Abhishek Bachchan and the Jaipur Pink Panthers visit Moti Dungri Ganesh in Jaipur

 

The Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple in Jaipur has been extremely lucky for the Jaipur Pink Panthers and actor and owner Abhishek Bachchan, always makes it a point to visit the auspicious mandir every time he is in the Pink City.

Abhishek and his team visited the Moti Dungri Temple to seek Lord Ganesha's blessings at the start of the Pro Kabaddi League season, before they gear up for a challenging time on the court.

The Jaipur Pink Panthers go up against Telugu Titans in Jaipur tomorrow at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.​

AR Murugadoss reveals the reason behind Sonakshi's scar in Akira

The poster of Akira has definitely created a lot of curiosity among moviegoers about the film. Whats interesting is that the scar that is visible on Sonakshi's forehead has an interesting back story to it. 

Director A R Murugadoss  wanted to establish that she has gone through enough but isn't weak to stand up and fight it out. Talking about the same, he says, "In life every scar that occurs on our body has a story behind it.Similarly Akira has a past wound that has dried up & remains a scar now .The moment we see her face we should come to know that she has had a painful past. that's why I created the scar under her eyes."

The shoot of Sridevi starrer produced by Boney Kapoor wraps up

Having ruled hearts for more than a decade , the first female superstar and one of the undisputed superstars in Bollywood, Sridevi, is back after the success of English Vinglish , with her next big film , produced by Boney Kapoor.

The film that went on floors earlier this year, marks the directorial debut of Ravi Udyawar and also stars Sajal Ali, Akshaye Khanna, Adnan Siddiqui, and Abhimanyu Singh ,with a special guest appearance by Nawazuddin Siddique.

Says a source, "24th June was the last day of the shoot of the film . While Sridevi earned a Padma Shri for her extensive contribution to cinema ,she is now back with another stellar portrayal and few who have had the pleasure to watch her perform in this Boney Kapoor production claim that it is truly one to watch out for"

How Rajiv Bhatia became Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar, the superstar of Bollywood who is also affectionately called Khiladi Kumar, was originally Rajiv Bhatia belonging to a Punjabi family, this much is known to many but not that Akshay Kumar was the name of a character in a Mahesh Bhatt film called ‘Aaj’. In fact, this Mahesh Bhatt’s film was also Akshay Kumar’s debut film in Bollywood. However, his character of a Karate instructor was very small, ten seconds to be exact.

Obviously, no one took notice of the handsome hunk in the film. However, Akshay Kumar loved the role played in film by Kumar Gaurav and it was known as Akshay. Our Bollywood Khiladi Kumar was so impressed with the screen name of Kumar Gaurav that he decided to change his name from Rajiv Bhatia to Akshay Kumar for his films.

And see where Rajiv Bhatia is today as Akshay Kumar. He will next be seen in his 125th film, Tinu Suresh Desai’s next. In his upcoming flick Rustom, Akshay Kumar plays the part of a naval officer and the movie is due for a worldwide release on August 12.

Disha Patani thrilled with the response to Befikra

Disha Patani, who will be making her big Bollywood debut this year with Neeraj Pandey’s MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, has already become a favourite among the masses and has been making all the right noises!

The much-awaited single, ‘Befikra’ featuring Tiger Shroff and herself launched recently with a huge fanfare has been receiving good response by the music buffs and the fans of the two good looking actors.

Not just their affable chemistry, people also couldn’t stop raving about Disha’s dancing prowess. At the launch of the song Befikra, the actress admitted that she looks up to Tiger as an inspiration. “I really look up to him. Actually, I am doing gymnastics now and that is because of him. He is my inspiration, my motivation. He is just so hardworking. Nobody can reach up to his level, he’s different. It was difficult to match up to his speed and perfection.”

On sharing the screen space with Tiger for the first time, Disha said, “He has just got so much energy, he walks with this aura, that you can't really see anyone else when he is there.”

The young actress who looks like a million bucks in the music video shot in the picturesque locales of Paris, has also scored brownie points from the fashion critics as she has been appreciated for her sporty and chic look. 

Sushant Singh Rajput roped in for India’s first space odyssey ChandaMama Door Ke

It’s been almost 40 years since man stepped on Moon... it’s time now for history to repeat itself

NextGen Films today announced their ambitious science fiction drama ChandaMama Door Ke

starring Sushant Singh Rajput who has been the talk of town since his debut film Kai Po Che

and has other films such as Dhoni, Raabta, and Tarun Mansukhani’s next along with Homi

Adajania's next in the pipeline. The film is slated to release on January 26, 2018 worldwide.

Directed by National award-winner Sanjay Puran Singh (of Lahore fame), the film is an epic

story of India’s unwavering astronauts who set out on a mission that brings the nation together.

It’s a tale of ambition and courage showcasing an extraordinary space expedition by India’s

bravest astronauts who travel to the Moon.

A team of the best in Hollywood who have worked on classics like Star Trek, Armageddon,

Apollo 13, Deep Impact, Robo Cop fame have come on board to work on this epic project.

Producer Viki Rajani, NextGen Films commented, “We have a great combination of a

powerful script, a talented national award winning director like Sanjay who will be helming this

project along with a brilliant and effortless actor like Sushant who’s already carved a niche for

himself with his choice of roles and performances. As Bollywood’s first science fiction space

film, ChandaMama boasts of a fantastic team of reputed Hollywood technicians thus taking the

scale of the film to the next level.”

Director Sanjay Puran Singh added, “ChandaMama is a tale of courage, hope and ambition,

about the pursuit of India’s illustrious dream of reaching the moon… it’s a story that needs to be

told and I am elated that Next Gen Films is giving me the platform for it”.

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput said, “It promises to be an epic film that has not been attempted

before and I am really excited to be a part of this very special project”.

The shooting of the film will commence early next year. Film slated to release on January 26, 2018.

NextGen Films has previously produced films across diverse genres including R…Rajkumar,

Cocktail, Table No 21, Tevar and Desi Boyz.

Shirish Kunder refutes allegations of Kriti being plagiarized – BOB now pulled off Youtube

Yesterday, Shirish Kunder sent a legal notice to Aneel Neupane for making false and defamatory allegations against him and his short film Kriti.

The 18-minute thriller starring Manoj Bajpayee, Radhika Apte and Neha Sharma crossed over 3 million views( unprecedented numbers for a short film) and recently got embroiled in controversy, with the makers of a short film, BOB, accusing Shirish Kunder of plagiarism.

Refuting any such claim of the film being lifted , Shirish responded to Mr Neupane’ s allegation with a legal notice demanding an apology ,refraining them from making any oral or written comments about the film.

Sources reveal that the makers of BOB are seeking mileage out of the controversy and have vested interests best known to them. Ironically, Kriti has been trending over the social media platform with #KritiSeeksTruth being an extremely popular hashtag.Shirish has also been receiving immense support from the industry with his tweets getting a tremendous response.

If that wasn’t all, the film is also gaining enormous support from the public ,with repeat viewership on sites that the film is currently running on.

Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee representing Mr. Shirish Kunder and Muvizz.com states that "The film BOB was removed from YouTube channel last night because of objections from my clients. It is obvious that no case of plagiarism is made out against my clients as was alleged by Mr. Aneel Neupane. Currently my clients film Kriti is being  exhibited on Muvizz.com.

We have also explained our legal position to youtube channel and youtube has assured us full cooperation. My clients are fulfilling the requirements of YouTube in the said matter and are hopeful that their film shall be exhibited soon on their esteemed platform. In the meantime the viewers can view the said much appreciated film on Muvizz.com"

Rustom's trailer is released

‘3-Shots that shocked the nations’ and one trailer that certainly seems to be waiting to tip the scales for the box office, Akshay Kumar in and as RUSTOM will leave you anxious for more. The trailer  has already been inching towards its first millions, setting it as a quickest trend-setter of recent times and it’s only been a day since the makers launched it. 

Produced by Aruna Bhatia, Nittin Keni, Akash Chawla, Virender Arora, Ishwar Kapoor & Shiital Bhatia, RUSTOM is yet another in the league of Akshay and Neeraj Pandey collaborations that will have to sit up and take notice of all that the duo is capable of. Slowly and steadily, Akshay seems to have managed to walk the rope between massy masala and classy thrills, this one obviously borders on the later.

Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, RUSTOM will be in the theatres near you on 22th August 2016

Osianama's Animal and Environmental film festival

Osianama starts its pioneering Annual Calendar July 2016-17 with Animal-Human-Nature Continuum on July 1 at Osianama At Liberty. The first major International Film & Arts Festival to privilege issues of Animal Welfare & Environmental Issues while showcasing the finest examples of world cinema pertaining to all matters concerning these subjects and all related ideas and philosophies which cinema, both documentary and features, has tried to tackle in the last 100 years.

Early Highlights include 170 plus Film Screenings of top quality World Cinema from over 40 countries over the next two months. With retrospectives and tributes to Werner Herzog, Jean Painleve, David Attenborough, Beatrix Potter & Walt Disney. Issues pertaining to the ‘Stray’, Migration, Animal Welfare & Rights, Environmental Issues and Climate Change dominate the curatorial ideas and philosophies of the Festival.

Paithani brand ambessador Sonali Bendre goes out of her way for weavers

Sonali Bendre apart from being a Maharashtrian, is also a lover of traditional weaves and was recently announced as the face to pioneer the revival of Paithani sarees.

Paithani uses the ancient technique of tapestry where multiple threads of different colours along with gold and silver threads are weaved together to form a fascinating piece of silk. It's made from natural silk or cotton with precious gold and silver metal threads that gives Paithani the Midas touch. 

Since the skill is a dying art form in the country, the former actress turned author is going out of her way to promote the weavers’ works and is speaking to several sponsors and organizers to put together an exhibition that showcases their collection.

Says a source, " Sonali wanted to conduct a special exhibition, giving these weavers from remote corners a chance to talk, showcase and sell their work. She is speaking to a few organizers and sponsors to come on board for the project and hopes to pull off a show that will revive this dying artform".

राखी सावंत और शक्ती कपुर ने मुम्बई में शॉर्ट फिल्मों के साथ एक म्यूजिक अल्बम रिलीज़ किया

                                                   फिल्म इंडस्ट्री में आज का नया आनेवाला दौर शॉर्ट फिल्मों का है और इस चीज़ को जो जितना जल्दि समझ ले वही कल सफ़ल होगा । छोटे छोटे फिल्म निर्माताओं और निर्देशकों के लिए यह एक सुनहरा दौर है जिसमें वे अपनी प्रतिभा का सही उपयोग कर सकते हैं । अभी बीते कल यानी 25 जून को मुम्बई के अँधेरी में आयोजित एक कार्यक्रम में ड्रीम हाउस प्रोडक्शन्स के बैनर तले बनी तीन शॉर्ट फिल्मों एक थी लैला, बास्टर्डस, और साइको के साथ कुमार सानू की आवाज़ में रिकॉर्ड हुआ म्यूजिक अल्बम दर्द फर्स्ट लव नेवर एन्ड को जया फिल्म्स एंड म्यूजिक के द्वारा मुंबई में राखी सावंत और शक्ती कपूर के हाथो धूम धाम से मीडिया की उपस्थिति में लॉन्च किया गया । फिल्म बास्टर्डस में शक्ति कपूर ने एक डॉक्टर का किरदार निभाया है जो की लाशों के साथ बलात्कार करता है । वहीँ साइको में एक मानसिक रूप से बीमार लड़की की कहानी है जो की लड़कों को फांसकर उनके साथ हमबिस्तर होती है फिर उन्हें मार देती है । 

                                                       मौके पर राखी सावंत ने बताया की जया फिल्म्स के बैनर से अभी शुरुआत हुई है और आगे भी इस बैनर से भोजपुरी और मराठी फिल्मों का निर्माण होगा। एक थी लैला, बास्टर्डस, और साइको इन तीनो फिल्मों का निर्देशन राखी सावंत के भाई राकेश सावंत ने किया है ! इस अवसर पर फिल्म इंडस्ट्री से शक्ति कपूर,मुकेश ऋषि,राखी सावंत,एजाज़ खान, शिवा देवनाथ, कुनिका लाल, सूर्या सिन्हा,संजय भूषण पटियाला ,पुष्पा वर्मा आदि लोग मौजूद थे !

                                                      शॉर्ट फिल्म साइको का लेखन मिड डे न्यूज़ पेपर के क्राइम रिपोर्टर शिवा देवनाथ ने किया है । जबकि बाकी की दो शॉर्ट फिल्मों का लेखन और निर्देशन राकेश सावंत ने किया है । वहीँ हिंदी गीतों के सुरों के बादशाह मशहूर गायक  कुमार सानू की आवाज़ में रिकॉर्ड एक म्यूजिक अल्बम " दर्द फर्स्ट लव नेवर एन्ड" को भी लांच किया गया जिसमें एजाज़ खान ने अभिनय किया है । इस अल्बम का नृत्य और निर्देशन भी राकेश सावंत ने किया है ।

Poster Of Anna Hazare’s Biopic Unveiled

Social activist Anna Hazare has definitely contributed a lot for the development of rural India and corruption. And now director Shashank Udapurkar is all set to translate his achievements on to the big screen.

The first poster of the film was revealed today in the presence of Anna Hazare, director Shashank Udapurkar, Tanish Mukerji and the rest of the cast. 

The movie has been shot in Ralegan Siddhi, Mumbai, Delhi, Kashmir, Ladakh and Rajasthan and is almost complete. 

About the film: 

The true story of the man of truth KISAN BABURAO HAZARE including all true events. This biopic includes the events and character that influenced Kisan, a struggling village boy with his own thoughts and questions of the purpose of life. Kisan finds the answers and purpose of his life through several events and influential characters in his life. Kisan started  his Journey  from service to Indian Army as Driver and then finds his only selfless and inclusive purpose of working for People of village by insipiring them to stand for ourselves using the weapon of Anashan and Shramdan. And Thus we get to know the Real Anna, fighting for the people of country against corruption at  Ramlila Maidan, Delhi. The whole story, from Kisan to Anna is told to us through each Ideals and Psyche of Anna presenting at what so called the second battle of Independence. This story of struggle, truth , battle inspires us to create more Anna in todays times. This is the honest attempt to create the Inspiration through this film with the big heart.

Katrina Kaif puts in extra hours to rehearse for the Dream Team Tour

Katrina Kaif who was shooting for two films simultaneously ,has been working for over 18 hours a day ,as the actress has been rehearsing for the Dream team tour post pack-ups.

While Katrina was shooting for her Baar Baar Dekho with Sidharth Malhotra in Thailand all of April, she returned to Mumbai and immediately started work on Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos. The actress has also been rehearsing for her world tour which flags off in August.

Despite her packed schedule, Katrina is looking forward to the tour and has been rehearsing post her shoot. She enjoys packing a lot of work in her time and looks forward to the tour which takes place in six cities in the US and Canada.

Harshvardhan Rane gets inked

Yes that’s right. 'Sanam Teri Kasam’s' intense hero Harshvardhan Rane has a new tattoo and it’s the same one that he sported in his debut film. Well, we’ve heard of fans copying the tattoos sported by their fave stars and Harshvardhan has had his share too of such fans. But it’s probably a first when an actor has got his own reel tattoo for real!

The hunky star has gotten his birth-date – 16th December – inked on his ring finger exactly the way he sported it in STK. Harsha says, “Yes, this is my birth-date and it’s same tattoo in Sanam Teri Kasam,  just that I have it for real now. So, in a way STK has become a part of me forever.”

This is not the actor’s only tattoo. Harsha already has a tattoo, ‘Son of God’ that has been copied by several fans. Well, we won’t be surprised to see this one become a rage too!

Sonam Kapoor lunches at LA's go-to vegan hub

Sonam Kapoor may have catapulted her way into the top league with an award worthy performance in the blockbuster ,Neerja,however, the actress continues to remain all heart and was recently spotted with her team at a casual lunch in Los Angeles.

Sonam who is in LA on a professional commitment, took her team out on a fun luncheon at the Gracias Madre,known for its organic Mexican food - The actress who recently turned vegan on her birthday is sticking to her pledge and visited Gracias Madre known to cater to the biggest names in Hollywood.

Inspired from the kitchens in Mexico and sourced from locally grown organic ingredients , the restaurant based in West Hollywood is fast becoming the go-to hub for every vegan celebrity. Sonam and her team were spotted having a casual lunch ,looking effortless stylish as executive chef Chandra Gilbert personally looked into the preparations.

Yashraj offers India's first sex ed fiction series as Sex Chat with Pappu

9 months, 50 million views, 3 web series, 6 short films, the world’s 1^st Transgender Band, 1 webby & a Cannes Grand Prix Glass Lion later, Y-Films, the youth wing of Yash Raj Films continues to push the envelope putting out path-breaking content. Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa is the most unique show of it’s kind in India – and probably the world. A 5-part fiction series premiering on the Y-Films YouTube channel, it tells a story that will deliver information across different themes related to sex/ sexuality. From masturbation & periods to condoms, pregnancy and homosexuality. In a clean, honest style – with a lot of humor. And certainly a lot of heart. 

 

Starring Anand Tiwari, Kabir Sajid, TV’s favorite Sanjeeda Shaikh, Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha’s Alka Amin and veteran Sachin Pilgaonkar, the series marks the directorial debut of Ashish Patil, Head of Y-Films and has been written by Gopal Datt & Devang Kakkad with story supervision by Amritpal Bindra & Anand Tiwari. It tells the story of the Watsa family. Featuring a curious 7-year-old boy, Pappu – who shoots the most outrageous questions to his Papa, Anand. Who attempts to answer them to the best of his ability – initially with a lot of awkwardness and eventually with a lot of fun, simple anecdotes. All this while his own father – the very traditional, conservative and possibly 'khadoos' Pitaji – keeps questioning his actions. While his wife, the much pregnant, Shireen and mother, Mataji get torn between this mad conflict and help Pappu & Papa find peace, balance and, of course, add a lot of their own masti to it.

 

Adds producer-director, Ashish Patil, “The 2nd most populated country in the world, in spite of being the home of texts and temples such as the Kamasutra & Khajuraho… sex is still a very taboo topic in India. Most parents clam up when having to talk to kids about the 'birds & the bees'. Sex education is not even provided in most schools. And when done - not appropriately curated or delivered. Misinformation or lack of information cause further confusion and problems. Which is why you have 40-year old men writing in to sex columns asking if they’ll go blind if they masturbate! Research clearly shows that sex talk with parents is directly linked to safer sexual behavior. This is our attempt to bring this important conversation out of the closet. So come on, let’s talk about sex, baby!”

 

The series has been heavily researched and ratified by some of the foremost medical experts, top hormonal, gynecological doctors of the country. We hope it creates some genuine social impact, not just locally but globally. 

Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa launches July 2016 on www.youtube.com/yfilms

Prateik Babbar auditions for a French TV

Prateik Babbar, who has been gearing up for his second innings in Bollywood, wants to tap the right projects coming his way.

If sources are to be believed, the talented actor has recently auditioned for a popular French TV show that has been on air for almost a decade.

A source close to the actor suggest, “The makers of the show were looking for an Indian character for a couple of episodes and they felt Prateik fits the bill. Accordingly, they approached him. The actor auditioned for the role two weeks back.”

Football lover Boman to watch the Euros live match

Veteran actor Boman Irani will travel from Madrid (Spain) with school friend Feroze, where they are going together to watch England play Iceland in the last match of the Round of 16 stage of Euro 2016 (on June 28).

“All my plans are impulsive. I feel one should keep dreaming, but instead of having only plans in your head, you should go ahead and do those things too,” says Boman.

Says source “The actor sons, Kayoze and Danesh, also love football and follow the game, but they aren’t going with him, as they have some work”

Entertainment journalist Chaitanya Padukone's book on RD Burman unravels music maestro's escapades in film industry

To mark the 77th birth anniversary of the iconic music maestro Rahul Dev Burman, award-winning senior showbiz journalist Chaitanya Padukone has come out with his latest book R.D.Burmania: PanchaMemoirs.

The book is nothing less than a goldmine for the legion of ardent Pancham Da (as RDB was fondly called) fans across the globe, as it contains loads of information and anecdotes never known before.

Besides fascinating memoirs, it includes a collection of rare and startling vintage RDB photographs, with exclusive personal tributes by a galaxy of luminaries including Amitabh Bachchan, A.R.Rahman, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Pyarelal (of Laxmikant-Pyerelal), Shekhar Kapur, Sonu Nigam, Sunil Gavaskar and Zeenat Aman. To add to this, the Bajirao Mastani filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has penned a forward to the book, revealing his personal experiences with RDB during the song-sitting of 1942-A Love Story.

Not only was R.D.Burman a maverick genius when it came to composing music, he was known to be a quick-witted 'funatic' as well. Eminent playback singer Shailendra Singh recalls an episode. “Way back in ’81, we were travelling in my car during the monsoons and enjoying rounds of booze to keep ourselves warm. Suddenly the soda-water got over. Not one to give up so easily, Pancham Da insisted that we thrust our glasses outside the windows and said ‘cheers’ as the downpour filled up his glass,” he chuckles.

This is just one of the dozens of anecdotes and trivia revealed in the book. Chaitanya is no ordinary author. Having been at the helm of entertainment journalism for decades, he also shared a close rapport with Pancham Da for nearly 10 years. Initially launched through Amazon, the book could soon transcend from digital medium to traditional print as well as other audio-video formats.

Adhyayan Suman,Sara Loren and Sanskkriti Jain starrer Ishq Click trailer crossed 1 million viewers

The trailer of the Adhyayan Suman-Sara Loren starrer Ishq Click released on 24th June ,2016 amidst much anticipation.

The trailer of the love story is already a rage and has been lapped up by all the romantic fanatics to the extent that it has crossed 1 million views in merely 2 Days of its release on YouTube.

The trailer has met with a terrific response on the social networking sites. Adhyayan and Sara, who will be sharing the screen space together for the first time, have a sparkling chemistry which is evident in the promo.

The film buffs waiting to see a nice, romantic movie are overwhelmed with Adhyayan’s new avatar and we ought to say Sara, too, has left us highly impressed.

Industry pundits and critics are of the belief that Ishq Click will be a game changer for Adhyayan and he will silence all his detractors with a superlative performance. Interestingly, the talented actor has received several compliments for his performance after watching the trailer.

The movie also stars popular theatre actress Sanskkriti Jain in a very important role.

Directed by Anil Ballani and produced by Ajay Jaiswal and Satish Tripathi under the banner of Algol Films, Ishq Click is scheduled to release 22^nd July, 2016.

Trailer Link-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zJqdgPg3J0

Shrdhha Kapoor got injured while shooting Half Girlfriend

दिल्ली में चल रही एक शूटिंग के दौरान अभिनेत्री श्रद्धा कपूर घायल हो गईं। इस बात की खबर उन्होंने इंस्टाग्राम के जरिए दी।

अपने चोट लगे पैर की तस्वीर जिस पर नीले रंग की पट्टी बंधी हुई थी, साझा करते हुए श्रद्धा ने लिखा कि ‘लिगामेंट्स में खिंचाव लेकिन बास्केटबॉल कोर्ट पर बहुत मजा आया।’

Rustom's first poster with Akshay Kumar

Kriti direector Shirish Kunder files a legal notice against the makers of Bob

Post it’s star studded launch and amazing response from across the board, Shirish Kunder’s ‘KRITI’ has been in the news for the allegation of plagiarism by Aneel Neupane’s film titled ‘BOB’ . But the director Shirish Kunder and makers have denied all such allegations and now in turn filed a legal notice against the latter for laying false and defamatory allegations on him.

 A source close to the director and makers of KRITI, also revealed that even though the film released recently, the concept was discussed with the cast and crew a year ago, they were given the script and their dates locked 6 months prior to the shoot which happened in February 2016. In a professional project such as this, even the launch event was planned three months in advance.

Director Shirish Kunder has previously been a part of many well known Bollywood films. With ‘Kriti’, Shirish made his debut in the short feature film industry and has garnered a lot of appreciation from the industry, critics and the audiences for the phenomenal work in the film. The film is a psychological thriller and stars Manoj Bajpayee, Radhika Apte and Neha Sharma in pivotal roles. 

Laksshya, Tusshar Kapoor's son

Twitter war inbetween Vikram Bhatt and Kamaal R Khan

Vikram Bhatt's statement -

It all started with a Twitter duel between Mr Kamaal R. Khan and me after the release of my film 'Love Games'. Then, came his review of the film '1920 London'. Though I did not produce the film, direct it, write the dialogue or the screenplay, he decided to do a review of me instead of the film. He made absurd insinuations-- called me a fraud, a pimp and other unsavory names. I couldn't care less; When you have made a business of ranting, then ranting is what you got to do!

Two hours later, I found my daughter crying in the corner. She was hurt. As I took her little body wracked with sobs in my arms, I saw things more clearly…

When you don't stand up and fight the rumors that are being perpetrated about you, your silence gives these rumors the fodder they need to seem like the truth to the people around you. I knew then that I had to fight, if not for for anything else then at least my daughter's tears.

When the news of my sending Mr Kamal R. Khan a defamation notice became known, I received a lot of calls and messages from concerned friends and colleagues. They advised me against continuing with this fight. When you fight filth you get filthy yourself, they warned, and they are right.

But by the time the defamation notice reached Mr Khan, something had changed. I will tell you what had.

Enraged by the notice, Mr. Khan went on a Twitter rant, “Now I will reveal in the court how Vikram Bhatt tried to supply Meera Chopra to a well known producer by many dirty tricks (sic).” 

I have been called many things before, but here he was saying that I am a pimp and Meera is a whore. And while there were many on Twitter who thought this was in bad taste, there were many who were also entertained.

One person’s tragedy has always been another’s entertainment. But can you really call a young, female colleague of mine a whore and get away with it?

I was perturbed to put it mildly, and conferred with my friend and lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee . He not only agreed with me, but was equally enraged by Mr. Khan’s derogatory remark. I told him that he did this on a regular basis and every time he did, I was spurred to take him to court. But the people around me always stopped me, saying, “When the ladies about whom he is saying such repulsive things are quiet, how can you fight, they have to file a complaint first?”

Rizwan explained the law to me. He clarified that even if the ladies concerned decided to not confront the issue, we could.

So we have!

Here are some of the things Mr Kamal R. Khan has been saying about our ladies. And this is just the tip of the iceberg:

On Sunny Leone: "I request to Digvijay Singh Ji to have a strip show of Sunny Leone in the function of his marriage and I will pay Rs 1 crore to the Congress party fund."

On Bipasha Basu: Posting a picture of papayas on Twitter, he wrote, "These are as big as bipasha ke in bipasha song. #Jodibreakers ." He further added, "Believe me I go crazy when Bipasha move her boobs on the song Bipasha of Jodi breakers.”

On Nargis Fakhri: "Nargis Fakhri says- My butt is bigger than my lips. Yes yes I know this yar but kabhi milo Tho Sahi yaar. @NargisFakhri." There was more: "How mny tims in week U have @NargisFakhri How long can a woman go without sex? We r supposed 2have sex n don’t lie 2me tat nobody wants it.[sic].”

On Malaika Arora: "There comes an Item.song from an Old lady Malaika Arora Khan who still dances at her best with hotness and curves, it was fun watching this dance."

On Priyanka Chopra: "I want to ask only one question to @priyankachopra ji Madam ji are you also a virgin like Rakhi Sawant? #JustAsking(sic)."

On Huma Qureshi:  "I want to ask you one question if you will not feel bad? I want to have sex with you. Hahaha." He then addded, "Now watching Gangs of Wasseypur 2 for the 2nd time n only for Human Qureshi and dialogue Kahke Loonga"

On Madhuri Dixit: “Ye lo buddhi Madhuri Dixit will again try to become no.1 actress. Madam ji just learn something from Sridevi.”

On Alia Bhatt: “Alia looks so bacchi in panty but still some people keep forcing her to wear it."

On Parineeti Chopra: “There was a time when she was really hottest girl in Bollywood. Aur aaj Dekho, Bechari Uzdaa chaman Ho gayee.”

My grandfather, Vijay Bhatt, made one of the biggest hits of his time, a film called 'Ram Rajya', the only film Mahatma Gandhi watched in his lifetime. It was on the life of  Ram. I would sit by my grandfather’s side and listen to him talk about Ram and the great epic, Ramayan. I remember him saying that when evil takes away the good, like Ravan took away Sita, then sometimes you have to go to the heart of the evil, like Ram went to Lanka, to bring the good back. His words have never left me!

I am no Ram, in fact far from it. But I have decided to go to the heart of this evil to bring back what is good. If I have to fight filth and get filthy, then so be it. But fight I must! 

With me is my able lawyer and an equally incensed citizen of this city, Rizwan Siddiquee. He is willing to get even more filthy than me! 

We must fight because all those who found Salman Khan’s one comment on rape distasteful have been quiet about this man for years. I don't understand why...

We must fight because the NGOs and the Women’s Commission which should safeguard the ladies of my fraternity have not found anything disrespectful about this man's comments. I don't understand why...

We must fight because Twitter India has not taken this account down and thinks Mr. Khan’s comments are free speech. I don’t understand why...

We must fight because the people who fight for the deletion of cuss words in our films have no problems with cuss words being used in real life. I don't understand why...

We must fight because the ladies in my fraternity are being abused and the various film associations think it is all right. I don't understand why...

We must fight because so many in my fraternity feel the need to befriend Mr Khan just so that he keeps quiet. I feel betrayed!

We must fight because a man attacks my tribe every other day and we have no other way but to go into the filth to fight him.

I write this not because I seek any kind of support for my fight...

I write this not because I crave any brownie points...

I write this not because I need to justify my stand...

I write this because I know that there are many like me out there and I want to say to them that it is all right to feel righteous rage.... That when we don't stand for anything, we fall for everything.

In Rizwan I have found a believer and a dogged fighter. A mission and a believer is all that is needed!

My defamation suit is suddenly not important. This fight has stopped being about me now. The film fraternity has been a source of livelihood for my family for generations. This is the least I can do to say, " Thank you."

Finding Dory is all set to reach the coveted mark of 400 Million Internationally

Alien invaders were no match for cute fish at the box office this weekend, as Finding Dory dominated for a second week in a row. Finding Dory continues to power along with a second global weekend over $100M, taking the estimated cume to date to almost $400M already.  In North America, the cume is already up to an amazing $287M after just 10 days of release, posting a strong hold of -46% this weekend and holding the #1 spot.  Internationally, Finding Dory is following a staggered release to take advantage of local holidays and has opened in only a few key markets.  New openings were strong in France and Spain while Finding Dory plays extremely strongly in Australia and New Zealand while in China it is about to be the #1 Pixar release of all-time.  Like the US, holds in the second weekend were strong, especially across Latin America.

With the gross to date earned on Finding Dory, that now means that Pixar releases have grossed over $10Bn globally over 17 movies starting in 1995 with Toy Story.

The Jungle Book continues to swing along strongly in Korea, taking the global cume to $929M with Japan still due to open in August.

Zootopia continues to perform well in Japan, with an 8^th consecutive weekend as #1 Western releases and no drop-off from last weekend.

Steven Spielberg wants to be The Big Friendly Giant

After the last power-packed Oscar nominated movie, ‘Bridge of Spies’ -the visionary and celebrated filmmaker Steven Speilberg is back with fantasy adventure film ‘The BFG’ which is all set to release India on 15^th July.

The BFG which stands for ‘Big friendly Giant’ whose screenplay is by the very famous Oscar nominee Late Melissa Mathison (Ex-wife of Harrison Ford) and is based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl.

Before Steven Spielberg cast Oscar winner Mark Rylance to play the titular giant in “The BFG,” a convincing performer was already tied to the role: the director himself.

“‘The BFG’ had a nostalgic impact on me because it was one of the first books I read to my kids,” Spielberg about the 1982 Roald Dahl novel.

“I could be the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) to my own children, who looked up to me while I was reading that story. So I would do the BFG voice, I would pretend to be the BFG (acting it out) with my own personality.”

Those who didn’t get to hear Spielberg’s bedtime adaptation in person get the next best thing when “The BFG” opens on 15th July in India.

Reliance entertainment has a Pan India release for this friendly giant movie in 4 languages – English, Hindi, Tamil &Telugu. The movie is all set to release in India on 15^th July, 2016.

Tussshar Kapoor became father with IVF and Surrogacy..baby boy name as Laksshya

Tusshar proudly announces the arrival of his son, a baby boy, born last week through IVF and surrogacy.  The baby, Laksshya, is in excellent health.

Tusshar says, “I am thrilled to be a father!  The paternal instincts in me have been overpowering my heart and mind for some time now.  Therefore, I am thrilled beyond words to have Laksshya, now the greatest source of joy in my life.  By the greatness of God and the excellent medical team at Jaslok, parenthood is an option for many, who choose to be single parents.”

Proud grandparents, Shobha and Jeetendra Kapoor, state, “We could not be more excited to be grandparents to Laksshya, and are completely supportive of Tusshar's decision.  This is certainly a tremendous blessing, and an exciting time in our lives.  Tusshar is a wonderful son, and he has proven with responsibility, independence, and kindness that he will be a great father to Laksshya.”

Dr. Firuza Parikh, Director of IVF and Genetics at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, led the treatment and states, “I am impressed with Tusshar’s determination to be a father.  He maintained a keen interest in the baby’s health at every stage.   He will surely be a sensitive and nurturing parent.”

Dr. Parikh adds, “Recently, we have had many single men and women approved for parenthood.  As a public figure, Tusshar’s brave and bold decision will open the field of assisted reproduction making it accessible to not just single parents, but also to many who fervently desire to have a baby.”

Singer Hariharan's son is making acting debute

Karan Hariharan will now be seen in an upcoming movie- Missing on a Weekend, as Laksh with Pawan Malhotra and Dishank Arora

The young actor is a bundle of talent and is being approached by various filmmakers. He is the new Tall, Dark and Handsome guy in the industry and has an increasing fan base.Karan Hariharan is the son of Padmashri Singer Hariharan , who has trained in acting from The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute  -  Los Angeles. (Same School as Ranbir kapoor, Ayan Mukherjee and others).

With promising acting capabilities, he is also a very talented singer plays the Piano and Guitar. Karan is a fitness enthusiast and has transformed himself from 150 kgs to 70kgs. Karan is definitely looking at a upwards career in the Bollywood.

Kaveri's first song Did you know...is out

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi and Shekhar Kapur's daughter Kaveri's first song, Did You Know has launched. At the tender age of 11 years Kaveri wrote, composed and sang Did You Know. Below is the link of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxFoHxlp7v8&feature=youtu.be 

Music launch of the film ​Fever​.​

INTERVIEW WITH ANIL KAPOOR ON 24 (II)

भुमिकांसाठी मी अनेकदा धोका देखिल पत्करला आहे - अनिल कपुर

हर्षदा वेदपाठक

24 या मालिकेला लाभलेल्या यशानंतर, निर्माता अनिल कपुर त्याच मालिकेच्या भाग दोनसह येत आहेत. काही दिवसांपुर्वी या मालिकेच्या ट्रेलर प्रदर्शिन निमित्तानं पत्रकार परिषदचे आयोजन करण्यात आलं होत. त्यास आमीर खान आणि सोनम कपुर यांची खास उपस्थिती होती. या कार्यक्रमानंतर एकदम झक्कास मुडमध्ये असलेल्या अनिल कपुर यांच्याबरोबर केलेली बातचित...

आमिर खान, 24 च्या ट्रेलर प्रदर्शन कार्यक्रमाला आल्याने ते या मालिकेत काम करत आहेत या चर्चेला उधाण आलं होतं, “आमीर खान जर या मालिकेचा हिस्सा होणार असेल तर मला नक्कीच आनंद आहे. पण 24 सिझन दोन मध्ये तरी ते काम करत नाहीत”. अनिल कपुर स्पष्ट करतात.

अनिल कपुर यांना विदेशात पहिल्यांदा प्रसिध्दी मिळवुन देण्यात मुळ इंग्रजी मालिका 24 तसेच स्लमडॉग मिलयेनर, मिशन इम्पॉसिबल, घोस्ट प्रोटकॉल या चित्रपटांचा हात आहे. मालिका आणि चित्रपटांची सांगड घालणे खुप कठीण असल्याचे ते मानतात, “आमीर माझ्यापेक्षा लहान आहे, पण कामाच्या बाबतित त्याच्याकडुन बरच काही शिकण्यासारखे आहे. तो जेव्हा सत्यमेव जयते हि मालिका करीत होता तेव्हा त्याने दुसरं काहीही काम हातात घेतलं नव्हतं. ते कोणबरं विसरेल”.

ते पुढे सांगतात, “मी जेव्हा 24 च्या चित्रीकरणाला सुरवात करणार होतो, तेव्हा मला अनेक देशीविदेशी चित्रपटांच्या ऑफऱ होत्यात. पण मी त्या स्विकारु शकलो नाही कारण मालिकेचं चित्रीकरण सुरु व्हायचे होते. तसचे दिल धडकने दो आणि वेलकम बॅक या चित्रपटासाठी मी तारखा दिलेल्या होत्यात”.

अनिल कपुर यांनी मॉर्डन फॅमेली आणि प्रिझन ब्रेक या अमेरिकन मालिकांच्या रिेमेकचे हक्क विकत घेतले आहेत. त्यावर ते एखादया मुळ कथानकावर मालिका तयार करायचे स्वप्न सांगायला विसरत नाहीत. ऐक अभिनेता आणि कालाकार म्हणुन आता समृध्द झाल्याचं ते कबुल करतात. “प्रत्येक दिवशी काहीना काही शिकायचा प्रयत्न करतो. 24 या मालिकेनं तर मला बरच काही शिकवलं आहे. आता मी वेगळं काही करण्याचा विचार करत आहे, ज्याला जगभर पसंद केलं जाईल असं मला वाटतं”.

24 सिझन दोन ची माहिती देताना ते सांगतात, ऐ.टी.एस. अधिकारी जय सिंग राठो़ड परत येतो ते, देशाला एका प्राणघातक वायरस पासुन वाचवण्यासाठी. “शरीर आणि मेंदु थकवणारी अशी हि आव्हानात्मक भुमिका आहे. या मालिकेचे फॉरमॅट, माझी भुमिका, कन्टेड आणि ज्या प्रकारे कथा प्रवाह जातो, ते सगळं थक्क करणारं आहे. म्हणुनच मी या मालिकेच्या प्रेमात आहे. मला वाटतं, प्रेक्षकांनी पण ती मालिका आवडेल”.

अश्या या दमवणारया भुमिकेसाठी काय तयारी केली विचारता ते सांगतात, “मी माझ्या आवाजावर मेहनत घेतली, त्यानंतर माझ्या बॉडी लॅग्वेजवर अधिक लक्ष दिले. माझ्यामधिल हा वेगळेपणा तुम्हाला या भागातच पहायला मिळेल. आणि हा वेगळेपणा हि मालिकाभर टिकवायचा आहे. कारण पहिल्या भागापेक्षा, जय सिंग राठोड या भागात ज्या परिस्थितीमधुन जातो त्यामुळे त्याला तसे वागणे भाग असते”.

24 सिझन दोनमध्ये जय सिंग राठोड हा ऍन्टी हिरो अधिक वाटतो, “पहिल्या भागात देखिल तो तसाच होता. जय सिंग हा ग्रे आहे, असं मी म्हणेन. तो वास्तवदर्शी आहे. टिप्पीकल हिरो नाही तो. तसेच तो जेम्स बॉन्ड देखिल नाही. तो चुका देखिल करतो. मात्र तो भाग ऐकच्या तुलनेत खुप डार्क आहे”.

या मालिकेमध्ये तब्बु काम करणार अशी ऐक बातमी येत होती, “तब्बु ऐक उत्तम अभिनेत्री आहे हे आपण सगळेच जाणतो. मी देखिल तिचा ऐक चाहता आहे. या मालिकेसाठी आम्हाला कलाकारांच्या ठराविक तारखा लागणार होत्यात, त्या ती देऊ शकली नाही. येत्या भागामध्ये ती काम करेल, असं तिने मला वचन दिलं आहे. तब्बुबरोबर काम करायला मिळणं म्हणजे पण एक मो़ठी बाब आहे. कामामध्ये झोकुन देण्यारयांपैकी ती एक आहे. या सगळ्यात पैश्याचा काही मुद्दा नाही. जर तिनं हो म्हटलं तर मी तिला तिच्या फिच्या तुलनेत दहापट अधिक दयायला तयार आहे”.

घरचीच मालिका असल्याने, सोनम या मालिकेत दिसेल काय विचारता ते सांगतात, “तिला प्रमुख भुमिका तेवढी रंगवायची आहे. (हसुन) तसं झालं तर मी काय काम करणार....”

सिझन दोन मध्ये, भाग एकच्या तलुनेत सगळेच कलाकार नविन आहेत. या भागात अनिल कपुर यांची प्रेमिका झालेल्या सुवरीन चावला बरोबर त्यांचे एक चुंबनदृष्य देखिल आहे. या वयात अशी दृष्य दिल्यावर घरी काय प्रतिक्रीया उमटली, “मी अनेक वर्ष याक्षेत्रात काम करत आहे. घरी सगळे शिक्षित आणि स्वावलंबी आहेत. त्यामुळे ते जाणतात की ते दृष्य हे माझ्या व्यावसायाचा एक भाग आहे, त्यात काही विशेष नाही. मालिकेत देखिल आम्हाला शक्य तितक्या प्रकारे वास्तविकता दाखवायची होती त्यामुळे ते दृष्य त्यात घातले गेले”. 

त्यांच्या वयाचे कलाकार जेथे एकाच चाकोरीबध्दतेमध्ये अडकले आहेत. तेथे अनिल कपुर वेगळेपणा देताना दिसतात, “भुमिकेच्या लांबीपेक्षा, भुमिकेची सखोलता महत्वाची वाटते. त्यामुळेच मी लांब पल्ला टिकु शकलो असं मला वाटते. जेथे मी राम लखन केला, तेथे ईश्वर देखिल केला. चित्रपट निवडताना त्यात धोका देखिल पत्करला. मग तुम्ही लम्हे पहा, विसारत पहा. किंवा स्लमडॉग मिल्येनर सारखा चित्रपट बघा, ज्यात मी ग्रे शेडची भुमिका केली होती”.

दिल धडकने दो या चित्रपटात तर ते प्रियांका चोपडा आणि रणवीर सिंग यांचे वडील देखिल झाले होतेत. “मी तर आजोबा किंवा पणजोबा पण रंगवायला तयार आहे, चित्रपट तेवढा माझ्या सभोवती फिरणारा असला म्हणजे झाले”, हे ते खोचकपणे सांगायला विसरत नाहीत.

आभिनेत्री म्हणुन सोनम तर निर्माती म्हणुन रिया जेथे स्थिरावल्या आहेत. तेथे त्यांचा मुलगा हर्षवर्धन हा राकेश ओमप्रकाश मेहता यांच्या, मर्झीया या चित्रपटाद्वारे चित्रपटसृष्टीत येत आहे. त्याबद्दल विचारता ते सांगतात, “मी फार कमी बोललेलं बरं. त्याचे काम आणि चित्रपटाने अधिक बोलले तर बरं होईल. अनेकांना तर मला दोन मुली आहेत हेच ठावुक होतं. मला मुलगा आहे, हेच अनेकांना माहित नव्हतं. त्यांना जेव्हा हर्षवर्धनबद्दल कळलं तर खुप आश्यर्य वाटलं. मर्झीयाची टिम मेहनती आहे. आणि हर्षवर्धन देखिल आपल्या कामाला घेऊन खुप आशावादी आहे…”.