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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013 Aretha: Side effects ‘were Indian film puts spotlight on rough,’ glad to work Mumbai attacks lawyer retha Franklin says “the side effects were rough” from her treatment for an undisclosed condition. The A71-year-old singer sat at a piano Wednesday inside a Westin hotel in the Detroit suburb of Southfield. She sang Etta James’ “At Last” and told reporters she’s “glad to be back in it” - a reference to her music. The Detroit News reports she’s starting on a new album with producers Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Don Was. Franklin says she and Edmonds were supposed to team up in July, but couldn’t because of her medical treatments. She says it was music executive Clive Davis who suggested she collaborate with Was, known for his work with the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt and Willie Nelson. Franklin canceled several concerts earlier this year for health reasons. — AP This handout image shows a movie still from the Indian Bollywood film “Shahid”. — AFP provocative Bollywood biopic opened yesterday tells the after completing his graduation in jail, and he went on to secure a story of a slain human rights attorney who began a career in number of acquittals for his clients. Azmi’s younger brother Khalid Athe law after turning his back on a life as an insurgent, only told Indian media last year that the lawyer “was under threat con- to be shot dead in his Mumbai office. Shahid Azmi attended an stantly-because of the cases he fought and people he rubbed the insurgent training camp and was jailed for years before qualifying wrong way. The last few months, he distanced himself from us as a criminal lawyer, who became known for defending those he because he was convinced he would be killed”. believed were wrongly accused of terrorism. At the time of his Actor Raj Kumar plays the part of Azmi in the biopic, which death in February 2010 when he was 32 years old, Azmi was repre- begins with the riots and ends with his death. It has not been senting one of three men accused of involvement in the deadly proven who was behind the killing. “I hope the film will provoke 2008 Mumbai attacks, Fahim Ansari, who was later acquitted. thought and generate discourse on how divisive we have become Director Hansal Mehta told AFP he wanted to make the Hindi as a society that is getting increasingly polarized,” said Mehta, film “Shahid” because the story of the lawyer “offered hope, in spite whose earlier films include “Dil Par Mat Le Yaar” (Don’t take it to of the tragic ending”. He said Azmi became a lawyer to “defend the heart) and “Chhal” (Duplicity). Bollywood has recently seen a spate defenseless, sometimes for free. He had learned that if you had to of biopics including “Paan Singh Tomar”, about the athlete Tomar fight for justice you could get it by working with the system”. Azmi who became a notorious bandit, and “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” (Run joined an Islamic insurgent training camp in the disputed Kashmir Milkha Run) on the life of sprinter Milkha Singh. “Indian cinema region after experiencing deadly religious riots in Mumbai in 1993 used to borrow a lot from Indian literature but with the absence of when he was 14 years old. The film depicts Azmi escaping the fitting contemporary writing, filmmakers are turning to real life sto- camp dissatisfied and returned home, only to be arrested soon ries which are often much richer,” said Mehta. — AFP afterwards and jailed on charges of plotting against the state. Aretha Franklin announced the pre-production of her Mehta believes the five-year prison term was the turning point new album as she played a few songs for the media at in Azmi’s life. “Going to the terror camp was reactive. His real trans- the Southfield Westin Hotel, Wednesday. — AP formation began when he went to jail and found empowerment through education,” Mehta said. Azmi decided to become a lawyer French filmmaker Costa-Gavras talks after receiving the Lifetime Achievement India’s Maharashtra state Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan felicitates Indian actor Kamal Haasan with the Award during the 15th Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) in Mumbai. —AFP photos Lifetime Achievement Award..

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