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    Newsmakers of the Week                                                    MAY 22, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 35

            purchase or sale of the company’s se-                               made in the last several decades has been inspired by the art of Amrita Sher-
            curities, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer                               Gil. She taught me how to see. She absorbed the best European training to dis-
            announced.                                                          till the soul of India in a way that no one ever had--it is this distillation that has
                Parmjit Parmar, a/k/a “Paul Par-                                informed my own cinema from the beginning. The bravery of her palette, color
            mar,” 55, of Colts Neck, New Jersey,                                and framing of the ordinary people of India has eternally moved me.”
            had  pleaded  guilty  on  May  7,  2025,                                Producer Samudrika Arora shared, “Amrita Sher-Gil’s life and oeuvres re-
            before U.S. District Judge Madeline                                 flect the aspirations of the modern generation, where identity and unapologetic
            Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to                                self-expression meet. There is something deeply human in the tension of com-
            conspiracy to commit securities fraud.                              ing from two wildly different worlds--the challenge of belonging to both and
            Parmar was sentenced to 60 months’                                  never entirely to either. What moved me to make this film is how Amri carried
            imprisonment, three years’ supervised                               the best of each world within her and did not lose herself in the space between
            release, and ordered to pay more than                               them. It is a privilege to bring this story to fruition alongside Mira, whose craft
            $125 million in victim restitution.                                 for telling cross-cultural stories is unparalleled.”
                According to documents filed in                                     Producer Michael Nozik added, “While the film is set between the two
            this case and statements made in court:                             World Wars, Amrita is a character out of time and before her time--she is a
                From May 2015 through September 2017, Parmar and his conspirators, in-  true visionary artist and social revolutionary; her life story is a beacon of inspi-
            cluding Sotirios Zaharis, a/k/a “Sam Zaharis,” and Ravi Chivukula orchestrated   ration. With Mira’s direction, Anjali’s performance of Amrita seizes that spirit
            an elaborate scheme to defraud a private investment firm and others out of   of youthful curiosity and rebellion.”
            hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with the funding of a transaction
            to take private a healthcare services company traded publicly on the London                  NORA FATEHI
            Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market. To fund the transaction, the
            private investment firm put up approximately $82.5 million and a consortium of   Star to perform at FIFA World Cup
            financial institutions put up another $130 million, for a total of approximately
            $212.5 million. The coconspirators utilized fraudulent methods to grossly in-  2026 Opening Ceremony
            flate the value of the company and tricked others into believing that it was worth
            substantially more than its actual value.
                Parmar and the conspirators sought to raise tens of millions of dollars in   oronto:  Nora  Fatehi  is  set  to
            the public markets, purportedly to fund the company’s acquisitions of various   perform and sing at the FIFA
            operating subsidiaries. In reality, a number of those entities either did not exist  TWorld Cup 2026 Opening Cer-
            or had only a fraction of the operating income attributed to them. The conspir-  emony, which will take place on 12th
            ators funneled the proceeds of these secondary offerings through bank accounts   June 2026 at BMO Field in Toronto,
            they controlled and used the money for a variety of purposes that had nothing to   Canada, marking another major mile-
            do with acquiring the purported targets. The conspirators went to great lengths   stone in her international journey.
            to make it appear that these funds were revenue, concocting phony customers   The appearance further cements
            and altering bank statements to make it appear as if the funds were coming   her growing presence on one of the
            from customers.                                                     world’s biggest and most-watched en-
                To perpetuate the scheme, Parmar and his conspirators also falsified and   tertainment and sporting platforms.
            fabricated bank records of subsidiary entities in order to generate a phony pic-  Nora will join an exciting global
            ture of Comrevenue streams and made material misrepresentations and omis-  lineup  featuring  Alanis  Morissette,
            sions to the private investment firm and others.                    Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez,
                                                                                Michael  Buble,  Sanjoy,  Vegedream,
                                 PRIYANKA CHOPRA                                and William Prince, according to a press release from FIFA.
                                                                                    Meanwhile, the USA opening ceremony lineup includes global music icons
                   Mira Nair’s ‘Amri’ to feature                                Anitta, Future, Katy Perry, Lisa, Rema, and Tyla, making FIFA World Cup 2026
                                                                                a spectacular blend of international music, culture, and entertainment.
                               Bollywood star                                   recognised performer with a strong cross-cultural appeal.
                                                                                    Her inclusion in the lineup highlights her rising stature as an internationally
                                                                                    Having previously delivered a memorable showcase during FIFA World
                    umbai:   Ace   filmmaker                                    Cup celebrations in 2022, Nora’s return to the global stage reflects the increasing
                    Mira Nair is coming up with                                 demand for her as a performer who seamlessly blends music, dance, and stage
            Ma new film, ‘Amri’, which is                                       spectacle. This moment also stands out because of her dual role as both sing-
            inspired by the life and art of Amrita                              er and performer, reinforcing her identity as a multifaceted global entertainer.
            Sher-Gil, a pioneer in India’s modern                                   Over the years, Nora Fatehi has built a strong association with internation-
            art world.                                                          al stages and global sporting events, including appearances linked to the T20
                Notably, the ensemble cast is led                               World Cup. With every performance, she has continued to strengthen her repu-
            by Anjali Sivaraman as celebrated art-                              tation as a dynamic artist capable of connecting with audiences across the world.
            ist Amrita Sher-Gil, alongside Emily                                    Her upcoming act at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony is ex-
            Watson as her mother, Marie-Antoi-                                  pected to be another defining moment in her global career. As she takes the
            nette Gottesman, and Jaideep Ahla-                                  stage in Toronto alongside internationally celebrated artists, all eyes will be on
            wat as her father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil. The film also stars Krisztian Csakvari   Nora Fatehi as she brings her signature energy, music, and performance power
            as Victor Egan, Anjana Vasan as Indira Sher-Gil, Jim Sarbh as Karl Khandala-  to one of the grandest spectacles in the world.
            vala, and Priyanka Chopra as Madame Azurie.                             Meanwhile, Nora Fatehi is also gearing up for the release of her I-Pop track
                Priyanka Chopra also serves as an executive producer on the film.  ‘Body Roll’ featuring Honey Singh, dropping Saturday. With its global appeal,
                On Tuesday, the film’s first look was unveiled.                 the track has already created massive anticipation among audiences worldwide.
                For Mira Nair, Amri is also a deeply personal film. Sher-Gil’s work has
            been impactful on the filmmaker’s visual imagination, and the film reflects a   To read more about Indian diaspora and Global Indians, log on to and follow
            connection that is both artistic and profoundly felt.                                 our website www.TheIndianEYE.com
                Talking about Amri, Mira Nair, in a press note, shared, “Every film I’ve

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