One of Javed Jaffrey's pet peeves is being labelled.
"I so hate the term Bollywood," the Indian actor and dancer said upon a recent visit to Dubai. "I know it's become synonymous with the industry but really we are 'Indian cinema'."
Best known for his comic caricatures in Hindi cinema, notably his portrayal of a teenage thug in the film Bombay Boys 13 years ago, Jaffrey has also been the face of India's popular dance show Boogie Woogie since 1996.
"I've been judging a dance show for the past 16 years and we've just gone off air. So I intend to start a new, much bigger show soon, which will also be a bit more international and I'm looking forward to that."
Far from being India's answer to Simon Cowell, Jaffrey takes an altogether more measured approach.
"I was on air long before American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance and because I come from India, sensitivity and a lot of respect are important," he said. "I don't like to insult people and I encourage them. If I do have to play on certain points I do that in a way that wouldn't hurt someone, but at the same time gets the point across."
It was Jaffrey's diplomacy and critiquing skills that saw him appointed the star judge in Dubai's answer to Boogie Woogie: the BollyRock dance competition that was held at Ductac in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates on Wednesday.
Seven schools with teams of 10 to 100 students competed in two categories - juniors and seniors - on Wednesday evening, presenting their dance routines to the panel of three judges, which also included the Dubai fashion boutique owner Juhi Yasmeen Khan and Abhi Sheikh, the director of culture and entertainment at Dubai Global Village.
"Every year we aim to bring a bigger challenge to the UAE and I think this year we have managed to do so," said BollyRock's producer Aysel Duman, who believes Jaffrey's presence elevated the standard of the annual competition.
The winners overall for the seniors and juniors were the Dubai Scholars school and the Ocean Kids Dance Studio respectively.
The Ocean Kids' choreographer Vinod Sequera worked for just two weeks with 14 children under 10 years of age to prepare for the event.
"We won with our dance, which had five elements, including Michael Jackson, Jabbawockeez, Robot and Tandav [Indian dance]," he said. "We received a trophy and a surprise gift for the children will be given also. I want to do the competition again next year and with a group of at least 25 children."
Of all the seven-minute routines Jaffrey watched, there was a specific criteria the top two teams had to meet to emerge as the victors.
"Choreography, rhythm, grace and presentation. Elements that are common right across the board when you look at a dance performance. Creativity and imagination also, so all of these things combined," he said. "I come like a blank canvas and love to see what the kids are doing and sometimes you learn from them and you find original ideas coming up."
Passionate about supporting burgeoning talent, Jaffrey readily lent his support to the BollyRock cause.
"We'd been talking for about 10 months and the organisers were very persistent, very passionate about the project," he says. "It caters to Indian schools but is open to everyone and I love working with children, seeing their creativity."
A firm believer in Indian cinema's ability to reach a mass global audience and bridge cultures, he wasn't surprised that more than 500 fans attended the Dubai event.
"I think it's a great form of enjoyment and escapism," he said. "In India, there's so much strife, pain and trouble that song, dance and going to the movies is respite. Some people [in other countries] go to the gym to unwind but for the common man in India who doesn't have those luxuries, he goes to the cinema for relaxation.
"I think India is the only country in the world with such an amount of cultural, religious and language diversity. With so much diversity, there had to be a platform with some common ground and that's what song and dance has become. Song, dance and cinema are so deeply within the Indian culture and with so many cultures incorporating their elements too, it has become a wonderful collage."
rduane@thenational.ae
The specs
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Company%20Profile
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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SPECS
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Zayed Sustainability Prize
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
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Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
