Holly to Bolly: UAE business man to invest in most expensive Indian film ever made, Drake’s former label sues Cash Money Records, and more

Business man in UAE to invest in most expensive Indian film ever made

A business man in the UAE has announced he will invest Rs1,000 crore (Dh568.8 million) to produce the most expensive Indian film ever made. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, the founder and non-executive chairman of Abu Dhabi-based NMC Healthcare and chairman of UAE Exchange, issued a statement that the film, titled The Mahabharata, will be an adaptation of M.T. Vasudevan Nair's novel, Randamoozham, which narrates the story of an ancient Inidan epic poem of the same name. At roughly 10 times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, The Mahabharata is said to be the longest poem ever made and is an amalgamation of several stories. In a statement, Shetty said the film will be produced in two parts and the shooting will begin next year. He said the first part would be released in 2020 and 90 days later the second part also would be released. The film will be made in English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada besides being dubbed into other Indian and foreign languages. "This movie will be a true 'Make in India' made for the world. I am confident that this film would be adapted in 100 languages and reach three billion people," said Shetty. — IANS

Drake’s former label sues Cash Money Records

The record label Cash Money Records was sued on Monday by Drake's former label for a share of the profits from the Toronto rapper's first six solo albums, potentially totalling tens of millions of dollars. Aspire Music Group, which claimed to have signed Drake in 2008, said it has received only "a few modest advances" from Cash Money and co-owners Bryan Williams and Ronald Williams, despite a 2009 contract to let Drake record for that label in exchange for one-third of album profits. The complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan also accused Cash Money of inducing Drake in 2013 to break his "exclusive artist" agreement with Aspire by signing a competing agreement, depriving Aspire of more than $10 million. Drake's current album, More Life, is currently No. 1 in the Billboard 200 chart and is in its third week there. — Reuters

Elarica Johnson to host Justin Bieber in India

English actress and model Elarica Johnson, best known for her role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will travel to India to host Justin Bieber as he arrives in the country for his India Purpose Tour next month. The 27-year-old London-born actress will spend two weeks exploring Mumbai and will also meet influential directors and film personalities from the Indian film industry. Johnson said in a statement: "India has been a place I have always wanted to visit. I watched Bollywood movies as a child and now being an actress going to Mumbai — the heart of the Bollywood film Industry; it is a dream come true!" She also said to host Bieber would make it a trip of a lifetime. Bieber is touring in support of his fourth studio album "Purpose", which debuted at No. 1 in over 100 countries and has sold over eight million copies worldwide. He will make his way to Dubai early next month (May 6) for his UAE leg of the tour. — IANS

Janet Jackson to release new album about motherhood

Janet Jackson will reschedule 75 axed shows and release a new album about motherhood as she moves on after splitting from her billionaire Qatari husband Wissam Al Mana, it has been reported. Jackson, 50, and Al Mana, 42, parted ways earlier this month and she is now said to be focusing all her energy on writing 'positive' music after becoming a mother to their 3-month-old son, Eissa, reports The Daily Mail. The singer will play the shows she postponed due to her pregnancy last year under a new run of dates named the State Of The World tour, which will hit North America later this year. — The National Staff

Prince investigations continue a year after his death

Police probing the death of pop star Prince, which occurred a year ago, found numerous opioids scattered around his home but appear not to have identified where or who supplied the dose of fentanyl that caused his death, according to court documents unsealed on Monday. Some of the strong painkillers found at the musician’s Paisley Park complex outside Minneapolis in the United States had prescriptions in the name of his friend and bodyguard, the affidavits and search warrants showed. The probe included searches of Prince’s computer, cell phone records of his friends and interviews with his associates. In October 2016 it was termed “an active homicide investigation” in the documents, but no one has been criminally charged. Prince, 57, was found dead at the complex on April 21, 2016. The official cause of death was given as an accidental, self-administered overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. — Reuters