Latest news with #Salaam
News18
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Saiyaara's Shaan R Grover On Playing A Red Flag: ‘Felt Little Disturbed'
Saiyaara's R Shaan Grover noted that a friend of his was really touched by Aneet Padda's performance in the film. Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri, has created a storm at the box office. The romance drama catapulted Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda, and Shaan R Grover to stardom. Shaan's performance as the antagonist, Mahesh Iyer, has surely taken the audience by surprise and has gained a lot of attention. Now, the actor opened up about how difficult it was for him to play the role. In an interview with Filmygyan, Shaan R Grover shared, 'I am not trying to show anybody ki mein aisa nahi hoon waisa nahi hoon. I don't care ki mein kaisa hoon, but to play a negative character around girls, because I have never been like that." He added, 'I was playing that red flag and I genuinely felt a little disturbed or mujhe laga ki pata nahi yaar isko hate milna chahiye of course but kahi log mujhe isse associate na kare." Earlier, in conversation with Zoom, Shaan shared that antagonists like Mahesh exist in real life as well. He shared, 'When we went on set and stepped into our characters, we were prepared. Of course, it is not easy to play such characters. I am not Mahesh Iyer. That's not how I function and my brain functions. I was gullibly thinking ki 'Mahesh jaise log hote hai iss duniya mein?'" He added that a friend of his, who experienced something similar, was really touched by Aneet's performance in Saiyaara. Saiyaara has exceeded the Rs 100 crore mark in the first few days of release. Mohit Suri's latest project follows the life of a musician (Ahaan) and his love story with a journalist (Aneet). The duo's initial clashes slowly transform into a romance, before fate gives them an unpleasant surprise. This film was the Bollywood debut of Ahaan Panday. Aneet, meanwhile, had earlier appeared in a supporting role in Salaam, Venky. Meanwhile, Shaan served as assistant director on Harshvardhan Rane's film Sanam Teri Kasam. He has also worked on a number of OTT projects, including the Netflix film Nobleman and web series like Roohaniyat and Dus June Ki Raat. First Published: July 23, 2025, 17:23 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New York Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Yusuf Salaam owes six figures in taxes, despite speaking fees
City Councilman Yusef Salaam — one of the exonerated Central Park Five — owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid federal taxes, despite making big money from speaking fees, The Post has learned. The anti-cop councilman owes between $100,000 and $250,000 to the IRS, his 2024 annual financial disclosure to the city Conflicts of Interest Board shows. Salaam, 51, insisted in the forms he is 'in the process of repaying all taxes' for the past two years. 5 Salaam owes big money to the IRS, financial disclosures reveal. Gregory P. Mango The Harlem pol won his seat in 2023, then took office at the start of 2024 — so it's not clear when the taxes owed date back to. His office declined to comment, and the IRS is barred from disclosing tax return information. Salaam maintains his mountain of debt despite making a killing in speaking fees since his surprise victory in 2023. He charges around $31,000 a pop for a virtual event — and closer to $40,000 to come talk about criminal justice in person. He's had at least 36 speaking engagements since announcing his run in 2023. 5 Salaam was 16 when the court proceedings took place in 1990. ASSOCIATED PRESS Since taking office last year, he raked in up to $250,000 in fees alone, records show — on top of the $148,500 salary he gets for his Council gig. The father of 10 also declared getting '$500,000 or more' annually from a trust, estate or other beneficial interest, likely the terms of his 2014 settlement with the city. NYC ended up paying $40.75 million to the members of the Central Park Five to settle a civil rights suit. Salaam's share was $7.125 million. 5 Salaam was arrested along with four other Black and Latino teenagers in the Central Park case in 1989. Andrew Savulich 5 Salaam served nearly seven years in prison on the since overturned conviction. NY Post File Photo This isn't the first controversy for the councilman, who's also chairman of the Public Safety Committee overseeing the NYPD. Last year he was caught motoring around the Big Apple with out-of-state license plates and alleged illegally tinted windows. He was living in Georgia for six years before running for office in the Big Apple and still had his Peach State plates. 5 Salaam says he's been in the process of repaying all taxes for the past two years. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post Salaam has been a vocal critic of the NYPD since being elected and among the lawmakers who pushed the controversial 'How Many Stops Act' that buries cops in paperwork. He was one of five Black and Latino teenagers wrongly accused, convicted and imprisoned for the assault and rape of a woman jogging in Central Park in 1989. After his arrest at age 15, Salaam served nearly seven years behind bars, before a re-examination of the case led to his conviction being tossed in 2002 — after career criminal Matias Reyes confessed to the attack and DNA evidence confirmed Reyes' involvement. Reyes had confessed during interrogation to being at the Central Park crime scene, but the admission was later determined to be coerced.
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Afghanistan is not just about the Taliban': Refugee artists in Delhi use music to heal and preserve their culture
As Afghanistan sees a surprising uptick in tourism despite years of conflict, thousands of miles away in New Delhi, it is the ache of displacement and 'desire for homeland' that unites Afghan refugees. On World Refugee Day, June 21, this shared sense of nostalgia and resilience brought together hundreds of people from Afghan, Iranian, Burmese and other refugee communities at Alliance Française for an evening of music and memory. While artists from various countries performed across genres, it was Salaam, a band of Afghan refugee musicians, that left the audience spellbound with their soulful qawwalis. Singing legendary Afghan artist Farhad Darya's songs and weaving in traditional folklore, the band channelled a powerful message of peace. The audience nodded along, clapped in rhythm, and many felt a rare moment of 'home'. In an interaction with members of the band spoke about their artistic journey, how they make music a tool to heal minds and spread the word about Afghanistan. The band was founded in 2013 by Ahmad Haidar Hadis, who previously launched another group, Yuva Beats, in 2010. Hadis, who started his musical journey as a teenager in Pakistan, has over 20 years of experience in music. He sought refuge in India in 2009. Over the years, he has worked with Afghan television and was a member of the prominent Afghan band Nawa. 'There was no platform for refugee musicians in India,' Hadis said. 'That's why I started Salaam. We wanted a space where we could preserve our music, our language, our heritage.' The band's manager, Athena, recounted the group's early days. She said most people who stumbled upon them wanted to ask about the Taliban, how they operate, and the 'situation' back home. 'Afghanistan is not just about the Taliban; we wanted to paint a picture of our people living there. We want to depict our culture before the world – the land is not just about war but many other things,' she said. Athena shared that the band's members fled Afghanistan over the years due to instability and lack of artistic freedom. 'Even during the US intervention, artists were not safe. India was a natural destination because of its friendly ties with Afghanistan and the relative ease of obtaining visas and refugee documentation,' she said. Maasih Jafari, the band's guitarist, said music remains a contested subject in Afghanistan. 'In some areas it's legal, in others it's considered haram, depending on the region's cultural and religious leanings,' he said. Jafari, a self-taught musician, began playing in 2018 and joined Salaam in 2023. He draws from a range of influences, including Hairat, Iranian folk music, and Farhad Darya's work. 'We don't just need peace for Afghanistan, we need it for the whole world,' he said. Remembering the days of displacement and seeking asylum, guitarist Badnashare said, 'You go through turbulent emotions, and it's a difficult experience. The songs you create will resonate with it. Our music shows vital parts of the friendship between Afghanistan and India.' Madiha Hasiq, the band's lead singer, said, 'All our songs are related to our homeland, and music is how we stay connected to Afghanistan.' From embassies to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) events and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) cultural festivals, Salaam has found its rhythm in India's diverse music scene. The band sees music not just as performance, but as survival, as a form of emotional release, a way to tell their stories.
New York Post
21-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once rapped about his ‘love' for Hamas teror-funding group ‘Holy Land Five'
Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once voiced his 'love' for the five leaders of a notorious nonprofit convicted of funneling more than $12 million to the terror group Hamas. The former C-list rapper-turned-far-left-pol praised the heads of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development – known as the 'Holy Land Five'– in a shocking 2017 rap track uncovered by the antisemitism-fighting group Canary Mission, and made public in a one-minute video segment released Friday. 'My love to the Holy Land Five. You better look 'em up,' the Queens assemblyman – who performed under the stage name Mr. Cardamom – says in a song called 'Salaam,' which the Queens assemblyman said is about growing up Muslim in New York. Advertisement NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (in middle) appearing a rap video for his song 'Nani' when he went by 'Mr. Cardamom.' Mr. Cardamom/Youtube The five heads of the now-defunct Texas based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development — Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh — were all convicted in 2008 by a federal jury of funding Hamas, according to the Canary Mission. 'Mamdani sent his 'love' to convicted Hamas funders,' the Canary Mission video says. 'Let that sink in.' Advertisement The quintet were convicted of supporting terrorism, tax fraud, money laundering and other charges. The sentencing ranged from 15 to 65 years in prison for each. In another part of the track, the Israel-hating Mamdani — who is polling a strong second in nearly all polls heading into Tuesday's Democratic mayoral primary behind only ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo — raps, 'No ban. No wall. Build it up. We'll make it fall.' The antisemitism-fighting group responds in the video saying:' No ban, no wall—that's an open door for criminals and chaos.' 'Zohran Mamdani stands with convicted terrorist funders and wants open borders,' the group adds. Advertisement 'This is New York City — not a sanctuary for terrorists. Zohran Mamdani. Unfit. Un-American. Unthinkable.' Curtis Sliwa, a Republican mayoral candidate, said 'it's alarming that a mayoral candidate has a history of praising Hamas.' 'New Yorkers reject hate and extremism, and they should reject any candidate who refuses to do the same,' he added. Reps for Mamdani's campaign did not return messages Saturday.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC council pushes One45 for Harlem developer to boost affordability
The developer behind the controversial One45 for Harlem project, which could bring nearly 1,000 new apartments to Upper Manhattan, was grilled on affordability and other issues by members of the City Council at a hearing Tuesday ahead of an all-important final vote. Members of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises questioned developer Bruce Teitelbaum about the long-stalled concept, which proposes building a pair of 34-story towers with 968 apartments and commercial space at the intersection of 145th St. and Lenox Ave — a massive infusion amid the city's ongoing housing crisis. Councilmember Yusef Salaam, who represents the area and exerts tremendous influence over whether or not One45 will pass in the Council, expressed myriad concerns about the project. But he but also expressed an openness that could bode well for the its chances. 'This proposal comes to us at a very pivotal moment. It provides an opportunity to uplift the community by creating quality housing options, local retail and a much needed community space and more,' Salaam said. 'The question is, for whom.' Approximately 291 of the units would be designated 'affordable,' a figure Salaam described as 'definitely too low.' That number could more than double as part of an alternate plan Teiteilbaum has floated in tandem with Borough President Mark Levine, first reported by the Daily News, that would see a nonprofit develop one of the towers as 100% affordable in coordination with the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. But that version would hinge on 'significant' government subsidies and is far from a done deal. 'A deal's timeline is set by project readiness, developer capacity, and financing availability,' HPD spokesperson Matt Rauschenbach said in a statement. 'In this case, HPD continues to be actively engaged with the One45 project owner, and we look forward to continuing those conversations.' Salaam and committee Chair Kevin Riley repeated longstanding concerns around affordability levels, gentrification, building heights and the potential environmental impact. They also called for more family-sized units, as almost half of the planned units are one-bedroom apartments. Teitelbaum in turn touted his years of community engagement efforts, commitment to fix up the beleaguered block and the project's green energy credentials. The development would also include a tech center, a banquet hall and retail space. 'One45 is not just another housing development, it is a significant and a serious community investment,' he told the committee. 'We have listened, we have improved and we have responded … and now we respectfully ask the City Council to support this project.' Tuesday's hearing was one of the last steps in the city's monthslong land use review process, which One45 needs to pass before the project can be built. The first rezoning attempt famously fell apart in 2022 after pushback from the local councilmember at the time, Kristin Richardson Jordan, who wanted the project to be 100% affordable. Teitelbaum subsequently withdrew the proposal and turned the lot into a truck depot, angering the community; Jordan dropped her reelection bid amid the fallout. Teitelbaum apologized Tuesday for the truck depot, saying 'In retrospect it was a mistake.' The political atmosphere is far more pro-development than it was the last time Teitelbaum tried to pass One45, and he struck a cautiously optimistic note on Tuesday. 'I'm very hopeful, I think there's a real light at the end of the tunnel,' he told the News following the hearing. 'I feel confident but we're not there yet, there's still work to do.' The Council's deciding vote will take place in the coming weeks.
