PRESS RELEASE CRICKET BAT SIGNED BY INDIAN FILM LEGENDS TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER FOR CHILDREN IN NEED The cricket bat being auctioned on Friday 29 November Cricket bat signed by Indian film legends to be auctioned for charity All proceeds to go to Children in Need Lot donated by BBC Asian Network presenter Tommy Sandhu Auction: Friday 29 November at The Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair, W1 Auction also includes vintage memorabilia from the greatest Bollywood films of all time A cricket bat signed by 32 Indian film legends such as Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra is to go under the hammer on Friday 29 November at the Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair, W1. The bat has been donated by BBC Asian Network presenter Tommy Sandhu, with all the proceeds from the sale going to the charity, Children in Need. The auction - organised by Conferro Auctions - features Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia such as original LPs, film banners and Bollywood posters from some of the milestones of Indian film history, including Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975), which were recently voted the top two greatest Bollywood films of all time. Children in Need provides grants to projects in the UK which help children and young people who are disadvantaged. They aim to empower and extend their life choices to make a real difference to the lives of children all across the UK. Of the auction, BBC Asian Network’s Tommy Sandhu says, “Cricket and Bollywood are the two biggest passions for Asian people! This bat brings together these great loves! It features the hottest actors on the planet from Shahrukh Khan and Ranveer Singh to the beautiful Priyanka Chopra & Bipasha Basu as well as legends like Asha Bhosle, Dharmendra, Anil Kapoor and so many more. This is a unique piece of memorabilia that would be virtually impossible to recreate. I’m so excited about being able to give this to the successful bidder and support Children in Need with its proceeds”. For interviews with BBC Asian Network presenter – Tommy Sandhu, the Founder of Conferro Auctions - Sharan Seth, Bollywood expert – Ashanti Omkar or for high resolution images of auction lots, please contact Daniel Cinna at Curzon PR [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7399 2437 THE FULL LIST OF SIGNATURES FRONT: BACK: Irfan Khan - (Actor | Life of Pi) Dia Mirza (Actress | Love Breakups Zindagi) Salim & Sulaiman Merchant - (Musical composers | Zayed Khan (Actor & Producer | Love Breakups Krrish, Band Baaja Baraat, Anjaana Anjaani) Zindagi, Main Hoon Na) Anil Kapoor (Actor | Slumdog Millionaire) Sahil Sangha (Director - Love Breakups Zindagi) Javed Akhtar (Writer | Sholay) Ritesh Deshmukh (Actor | Bluffmaster, Dhamaal) Shabana Azmi (Actress | Masoom) Boman Irani (Actor | 3 Idiots, Don 2) Kabir Bedi (Actor | James Bond) Chunky Pandey (Actor | Don, Tezaab) Arshad Warsi (Actor | Golmaal, Dhamaal, Ishqiya) Anupam Kher (Actor | Film legend) Bipasha Basu (Actress & Model - Raaz, Race, Om Dharmendra (Actor | Film legend) Shanti Om) Rishi Kapoor (Actor | Film legend) Bobby Deol (Actor | Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Dostana, Asha Bhosle (Singer | Renowned playback singer) Yamla Pagla Deewana) Shahrukh khan (Actor | Film legend) Zeenat Aman (Actress | Ram Balram, Qurbani, Laawaris) SIDE 1: SIDE 2: Ranveer Singh (Actor | Ram- Leela, Band Baaja Baraat) Sonakshi Sinha (Actress | Dabangg) Arbaaz Khan (Producer, Director, Actor | Dabangg) Sharmila Tagore (Actress | Film legend for over 50 Malaika Arora Khan (Actress & Model | Dil Se, years) Dabangg, Om Shanti Om) Sonu Sood (Actor | Dabangg, Jodhaa Akbar, Singh is Sridevi (Actress | 70s, 80s & 90s film legend) Kinng) Boney Kapoor (Producer | Mr India, Loafer) Priyanka Chopra (Actress, Model & Singer | Global film star) Anushka Sharma (Actress | Band Baaja Baraat, Jab Tak Hai Jaan) Listings information Conferro Auctions | Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia auction Public viewing Thursday 28 November (11:00 – 18:00) Friday 29 November (11:00 – 14:00) Bollywood retrospective | A journey through 100 years of Indian cinema | Talk & Tour (30 mins) Thursday 28 November (12:00 – 12:30, 15:00 – 15:30) Free admission. Limited availability. Book with: Ashta Doyle: [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7399 2435 Auction Friday 29 November | Auction Registration (14:00) | Auction Start (15:00) | Auction End (18:00) Location Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Conduit Street, London, W1S 2YF Nearest tube stations: Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus For general enquiries contact Shivani Mehra: [email protected] For interviews with BBC Asian Network presenter – Tommy Sandhu, the Founder of Conferro Auctions - Sharan Seth, Bollywood expert – Ashanti Omkar or for high resolution images of auction lots, please contact Daniel Cinna at Curzon PR [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7399 2437 Notes for Editors: About Conferro Auctions Conferro Auctions is a new London-based auction house specialising exclusively in Indian art and collectables. Conferro brings rare and unique items of Indian cultural heritage to the international art market. As an authority on Indian art and collectables, Conferro Auctions aims to strengthen the cultural ties between India and the global market. They lead existing and new collectors alike, into a burgeoning marketplace. Showcasing regional Indian art and collectables of the finest quality, Conferro’s establishment heralds a new era for the Indian art market. Passionate about preserving India's rich cultural heritage for future generations, Conferro Auctions brings to London art and collectables from one of the world's oldest civilisations. About Sharan Seth | Founder & Director Sharan Seth was born in New Delhi. He graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce from Delhi University and went on to complete a Masters in Finance and Management at the University of Essex. Seth is an art consultant who specialises in acquisitions and development of art banks, including purchasing Indian heritage works by Syed Haider Raza and Hemendra Majumdar. In his spare time, Seth collects Indian artefacts including one of his most treasured collections: old coins from the time of Akbar the Great, the third Emperor of the Mughal Dynasty in India. Seth is also an avid supporter of charity, contributing to the work of the Blind Relief Association - a school for the blind in New Delhi, India. About Children in Need Children in Need is the BBC's UK corporate charity. They provide grants to projects in the UK which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged. They are local to people in all corners of the UK and support small and large organisations which empower children and extend their life choices. Their grant programmes are open all year round for applications. For more information: www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey For interviews with BBC Asian Network presenter – Tommy Sandhu, the Founder of Conferro Auctions - Sharan Seth, Bollywood expert – Ashanti Omkar or for high resolution images of auction lots, please contact Daniel Cinna at Curzon PR [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7399 2437 .