind Dreams, Dr Samir Mansuri said, "On 24th August this year, more than 300 blind and differently-enabled youth from all over Maharashtra participated in the western zone round of auditions for the Blind Dreams’ Talent Hunt for the disabled or differently enabled. The auditions were held at the Kamla Mehta School for the Blind at Dadar in Central Mumbai. Most participants came from far off towns and villages in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Over the last 45 days auditions were held in various cities in India and we have short-listed about 1000 talented youth who will be specially felicitated and given sponsorship and donations to help them pursue their career goals including those from the performing arts, software and financial services sector."
"The over whelming response to the Blind Dreams’ Talent Hunt for the differently enabled and visually impaired is an indication that differently enabled youth are otherwise as talented as their colleagues and sometimes even more talented in certain fields like music, singing, acting, etc. All differently enabled should come together in a show of strength to demand their rightful place in society and in the day-to-day working of organizations and corporates," Mansuri said. He spoke about the lack of support and empathy from various sectors including the police and civic agencies. He demanded that all public places, railway stations, airports, government offices, etc., should be enabled to provide the differently enabled a level playing field.

Blind Dreams and Newz66.com have formed a panel of eminent persons including bollywood photographer Raju Asrani, TV actress Sheila David, actress and model Nisha Sharma, TV actors Rashmi Ghosh and husband Siddharth, HR professional Mamta Namdeo (herself blind who works with SBI as an HR manager) and several others to monitor and co-ordinate the event and help in the fund-raising activity for this ambitious project.








Monday, 23 September 2013

Actresses Swati Bajpai, Nisha Sharma attend a cultural program by Poddar International College for underprivileged school kids

 
 
 
 
Actresses Swati Bajpai and Nisha Sharma attended a charity event organized by the students of Poddar International College for the underprivileged school kids of the Chembur Balkanji Bari. They interacted and played with the students, gave away prizes and even danced with them during the 3-hour interaction. 
 
Swati Bajpai has been acting in Zee TV's daily soap Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein which has completed more than 400 episodes. She was also seen dance class show Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan, hosted by popular Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, as one of Saroj Khan's students. She has done several TV ads and walked the ramp for more than two dozen fashion designers in a career spanning over 5 years.

Mumbai-based Tamil actress Nisha Sharma will be seen in Ramesh Babu Nair's latest Tamil film in a main lead which also stars Venkatesh and others. She is also shooting for two more Tamil projects produced by Vrindaavan Films.


Also present at the event were celebrity bollywood photographer Raju Asrani, the Dean of Poddar International College Kishore Pillai, College Board of directors member Balwindar Singh, President of the school Jaswinder Singh, Principal Renu along with students of the organizing committee  Arsh Khan, Saheb Bajaj, Murtuza, Duj Jain, Yashna and Jai Mavani.