Pop hits putting the 'fun' into British funerals

LONDON, Nov 17 (AFP) - Contemporary music from pop songs to film and show
tunes are now almost as likely to be chosen for a funeral in Britain as
traditional religious pieces, according to a study released Thursday.
One of the country's largest funeral providers found more than 40 percent
of ceremonies involved modern music, reflecting the changing -- and
increasingly secular -- tone of British society.
Topping the list of modern songs was crooner Frank Sinatra's signature tune
"My Way", followed by Bette Midler's rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" and
Robbie Williams' "Angels".
Next on the list were Celine Dion's weepie "My Heart Will Go On" and the
rousing "Simply the Best" by Tina Turner.
The top three hymns remained unchanged with "The Lord is My Shepherd" at
number one, followed by "Abide With Me" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful".
Classical tunes meanwhile accounted for less than five percent of funeral
music: "Nimrod" from Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations" was the firm favourite,
followed by Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" and "Largo" from George Handel's opera
"Xerxes".
"Funeral music provides us with an invaluable insight into the influences
at work in (British) society," said Ian Mackie, of Co-operative Funeralcare,
who reviewed music at 80,000 funerals handled by its 600 branches in the year
to July.
"Tradition is still very much evident in favourite hymns while we have a
growing number of people who feel that modern themes are entirely appropriate.
"Many now mix the two in funeral ceremonies and it's clear that they are
being influenced by the television programmes or films they watch."
Sometimes, however, the music is unusual: last year, requests were received
for several television soaps, Buster Poindexter's "Hot, Hot, Hot", plus novelty
tunes such as "The Birdy Song" and "The Laughing Policeman".
One person even requested the sound of trains shunting in sidings.

Maker of Bollywood epic on Taj Mahal hopes to capture
marble monument's soul

BOMBAY, India, Nov 18 (APP/AP) _ A Bollywood epic about the Taj Mahal
releasing worldwide Friday seeks to capture the pervading
romance of the world famous monument to love, director
Akbar Khan said.
Khan said he lived and dreamed the movie with thoughts of
Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan vowing at his dying wife Mumtaz's
bedside to build a monument in which she could sleep
eternally.
"I felt there was a soul in the mausoleum, a heartbeat
inside every marble slab," Khan told The Associated Press
late Thursday. "There's a murmur that follows visitors
through the Taj."
He began researching the movie five years ago and filming
started in 2002 with a new face, a French-Pakistani,
playing the lead role of Mogul Empress Mumtaz Mahal.
Located in Agra near the capital New Delhi, the marble
mausoleum that has become the face of India's tourism
industry was built by Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654.
Khan said his two-hour, 40-minute movie, 'Taj Mahal _ An
Eternal Love Story,' was a mixture of history and
entertainment with eight song and dance numbers.
Elaborate sets were crafted inside an ancient fort in
northwestern Rajasthan state and battle scenes were shot
with men in armor wielding swords astride horses, elephants
and camels. Actors were costumed in rich, embroidered
outfits with heavy jewelry.
'We leased out a fort for three years and constructed
colossal sets,' he said. "The movie is fully packed with
entertainment and history."
Apart from the 19-year marriage of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz,
who died from complications arising from the birth of their
14th child, the movie also tells the tale of the Mogul
empire.
It dwells on ambition, intrigue and rivalry for the throne
in an era when brothers fought each other and sons rebelled
against their fathers for power.
But Indian newspapers are filled with pictures of French
citizen Sonia Jehan, who plays Mumtaz.
"I was extremely scared. I said I'd love to work but I
didn't want the lead role," said Jehan, who has a French
mother, Pakistani father and lives in France and Britain.
"I had no training in acting so didn't think I could pull
it off."
Jehan said she dreamed of being a Bollywood actress as a
child when she saw Indian movies while visiting her
grandmother in Pakistan. Her dream turned into reality when
she was introduced by a family friend to Khan, then
scouting for talent.
She completed her degree at London's St. Martin's College
of Art and Design before coming to India for the film three
years ago.
"It was a huge challenge because the only acting I had
done before was in school plays," said Jehan, who like
many South Asians trained in classical singing and dance.
Khan said he specifically wanted a first-time actor. "I
wanted the audience to see her as a character of the time.
I didn't want an established actor bringing her image into
the film."
The Hindi-language version will be released across India
Friday along with a limited release in Britain, the United
States, Canada and South Africa. It will be released two
weeks later in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore
and Fiji.
The English version will be out in two months along with
versions in Arabic, Persian, French and German.