Australian World Orchestra breaks barriers with sound of music

Members of the Australian World Orchestra, who are currently touring India with music maestro Zubin Mehta, held a workshop for underprivileged children in the Capital on Saturday. Photo: Special Arrangement

Four musicians introduced themselves, their instruments, and played music with the children

Members of the Australian World Orchestra (AWO), who are currently touring India with music maestro Zubin Mehta, on Saturday held a workshop for underprivileged children in the Capital.

Four musicians from AWO introduced themselves, their instruments, and played music with the children at Kanak Durga Slum in South Delhi’s R.K. Puram. The event was facilitated by Asha Society, which primarily works for the betterment of slum dwellers in the city.

The children, aged between 6-14 years, who participated in the workshop are part of R.K. Puram slum’s children’s association. The workshop began with an introduction to instruments and rhythm, and went on to teach the difference between various instruments through a song. In the second half of the workshop, the story behind Diwali was brought to life with narration and snippets from western classical music.

AWO outreach programme creator and violinist Belinda McFarlane, violinist Monica Curro, clarinetist Paul Dean and percussionist Troy Greatz weaved the story of Ram and Sita into the workshop to engage the participants with the music they heard and created. It was an interactive storytelling that engaged the children and involved them with songs, movement and percussion instruments.

Twelve-year old Aksh, who played the protagonist Ram, said: “I play a lot of instruments in schools and love percussion instruments. The number of small and simple instruments I saw today really got me thinking of many ways go produce music. I just loved how Troy played the drums.”

“They taught me how to be a conductor. I loved singing along and controlling the sounds with my hands. It was so fascinating!” said 12-year-old Muskan.

“We were in India last year and learnt a lot about the work Asha has been doing in slums of Delhi. We planned this trip and got in touch with them immediately to organise this workshop. I visited the slums earlier and met a student from one of the slums who interned with the Australian Embassy. The way their lives have been transformed is phenomenal,” said AWO CEO Gabrielle Thompson.

Talent scouting made easy

Greenroom is a forum that brings together young budding filmmakers, directors, musicians and more so that talent hunters can find the people they might be looking for

Beyond networkingLakshmi Balasubramanian and Praveen Koka

You dream of a career in acting but don’t know which serial is being shot for telly that may have a role that suits you. There is only so much “networking” you can do to land a role, and only so many agents in your city you can approach.

A very familiar situation for young, talented people, it drove Bengaluru-based couple Lakshmi Balasubramanian and Praveen Koka to launch their startup Greenroom. It is an online forum where artists, crew and content producers can connect and collaborate on projects. “There is no proper forum for recruitment in the entertainment industry,” observes Lakshmi, who has been in the TV production industry for about a decade. “Most talent agencies only cater to models. It is not a very organised sector and almost 90 per cent of agents are scamsters. It is only in the last four years that casting directors have come up for large Bollywood production houses; but only huge budgets can afford them.” She points out how otherwise it could be on Facebook or emails that such chance casting happens! “There are no HR companies as such in the entertainment industry.”

Greenroom aims to bridge the huge gap that exists between talent and opportunity, says Lakshmi.

While we would like to think there isn’t enough work, Lakshmi also explains the other side of the story she has experienced, having worked with Star Plus for over eight years. “While on one side, there is immense creative talent, be it performing artists or technical talent, they most often depend on the ‘grapevine’ and contacts to get a break. On the other side, the casting and crew process for production, has always been very tedious and chaotic and more often than not, people go with what or whoever is easily accessible to them, purely because of lack of resources to connect with a wider network.” She talks of instances where agents promise to bring in 25 people for a TV network’s audition, and only three turn up!

On the site, artists, actors, models, musicians, writers, filmmakers create profiles of themselves. The user interface allows you to upload soundclips, YouTube videos of your latest works to complete you portfolio. Content producers post their requirements depending on ongoing projects.

The relevant job details go out to the relevant people and they will be able to apply. Once they apply, content producers will be able to see their contact details and take the conversation further.

In the six months since they started they have had 5,000 registrations from all over India, says Lakshmi. About 250 projects have scouted for candidates on their site, she adds. “We’ve had recruiters from Zee, Star and the Radio Mirchi group looking for talent on our sites.”

Registration is free for artists as well as recruiters. “We do have a verification process to make sure the project is genuine,” she pitches in. They also work as an agency that books more popular artists for shows and public appearances.

“Our three bigMARKETS right now are Chennai and Mumbai for film and TV, and Bengaluru for ecommerce projects, print and ad-films, models, and music,” says Lakshmi.

Room for talent

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  Beyond networkingLakshmi Balasubramanian and Praveen Koka, (above) a screenshot of the site
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  Beyond networkingLakshmi Balasubramanian and Praveen Koka, (above) a screenshot of the site

Greenroom is a forum that brings together young budding filmmakers, directors, musicians and more so that talent hunters can find the people they might be looking for

You dream of a career in acting but don’t know which serial is being shot for telly that may have a role that suits you. There is only so much “networking” you can do to land a role, and only so many agents in your city you can approach.

A very familiar situation for young, talented people, it drove Bengaluru-based couple Lakshmi Balasubramanian and Praveen Koka to launch their startup Greenroom. It is an online forum where artistes, crew and content producers can connect andCOLLABORATE on projects. “There is no proper forum for recruitment in the entertainment industry,” observes Lakshmi, who has been in the TV production industry for about a decade. “Most talent agencies only cater to models. It is not a very organised sector and almost 90 per cent of agents are scamsters. It is only in the last four years that casting directors have come up for large Bollywood production houses; but only huge budgets can afford them.” She points out how otherwise it could be on Facebook or emails that such chance casting happens! “There are no HR companies as such in the entertainment industry.”

Greenroom aims to bridge the huge gap that exists between talent and opportunity, says Lakshmi.

While we would like to think there isn’t enough work, Lakshmi also explains the other side of the story she has experienced, having worked with Star Plus for over eight years. “While on one side, there is immense creative talent, be it performing artists or technical talent, they most often depend on the ‘grapevine’ and contacts to get a break. On the other side, the casting and crew process for production, has always been very tedious and chaotic and more often than not, people go with what or whoever is easily accessible to them, purely because of lack of resources to connect with a wider network.” She talks of instances where agents promise to bring in 25 people for a TV network’s audition, and only three turn up!

On the site, artistes, actors, models, musicians, writers, filmmakers create profiles of themselves. The user interface allows you to upload soundclips, YouTube videos of your latest works to complete you portfolio. Content producers post their requirements depending on ongoing projects. The relevant job details go out to the relevant people and they will be able to apply. Once they apply, content producers will be able to see their contact details and take the conversation further. In the six months since they started they have had 5,000 registrations from all over India, says Lakshmi. About 250 projects have scouted for candidates on their site, she adds. “We’ve had recruiters from Zee, Star and the Radio Mirchi group looking for talent on our sites.”

Registration is free for artists as well as recruiters. “We do have a verification process to make sure the project is genuine,” she pitches in. They also work as an agency that books more popular artists for shows and public appearances.

“Our three bigMARKETS right now are Chennai and Mumbai for film and TV, and Bengaluru for ecommerce projects, print and ad-films, models, and music,” says Lakshmi.

Time to explore the Planet

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  Bucket list:Top, Mumbai; Below, Hawai (left) and SpainPhotos: Getty images and Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet lists the Best In Travel 2016

Travellers — they travel to see the wonders of the world and to to discover even themselves. Then there are those who have seen it all and are on a quest to find something new, or those who want to stay off the beaten track. And that’s why when Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2016 lists places where you can see the longest moustache or have the most extraordinary sleepover in the world, it’s hardly a surprise. The Black Forest region in Germany is where competitive moustache-growing takes place. As for the sleepover, it’s much more than pretty pyjamas. “The book also has information on the Best Burgers Experience — VeganBurg in Singapore, and introduces you to the world of geniuses like Mozart’s birthplace Austria, Einstein’s house in Switzerland among others,” says Sesh Seshadri, general manager and director, Lonely Planet, India.

The Best in Travel guide is an annual feature that points you to the top 10 cities, regions and countries to travel to. Last year, Chennai made it as one of the cities to visit in 2015. This year, Mumbai is the only Indian entry that’s sitting pretty on number six, while Kotor (Montenegro) heads the list, followed by Quito (Ecuador) and Dublin (Ireland). Botswana, Japan and USA find themselves as the top countries, while Dracula’s home town, Transylvania, heads the region list with West Iceland and Valle De Vinales finishing second and third respectively.

It takes months of research to compile the lists. “We invite our authors, staff and bloggers to submit their choice of places based on travel trends, how many people are actually going there, upcoming events and recent attractions. The editors then shortlist the places, and finally, an in-house panel of experts picks the top 10,” explains Seshadri.

There is an interest in unusual destinations like Iceland and Greenland. At the same time, Thailand remains the most preferred vacation spot. “Within India, it’s the golden triangle — Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. Now, Uttar Pradesh has the Heritage Arc that connects Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi,” he adds.

Seshadri says that in India, 80 per cent of the people do domestic travel. Apart from Best in Travel, Lonely Planet puts together other specific guides like Temple Travels in South India and Best Bollywood Escapes in Britain.

This year, Mumbai is the only Indian entry that’s sitting pretty on number six

A day like none other for DPS students

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  Students of Delhi Public School, Hyderabad at the night camp organised by the school recently; (below) Students and teachers of Sister Nivedita School celebrating Sister Nivedita’s birth anniversary.– Photos: By Arrangement
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The senior secondary students of Delhi Public School, Hyderabad, having just finished with a hectic month of revision, preparation and examination session, had a pleasant surprise to relax and rejuvenate at the night camp organised by the school.

The night camp, spread over a day and a half, organised recently was attended by the eleventh and twelfth graders in great numbers. Arduously planned and executed, the event featured a trip to Leonia (a vacation resort on the outskirts of Hyderabad), a no-holds-barred DJ party on the school premises, a visit to Midnight Biryani (a themed buffet line put out byHOTEL GREEN PARK), a screening of the popular Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, besides other games and activities organised by the teachers.

The students’ day out kicked off to a great start, with a sumptuous breakfast spread, followed by an exciting and fun-filled day at Leonia. Returning to school after the trip, the students found that sufficient arrangements were made to sleep in the classrooms. However, a majority of them stayed up the night for participating in all the activities.

The activities include: a quirky ramp walk by a few who wore designs fashioned out of coloured paper by students, a short trek up the hill that flanks the school premises and football, basketball and cricket matches in the school playground. Monochrome T-shirts in black with the name of the event – Clique – and the school emblem printed on the back were presented to students as keepsakes — another highlight of the day.

The students expressed their gratitude to their principal for taking keen interest in providing recreation to the students. Come morning, most of the students made their way home exhausted – but immensely satisfied after having spent more than a day in school.

Table tennis tournament held

Delhi Public School, Nacharam organised the CBSE Cluster VII TABLE TENNIS Tournament 2015-16 on Thursday till October 31 under 14, 16 & 19 categories. About 600 students from 65 schools from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are participating. The tournament is conducted in knock out mode for both individual and team events. Transport Minister P. Mahender Reddy, Uppal MLA N.V.V.S. Prabhakar and international table tennis player Akula Srija took part in the inauguration ceremony.

Sister Nivedita birth anniversary celebrated

Students and teachers of Sister Nivedita School celebrated Sister Nivedita’s birth anniversary on the school premises recently. On the occasion, the philanthropic activities of Sister Nivedita were remembered. The skit staged by the students demonstrated Nivedita’s tireless efforts to promote education and the cause of women. Various competitions were held such as recitation, elocution, essay writing and others on the theme ‘Mother’ and ‘Teacher’ as a mark to tribute to Sister Nivedita.

Not enough light on this cell

Depicting the life of three prisoners in Iraq, director Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha’s “Muntazir” is a sketchy exercise.

A scene from the play.

Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha from Lucknow is familiar to the audiences of Delhi as a stage director and actor. His major production of Bodhayan’s Bhagwadjjukeeyam was adjudged the best production at the World Theatre Festival in Norway in 1991. A pass out of Bhartendu Natya Kendra he rose to be its director in 2006-2009. He has represented India in a few international theatre events abroad. As an actor he gave an outstanding performance as Socrates in Raj Bisari’s brilliant production of Socrates in Barefoot in Athens. Honoured with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2014 for his contribution to Indian theatre as a director, his latest Hindi production Muntazir was presented at Abhimanch auditorium in New Delhi this past week as part of Festival of Performing Arts featuring recipients of the Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Awards 2014.

Written by Bharatendu Kashyap and directed by Kulshreshtha, “Muntazir” depicts the life of three prisoners in a prison in Iraq. Joshua is an American, Danish, a Pakistani, and Naveen who has gone to Iraq to work from India. The play opens with the mysterious movements of a female image from the cell of the prison. Her movements are shown in dim light. The two inmates Joshua and Danish, talking with each other are shown in bright light. Their conversations are punctuated with heated debate. They have a kind of love-hate relationship. Then they are joined by Naveen who is lying on the floor in an unconscious state. Gradually, he gains consciousness. Now they are three inmates in the prison cell. Of course, their deepest concern is to escape from the cell but it is impossible.

They have nothing to do except to quarrel over trifles and then reconcile with their differences. Danish and Naveen clash over their popular Bollywood hero. Danish says he is a fan of Aamir Khan. Naveen’s favourite hero is Hrithik Roshan. The trio has nothing to do. They want to remain alert and healthy and frequently indulge in physical exercise.

We are vaguely suggested that the locale is Iraq and the inmates are made prisoners by IS. But one thing is clear their captors never visit them nor there is any torture chamber. Strangely enough, they are not interrogated. They recreate their past life with mixed feelings of nostalgia tinged with pathos.

The idea of playwright and director to depict the dilemma of humanity in prison in a foreign land is laudable but an idea alone cannot make a work of theatrical art. The script tends to be minuscule and the dialogue is commonplace. The viewing is tedious. There is little that provokes. The director and playwright have missed an opportunity to depict the truth about prison cell in Iraq created by American occupying army which invaded Iraq in 2003. The prison where innocent Iraqi men and women were subjected to brutal torture is infamously known Abu Ghraib, an abattoir. The revelations of what happened inside Abu Ghraib shocked the conscience of the world. “Muntazir” suggestively set in Iraq causally talks about IS but it has no perspective and lacks in dramatic energy. The offstage music and sounds are treated in a lackadaisical manner which contributed little to create the right atmosphere in the production.

However, the denouement is treated with sensitivity with a touch of tender sentiments when Danish is set free on the grounds that he is a Pakistani and Naveen remains alone in the prison cell. The American prisoner is already killed. Naveen is left in the solitary cell to face a dreadful future.

The performers – Mahinder Pal as Joshua, Nitish Bhardwaj as Danish and Suraj Singh as Naveen – work hard to bring to life their sketchily written characters.

The idea of playwright and director to depict the dilemma of humanity in prison in a foreign land is laudable but an idea alone cannot make a work of theatrical art.

Skype brings movie clips to instant messaging service

AP

The company also announced partnership with Indian studios – Yash Raj Films and ErosNow – to develop custom Mojis for users

Skype users will now be able to send receive short clips of popular movies to communicate with the video calling service from Microsoft rolling out ‘Mojis’ in India. The company also announced partnership with Indian studios – Yash Raj Films and ErosNow – to develop custom Mojis for users in India.

“Sometimes words are not enough, a popular film dialogue often fills in. Using Bollywood specific Mojis, Skype users can now express themselves better using the short clips from popular movies and TV shows like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Ra one, Dhoom 2 and 3, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Devdas,” Skype Corporate Vice President Gurdeep Singh Pall said.

Replying to a question on net neutrality, Mr. Pall said Skype is a “big believer” in net neutrality.

“That’s been our stated point of view globally and we believe that in the end net neutrality serves the interest of consumers and we will continue to push for that position,” he said, adding, “It is about every citizen having affordable access. Any climate which allows that to be created we are always pushing for.”

India, which has the second highest number of Internet users globally, is also among the top 5 markets for Skype, both in terms of user base as well as usage. He, however, did not share the exact number of users in India.

Shilpa Shetty set to make a comeback

AP

Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty will be back on the small screen as the host of a game show. Shilpa, 40, first turned host on TV for Bigg Boss 2 in 2008 and her other television stints. “We are formulating a television reality show. This is a game show. We can’t reveal much details about it,” Shilpa said. “Television has become huge. It has grown a lot over the years. There is lot of variety being offered to the audience but they accept good content,” she said.

The formal announcement is likely to be made in January. The Dhadkan actress said she was happy doing a variety of things right from venturing into a spa business to designing sarees. “Life is still a learning curve. I enjoy what I do. I would love to do a film but I need something interesting. I was one of the first actresses to foray into business,” she said.

My life is a message: Sudha Chandran

TAMIL

Sudha Chandran Photo L. Srinivasan

Sudha Chandran is back with “Naagin”

Supernatural seems to be the flavour of the season in daily soaps. Now, Ekta Kapoor, reputed to have her finger on viewers’ pulse, is all set to revive the mythical concept of “ichchadari naagin” with Nagin on Colors. The family story comes with loads of suspense, drama and mystery, marking the return of Sudha Chandran to Hindi general entertainment after a long gap. She tells us she was busy judging and anchoring shows in the South.

Sudha plays the role of Yamini, whose family is cursed for killing serpents. “The character is that of a protective mother, a homely figure who is very religious. She believes in traditions and is wedded to rituals. The son is the apple of her eye and she will go to any extent to protect him and her family,” she states.

Often seen as a method actor, Sudha prefers to describe herself as a director’s actor. “I have never done homework and have always left the details to the director. This holds true from my first film Naache Mayuri to Naagin. Sizing up the situation and scene, I decide how a person or I as an individual will react to it.” Having said that, she adds that her experience, observation and everyday learning help her build the character. “I source from my memory bank when required. As an actor you should be able to store and recollect your experiences and work on them as an actor as and when required.”

Overcoming the loss of a leg in a tragic accident at a young age, Sudha went on to become an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and actor. Personifying courage, she refuses to preach and write about her struggles. “My life itself is a message and I know it has changed a lot of lives. I can only say, don’t be a victim of stress and distress. Just go out in the world and strive what you want to become,” she advises. She perceives a relative change in society’s attitude towards the differently-abled and exhorts the latter to mould themselves instead of blaming the society.

The dancer believes that the art form is one of the best therapies for the differently-abled and confides that performing on stage still gives her plenty of kick. “You directly connect with the audience and that is great,” she remarks.

Remembered by many as Ramola Sikand in Kaahin Kissii Roz, she recalls that the use of sparkling jewellery, big bindis and designer saris highlighted the negative shade. “Viewers hated Ramola. Yet, they talked and gossiped about her,” recollects the actor. Given a similar role, she will use a different style to ensure its success.

(To be aired from November 1 on Colours, Saturday-Sunday, 8 p.m.)

Winning voices from Dubai

Indians shine at a music contest held in UAE

Similar to Amercian Idol, the Camp Ka Champis the UAE’s largest and only singing contest for the labour community.

The show hits its ninth edition this year. The contest has grown multi-fold since its inception in 2007 – from just three participating companies to 24.

Over 4,000 contestants, comprising labourers working in the UAE, were part of this year’s competition. Over the past three months, the pool was whittled down to the 48 semi-finalists.

The semi-finals round had contestants split into teams of two, then down to four teams for the final. The finalists had to perform Bollywood songs after listening to a short tune, and sing about a random object.

In the final round, they had to identify Bollywood stars and sing as many of their songs as possible in a minute.

After stiff competition, an Indian-Pakistani duo and an Indian solo singer emerged winners.

Deepak Sharma, 25, from Rajasthan and Tayyab Tahir, 24, from Lahore won the Camp Ka Champ 2015.

They won 35,000 Dirhams ($9,530) worth gold and return flight tickets to home countries.

Sharma works as a restaurant supervisor and Tahir, a company supervisor in the same company. Initially Deepak was against the idea of participating in the contest but they later went for the auditions, he said.

“We are both bathroom singers without any proper training. But, we love music and that is what spurred our bond,” Tahir said. Meanwhile, another Indian, Mustakkim Shaikh, won the title ‘Singer of the Season.’

The 26-year-old technician won a cash prize of 35,000 Dirhams ($9,530).

Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Quantico’ faces lawsuit

Special Arrangement

Official poster of Quantico.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra’s maiden American TV series ‘Quantico’ is involved in a lawsuit filed against producer Mark Gordon amid claims that the idea for the ABC FBI drama was lifted from a 1999 documentary that aired onCNN.

Filmmakers Jamie Hellman, Barbara Leibovitz Hellman and business executive Paula Paizes, filed a 35 page complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, which states that Gordon took the show’s premise from their documentary ‘Quantico: The Making Of An FBI Agent’, reported Deadline.

The complaint says Paizes and Gordon formed a business relationship in 2001 and she introduced him to the filmmakers.

In May 2002, Leibovitz and Hellman signed a deal with the Mark Gordon Company and “provided MGC with the film from the Documentary, information which was not included in the documentary, including all of their notes and transcripts related to the film.”

The suit says the ‘Quantico Project’ initially was discussed as a movie, with a storyline that “included a conspiracy inside the FBI Academy.”

After Hellman and Leibovitz executed a three-month extension on their option with MGC, Gordon — who was working on another project — said in an February 2003 email to Paizes that he “would be happy to discuss this when I get back. It’s a good idea.”

But according to the lawsuit, “neither Gordon nor MGC made any further efforts to work with Plaintiffs to develop the ‘Quantico Project.’”

Alleging breach of contract, fiduciary duty and more, the filing seeks a jury trial, actual and punitive damages and a “based on” credit for Hellman and Leibovitz and their documentary.

The Mark Gordon Company had no comment on the suit.

‘Quantico’ is one of the success stories of the fall broadcast season.

The ABC drama centred on a class of FBI recruits, one of whom is a sleeper terrorist, has held ratings week over week and is Sunday’s top broadcast program among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic.

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month: Heartwarming stories of Indian celebs coming to the rescue

From Raveena Tandon to Sonakshi Sinha and Ashwini Ponnappa, these celebrities have adopted pets from the sets to the streets.

Comedian Kapil Sharma takes his dog, Zanjeer, who was adopted from an animal shelter, to the set daily, and his co-stars consider the dog an honorary cast member.

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Take, for instance, actor Trisha Krishnan. While filming in Hyderabad, she found an injured puppy wandering the streets. She quickly rushed the pup to a veterinarian and then took him home for good. Cadbury, as the pup was named, spent his life basking in the actor’s loving care, and she considered him as precious as a son. She later went on to adopt another bundle of joy called Zorro from an animal shelter.

Actor Sonakshi Sinha’s late dog, Nancy, was rescued from a construction site.

Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha began saving animals as a child. Her late dog, Nancy, who was rescued from a construction site after her family had died, was Sonakshi’s grateful and devoted companion for 14 years. Likewise, Dino Morea’s precious pup Slidey was rescued by his parents after his younger brother saw the sweet dog being attacked by a gang of kids on the streets of Bangalore. Dino quickly intervenes whenever he sees others abusing animals and has also adopted another adorable Indian pup off the street and named him Ganpat.

Imran Khan learned how much joy rescued animals can add to their guardians’ lives when he adopted Tony, whose previous owner had abandoned him to the streets without even bothering to remove his leash. Imran and Tony also helped Peta raise awareness of the importance of animal adoption. Sadly, Tony has since passed away, but Imran now rescues cats off the street. He and his mother also run a foundation to help animals.

Actors Dino Morea, Sunny Leone and Imran Khan have all rescued dogs from the streets or shelters.

Badminton superstar Ashwini Ponnappa grew up watching her mother rescue injured birds and her aunt rescue cats, which fostered her desire to become a veterinarian. She may not have ended up in a white coat, but the gold medallist and her family found a way to help animals nonetheless: instead of patronising pet shops or breeders (which exacerbate the homeless-animal crisis), Ashwini and her family opened their hearts and home to Indian community dogs who had nowhere to go and gave them a life of comfort and care. Ashwini also uses social media to raise awareness of the importance of animal protection.

Raveena Tandon-Thadani welcomed four dogs and a cat into her home, all adopted from the streets or an animal shelter.

Actor Raveena Tandon-Thadani is no stranger to animal adoption, either. She’s welcomed four dogs and a cat into her home, all adopted from the streets or an animal shelter. She also helps any animal in distress and has also rescued an owl, a rabbit and even a monkey. Sunny Leone has two adopted dogs (whom she calls her babies) and does whatever she can to help animals in need. While shooting in Goa, she arranged for medical treatment for an injured community dog. She and her film crew also helped a kitten who had been cruelly dumped into a garbage can. Esha Gupta does her part, too: she adopted two dogs, and after seeing a video of a man beating a community dog, she offered a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone who could identify the abuser. Comedian Kapil Sharma takes his dog, Zanjeer, who was adopted from an animal shelter, to the set daily, and his co-stars consider the dog an honorary cast member.

Adoption is so rewarding that Pamela Anderson also adopted an Indian pup, who had been rescued from a construction site, while she was in India filming Bigg Boss.

Actor Trisha Krishnan adopted Zorro from an animal shelter.

These celebrities know that right now, millions of dogs and cats without homes have no choice but to roam the streets in search of shelter and food. They often fall victim to deadly diseases, abuse from cruel humans and lethal injuries from careless drivers. Meanwhile, shelters are full of animals and unable to meet the constant demand for more space. So the next time you see a community dog or cat or pass by an animal shelter, think about what you can do to help. By adopting an animal, you’ll become a superstar in your own right and garner a lifelong fan.

The author is Associate Director of Celebrity and Public Relations with PETA