Music and Youth
B4U VJ Isshita Arun to make her Bollywood debut
MUMBAI: After being noticed on the small screen as a VJ (for channel B4U Music) and acting in music videos (as a Maharashtrian girl in Aika Dajiba with Milind Gunaji), model Isshita Arun is finally making her Bollywood debut.
Arun, daughter of ace singer Ila Arun and niece of ad agency world creative genius Piyush Pandey (O&M’s national creative director) is making her debut in her first feature film Kahan Ho Tum.
Leo Films International’s Kahan Ho Tum is a social psychological thriller directed and edited by an FTII graduate Vijay Kumar. The two and a half hour hour long thriller is a story of three friends – Jai (played by Samir Soni), Rakesh (played by Sharman Joshi of Style fame) and Karan (played by Sonu Sood).
These young friends in their twenties are caught up in a crime which they haven’t committed – namely the death of a village belle (portrayed by item number specialist Shweta Menon). TV and film stars Raghuvir Yadav, Vikram Gokhale, Raj Zutshi and Vallabh Vyas have been chosen to portray some the other character artistes in the film.
Claiming that her role is the focal point of the movie, Arun says: “I essay the role of a film maker from a far flung place who arrives on the scene to look for Jai as she wants him to accompany her on her next assignment. To her uttern dismay, she finds that Jai has been missing since a long time. While looking for Jai, she stumbles on some painful realities. I unveil the entire mystery with the help of an astute police officer (Raj Zutshi).”
President’s national award winning director Vijay Kumar says that the film touches upon socially relevant issues which are a part and parcel of life outside the metropolitan cities in India. In fact, his award winning film Inner Instincts was a documentary on juvenile delinquents. Kumar has made more than 80 short films and edited over 100 films.
The film is due for release in May 2003. And no, Arun is still going to continue her stint as a VJ.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
