Akshay Kumar Unveils The Trailer Of His Film Chumbak

Unveiling the trailer of his latest Marathi film Chumbak in Mumbai as a presenter, Akshay Kumar confessed that he is a big fan of Marathi films and said that he had no hesitation to accept that content oriented films are no longer being made in Hindi of late. “I am not looking at profits as a presenter of Chumbak. Films which are being produced in Marathi of late have the kind of real characters that are incredible. If I wanted, I could have made a film like Rowdy Rathore 2 and made 3 times more than what Rowdy Rathod but I opted to make a film like Padman because I wanted to highlight the problems that women face in their day to day life. People have been asking me whether I would act in Marathi films besides producing them. I had acted in a Marathi film called Adhikar for director Mahesh Tilekar a decade ago and produced 2 films. If I am able to get the right script with an out of the box content, I will be ready to not only produce films in Marathi but also act in them. I liked Riteish Deshmukh’s films Balak Palak as well as Lai Bhaari. I had even toyed with the idea of making a biopic on the late actor Dada Kondke but since the script did not turn out to my satisfaction, I decided not to go ahead with the project.”

Anil Kapoor Effortlessly Slips Into 4 Interesting Avatars In Fanney Khan

Anil Kapoor aces 4 different looks with ease!  Anil Kapoor’s journey in Indian film industry has been nothing short of inspiring. His illustrious career spanning 3 & a half decade has been lined up with several iconic characters & films, as the star constantly improves his game and reinvents himself with every passing year. The superstar has metamorphosed several memorable characters with great élan sporting captivating looks. Having been associated with the Race franchise for over a decade, it came as no surprise that the actor walked away with rave reviews for his stupendous performance sporting the suave & the stylish look, well complimented by white beard in Race 3. While he effortlessly slips into the garb of a common man in Fanney Khan sporting a look as real & convincing as it can get, in fact he is all set to surprise the audience, especially his fans, yet again by playing the matured character of a father in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga.

A Wrap For Jeetu Joseph’s Film ‘Body’s Shoot!

The shooting schedule of Jeethu Joseph’s movie Body starring Emraan Hashmi, Rishi Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala & Vedhika has concluded. The team recently wrapped after they shot 45 days of the schedule in parts of Mumbai & Mauritius. Body is a directorial debut of Jeethu Joseph who directed renowned Malayam film Drishyam & is Produced by Sunir Kheterpal for Azure Entertainment & Viacom motion pictures. The post production of the film begins in Aug, 2018 & the music has been sold to T-Series.

The Shoot For The Season Of ‘The Trip In Pondicherry’ Kickstarted

After the resounding success of the ever season of The Trip In Pondicherry – Season 2 kicks off 1 & half years later we last saw the girls. This season the travel destination for the Trip is – the French colonized Pondicherry. The show is all set to launch in Sept, 2018 and the lead cast Amyra Dastur, Mallika Dua, Sapna Pabbi, Shweta Tripathi are all set to embark on a beautiful trip of drama, twists & turns, self-discovery & a generous dose of romance.

Prabhas – The ‘Darling’ Of The Masses Post Bahubali

Prabhas the handsome hunk and above all the heartthrob of millions of fans of Telugu cinema is finally in the starry spotlight thanks to SS Rajamouli, the creator of the most famous franchise Bahubali. But things were not so rosy for Prabhas when he had started off in his career, even though he happened to be the son of Telugu filmmaker Uppalpati Raju and the nephew of legendary Telugu actor turned politician Krishnam Raju. So this shy & sweet boy Prabhas had to struggle hard initially to get his first ever break with a Telugu film called Eshwar. And then he was involved in seventeen other clichéd films bordering on the romantic theme of “Boy Meets Girl” before landing up roles in Bahubali: The Beginning & Bahubali: The Conclusion and the rest, as they say, is an adventurous history of Prabhas. So after being a part of Telugu Cinema for one and a half decade, Prabhas is now busy wrapping up Saaho along with his co-stars Shraddha Kapoor & Neil Nitin Mukesh.

*To begin with telling us how was life before & after the phase of being involved with the “Bahubali” franchise almost for half a decade?

*Honestly speaking after getting involved with the “Bahubali” franchise for more than half a decade, my filmy career almost did a volte-face. Earlier I did almost seventeen Telugu films with the same clichéd themes of a “Hero meets the Heroine”, “Hero encounters the Villain”, “Hero fights with the Villain” and eventually, but never before a good fight, “Hero wins over the Heroine’. There was nothing to look forward to, the same old routine. One of these films I had done with SS Rajamouli too. And it was all thanks to him that I got rid of this routine cycle of my filmic career. So I have almost 5 years to SS Rajamouli for his epic creation the “Bahubali” franchise and life after this is beyond imagination. So much so that I don’t have words to describe my joy. I could not achieve so much even after doing seventeen Telugu films that I have achieved with just 2 films of SS Rajamouli. Needless to say that I learned a lot. I gained a lot of enriching experience too. Another good thing that happened to me after passing through the “Bahubali” phase was that I happened to be the first ever Telugu actor to have his wax figure installed at Madam Tussad’s Museum.

*In the wake of the grand success of the “Bahubali” franchise you have signed only one Telugu film Saaho? How come?

*Yes! After doing the epic franchise of “Bahubali” I could have easily signed on the dotted line of every film that was offered to me. Yes I was also offered half a dozen other films on the lines of Bahubali. But I put my foot down and refused all the offers. No sir I cannot afford to waste another half a decade on another epic film like Babhubali.

*But what made you choose Saaho was it the lure of working with a Bollywood heroine like Shraddha Kapoor and also a chance to connect with the Bollywood film industry?

*After Bahubali it was only Saaho’s script that had caught my fancy. As said before I had already refused dozens of offers. In fact Saaho literally lived up to my criterion of selecting a good script. But then there was no other temptation. Shraddha Kapoor was signed on much later that is before the film went on the floors.

*But I am sure you are interested in connecting with the Bollywood film industry sooner or later?

*Yes! I am very keen to do Bollywood movies for sure but once again only if I like the script. It must offer me something concrete to literally sink my teeth into it. Then comes the other aspects like a good producer and his good banner, a good director and to be very frank I am not really fussy about my co-star. I may even go ahead and act opposite a rank newcomer. Maybe before Bahubali I would not have gone to such length of picking & choosing. Like my other contemporary South Indian actors and even my senior South Indian actors even I have the desire to make it big in Bollywood. So let’s see which way the wind blows.

*But you also made a fleeting appearance in a Bollywood movie in actor – director Prabhudheva’s Action Jackson? What say?

*That’s it! Action Jackson was just that a fleeting appearance. I did it just for my good friend Prabhudheva.

*So what is Saaho all about?

*Saaho is a trilingual film that is being made in Hindi-Tamil-Telugu. It is an out an out commercial film with each and every actor having a well-defined role which has been narrated from Shraddha Kapoor’s character’s point of view, no it is not totally a female oriented film. But every character is very important they are just not fleeting in & out of the movie. It is a UV Creations movie being produced by V Vamshi Krishna Reddy & Pramod Uppalapati. Besides it is being directed by Sujeeth. Surprisingly many other Bollywood actors also feature in Saaho besides Shraddha Kapoor and the main antagonist Neil Nitin Mukesh. The other Bollywood actors are Jackie Shroff, Chunky Pandey, Mandira Bedi, Evelyn Sharma, Aditya Shrivastav of CID fame, Mahesh Manjrekar, Murli Sharma, Rudranil Ghosh & the late Narendra Jha in supporting roles. Saaho has been shot in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Dubai – especially in Burj Khalifa, Abu Dhabi & Romania. I don’t think it will be fair to reveal anything more.

*How was Shraddha Kapoor as a co-star?

*Shraddha Kapoor is the main highlight of Saaho. She has literally put her heart & soul in her debut Telugu movie Saaho. I totally enjoyed working with her and our pair looks very good & fresh on the screen. She was not only fun to work with but our on screen chemistry too is something really good to watch out for. She is very professional, extremely dedicated and yes even a big & starry Bahubali actor like me learnt a lot from her. Next time I would really like to work with Shradhha Kapoor in a proper Bollywood movie.

*Do you remember any of the routine Telugu movies that you had ended up doing before Bahubali happened to you?

*Those films were not routine some of them were really well made but of course they could have been made even better. So even if it was the run of the mill films I have no regrets in doing them. Some of the films that I really remember are Varsham, Chatrapathi, Chakram, Billa, Darling, Mr. Perfect and how can I forget Mirchi for which I had bagged the Nandi award as a “Best Actor”.

*What is the real reason for delay in doing a Bollywood movie?

*You see when Bahubali was dubbed in Hindi it was the small screen actor Sharad Kelkar who had ended up dubbing for me. So now I am trying my best to learn Hindi with its perfect nuances. And as and when I do a Hindi film, a typical Bollywoodian movie I would like to do it’s dubbing all by myself. I still have the hangover of a South Indian accent whenever I try to speak or converse with someone in Hindi.

*So what next after Saaho?

*My next movie after Saaho will be a small budget movie bordering totally on a love story and to be filmed entirely in Europe. It is all set to go on the floors next month.

*One last question with the option of skipping it if you want? So what would you like to say about the rumors linking you with your Bahubali co-star Anushka Shetty?

*First of all I take all the rumors & gossip in my stride being a part & parcel of my profession. No I will not deny that we both are very good friends as of now or till now. You can also call us family friends but don’t try to read anything more into it at least not more than what is necessary. Yes! I am even aware of the marriage rumors circulating about us. But I believe in accepting such rumors with a pinch of salt. Period!!!

TDP MP Galla Jayadev, who initiated the debate on the no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday, mentioned Telugu blockbuster “Bharat Ane Nenu” of his brother-in-law and popular actor Mahesh Babu.

The industrialist-politician kicked off the debate with the mention of the movie to stress the point before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that “promises should be kept”.

“The latest Telugu blockbuster ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ which means ‘I Bharat’ is a story about a young NRI who returns to India after his father, who is a Chief Minister, dies suddenly.

“Bharat enters politics reluctantly and becomes a young, dynamic and beloved Chief Minister,” said the Guntur MP.

“The recurring theme in this movie is about trust and his mother’s advice Bharat keeps recalling. A promise is a promise. If a man makes a promise and does not keep it, he does not have the right to call himself a man.

“It was a blockbuster because the general mood of people reflects well in this film. People are tired of empty assurances and unfulfilled commitments,” he said.

Jayadev, whose family owns Amara Raja Group, is the son-in-law of veteran Telugu actor Krishna, father of Mahesh Babu.

One of the wealthiest MPs, Jayadev had declared assets of Rs 683 crore during 2014 elections.

His mention of Mahesh Babu’s movie triggered varied reaction on social media. Some remarked that he is trying to promote his brother-in-law’s movie while others commented that this goes on to show how politics and films are deeply intertwined, especially in Andhra Pradesh.

Makers of “Dhadak” hosted a special screening of their film here that was attended by a host of Bollywood celebrities.

Both lead actors Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor had their families, along with all-time divas Rekha and Madhuri Dixit in the audience.

Janhvi Kapoor, who makes her debut in Bollywood with this remake of 2016 Marathi film “Sairat” had her father Boney Kapoor and sister Khushi Kapoor present on Wednesday.

There was Ishaan’s parents Neelima Azeem and Rajesh Khatter, His half-brother actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Rajput, besides Kunal Kemmu and Soha Ali Khan, along with Malaika Arora, Karishma Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi.

Singer Neha Kakkar, Dino Morea, David Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha were also seen attending the screening of the film that releases on July 20.

“Dhadak” director Shashank Khaitan along with producer Karan Johar were also present along with the cast.

Produced by Dharma Productions and Zee Studios the film has created quite a buzz.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher travelled in the metro for the first time and described it as a great experience.

Anupam on Tuesday took to Twitter, where he shared a few photographs from the metro and captioned it: “Thanks to the horrible traffic at Saki Naka, Mumbai… had a great experience travelling by Metro for the first time ever. Loved the experience and the people in it. Jai Ho.

On the work front, Anupam will next be seen in “The Accidental Prime Minister”.

The film is based on a book by Sanjaya Baru, a former media advisor to Manmohan Singh. Akshaye Khanna features as Baru, and Divya Seth Shah plays Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur in the movie.

It is directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, along with Hansal Mehta as the creative producer.

The script of “The Accidental Prime Minister”, produced by Bohra Bros, is written by Mayank Tewari. It is slated to release on December 21.

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Shabana Azmi remembers Nelson Mandela on birth anniversary

Veteran actress and social activist Shabana Azmi remembered former South African President Nelson Mandela on his 100th birth anniversary.

“I am blessed to have met Nelson Mandela twice. What a giant of a man. His ideology of non violence ,truth and reconciliation is needed today more than ever. On his 100th birth centenary my deepest respect,” Shabana tweeted on Tuesday.

Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.

He became an elder statesman and focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the charitable Nelson Mandela Foundation.

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‘Soorma’ team lauds Jhajjar Police

The “Soorma” team appreciated Jhajjar Police’s initiative for making Dubaldhan village’s poor kids watch the film at a cinema hall.

Producer Chitrangada Sen and actor Diljit Dosanjh got overwhelmed by IPS officer Pankaj Nain’s post on Twiiter, that stated that he along with his team took a few poor students to watch “Soorma” at a cinema hall.

In response to the IPS officer’s post, Chitrangada tweeted: “This is by far the best review for ‘Soorma’, touching so many hearts and inspiring people everyday with this brave story. So humbled with the initiative of Jhajjar Police.Thank You.”

Humbled by the post, Diljit who is essaying the role of hockey champ Sandeep Singh in the film also reposted the IPS officer’s tweet.

“Soorma” has garnered a lot of positive response from the critics and audience.

Veteran actress Rita Bhaduri, whose film and television career spanned five decades, died here on Tuesday. The industry bid her a tearful adieu and remembered her as a warm and jovial person, who was one of the “finest” talents to emerge out of FTII.

Rita, 62, died at the Sujay Hospital in Vile Parle. She was fighting a weak kidney and was on dialysis twice a week.

“She died at around 1.30 a.m. and her family members took her body from the hospital at around 4,” a source from the hospital where she was admitted for over a week told IANS.

Zama Habib, producer and writer of the actress’ show “Nimki Mukhiya”, said he had sensed she was critical.

“We were at the hospital last night (Monday). Her condition was not good,” Habib told IANS.

In “Nimki Mukhiya”, she was seen as a Imarti Devi, the grandmother of the house. The shoot for Tuesday was cancelled due to the actress’ demise.

What’s going to happen to Rita’s character on the show?

“The last time she shot for the show was almost 15 days back. We were waiting for her to recover. Today is her funeral. We will see what can be done,” said Habib, who described her as a “gem of a person”.

Rita’s cremation was held on Tuesday afternoon. Fraternity members Satish Shah, Tiku Talsania, Jaya Bhattacharya, Shishir Sharma, Paritosh and Abhay Bhargav attended the funeral.

Shishir was one of the first to share condolences on social media.

“We deeply regret to inform you that Rita Bhaduri has departed for her journey beyond… Extremely sad. Lost a wonderful human being… A mother to many of us. Will miss u Ma,” he wrote.

Satish, who shared the screen space with her in “Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai”, said she was a lovely and warm person.

“People who are here today (at the funeral) are the ones who really cared for her. May her soul rest in peace,” he added.

They paid their last respects to Rita with garlands and some touched her feet.

Jaya said: “Ritaji was such a beautiful person. She had inner strength. You won’t believe it, but she was shooting till now. In fact, while shooting with our production, she would come from dialysis and shoot. She never complained and never made any fuss about anything… And she would need dialysis twice a week. May God rest her soul.”

Rita, a noted alumnus of the famed Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, began her career during the 1960s. She played important supporting parts in movies like “Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa”, “Kya Kehna”, “Dil Vil Pyar Vyar” and “Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon”. She also featured in Gujarati movies.

On the TV front, her credits include popular shows like “Hasratein”, “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai”, “Khichdi”, “Ek Nayi Pehchaan”, “Amanat”, “Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka” and “Kumkum”. She was particularly popular for playing roles of a mother or grandmother.

While for Shabana Azmi, Rita was her friend and closest competitor at FTII, Anil Kapoor says she was one of the “finest actresses that FTII gave us”.

“I had the honour of working with her in ‘Ghar Ho to Aisa’, ‘Beta’ and ‘Viraasat’ and I’m really saddened to hear about her passing. She will be dearly missed by her friends, family and fans,” Anil said.

Actor Anupam Kher said: “Rita Bhaduri was affectionate, helpful, jovial, bright and full of life. It is sad and unfortunate that we sum up a person only when he or she is gone. I wish we met more often. We have lost a very fine actress and a brand ambassador/alumni of FTII.”

Actress Shiwani Chakraborty of “Nimki Mukhiya” said: “For the past two months, she was not keeping well. I will really miss her. More than a co-actor, she was a great human being. I learnt a lot of things from her. She was just like a family member to me.”

Actress Garima Singh, who played her daughter-in-law in the show, said: “We used to share the same room. So we used to talk about lots of things. She was a very positive person.”