Director Mohit Suri took the festival of lights to Dubai for a scene for his forthcoming film Hamari Adhuri Kahani. The director decked out a hotel in Dubai for a romantic Diwali sequence where lead actor Emraan Hashmi professes his love for Vidya Balan. "The team had worked really hard to light up the entire hotel and had organised fireworks, too. It was like Diwali that night. Vidya was trying her hand at rangoli [traditional floor art], fully dressed in ethnic attire. We were shooting our song Humnava and the script demanded that it was Diwali," Suri said in a statement on Saturday. The director added that the "entire Indian crew felt closer to home as they had been shooting outside India for a long time". "We bonded post the shoot. The entire crew chilled together. It was great that the entire team who believed in the story, the film, were hanging out. It was a nice moment for us all," said Suri. The love story will be released in UAE cinemas on Thursday and also stars Rajkumar Rao. – IANS
One Direction scotch rumours of a split
British boy band One Direction insisted on Saturday they would not be splitting up despite the departure of band member Zayn Malik. The chart toppers, who have sold more than 50 million records worldwide and have a huge teenage fan base, hit back at rumours concerning their future. Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson played their first British concert as a foursome on Friday night in Cardiff. Payne responded to rumours of a split before they performed on Saturday at London’s Wembley Stadium. “We don’t know where that came from because we’ve got loads of stuff going on,” he said. “We have just started the process for recording the new album, we’ve got a whole new tour going on, there are some really good songs so I don’t think we are going anywhere for a while.” One Direction announced in March that Malik was quitting, but that the band would continue as a foursome. “I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight,” Malik said. – AFP
First official photos of Princess Charlotte
Britain’s royal family has released the first official photos of month-old Princess Charlotte, photographed by her mother in the arms of elder brother Prince George. Kensington Palace issued four images on Saturday, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in mid-May at Anmer Hall, the family’s home in eastern England. They show Charlotte propped on a pillow, cradled by George, who turns 2 in July. Britain’s royals have been photographed by some of the world’s leading photographers. But Prince William and Kate are continuing a more informal tradition begun two years ago with the first official portrait of Prince George, taken by his grandfather Michael Middleton. Charlotte was born on May 2 and is fourth in line to the throne. – AP
Celebrities at IIFA Fashion Extravaganza
Top Indian designers showed off their collections at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, ahead of the awards ceremony due to take place on Sunday night. Hosted by Bollywood actors Vivek Oberoi and Neha Dhupia, Fashion Extravaganza brought music, fashion and film stars together. Singers Aditi Singh Sharma, Makash Aziz and Mika Singh took the stage to perform their hits, while actors modelled the creations of various designers, including Gaurang Shah, Masaba Gupta and Rocky S. Celebrities who attended included R Madhavan, star of the recently released blockbuster Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Kanika Kapoor, Lisa Haydon, Bipasha Basu, Ayushmann Khurrana and Malaika Arora Khan. – IANS
JLo sued over racy concert in Rabat
Jennifer Lopez is facing a lawsuit from an education group after her May 29 concert at the Mawazine festival in Rabat was broadcast on TV in Morocco. A local education group has filed a lawsuit against Lopez and the concert promoter because they “disturbed public order and tarnished women’s honour and respect”. The star has performed in the North African country before, but this was the first time her performance was broadcast on television. – The National staff
Open casting call for new Ali F Mostafa film
The producers of Emirati filmmaker Ali F Mostafa's third feature, The Worthy, have announced an open casting call for aspiring stars in the new movie. The film is set in a dystopian future that has been plunged into chaos due to a chronic water shortage and follows a small group of survivors seeking refuge with the only clean remaining water source in the area. When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen worthy. The producers are looking for Arab actors between the ages of 18 and 22 and 30 and 50, who are fluent in Arabic (Gulf, Levant or Egyptian dialects). Send a CV, headshots and links to previous work (if available) to info@alkatraz.ae, or call 04 443 5235. Selected candidates will be informed via email. – Chris Newbould