Official poster of 70th Festival de Cannes launched

Full of joy, freedom and daring, just like Claudia Cardinale dancing on its official poster, the 70th Festival de Cannes (17-28 May) promises a celebration in passionate red and sparkling gold.

She dances, she laughs, she lives! Who better to symbolise the next Festival than Claudia Cardinale, the image of an adventurous actress, independent woman and social activist? Throughout the 12-days festival, the spirit of openness and welcome will infuse the Croisette – as it does every year – with pictures of a world that dares to look itself in the mirror, to stand proud and to speak out.

‘I am honoured and proud to be flying the flag for the 70th Festival de Cannes,’ says Claudia Cardinale, and delighted with this choice of photo. It’s the image I myself have of the Festival, of an event that illuminates everything around. That dance on the rooftops of Rome was back in 1959. No one remembers the photographer’s name… I’ve also forgotten it. But this photo reminds me of my origins, and of a time when I never dreamed of climbing the steps of the world’s most famous cinema hall. Happy anniversary!’

With Monica Bellucci as Mistress of Ceremonies and Pedro Almodóvar as the President of the Jury, the Festival de Cannes will kick off on Wednesday 17 May.

Hrithik Roshan receives the Creative Maverick of the year Award for HRX

Hrithik Roshan who has been soaking in the success of his latest blockbuster, Kaabil, has always been an advocate of fitness. He is known not only for his acting skills but also his fitness indulgences. 

Recently at an award show, Hrithik was awarded the Creative Maverick of the year for his fitness brand HRX.

Incepted in 2012 by Hrithik Roshan and Exceed Entertainment, Mumbai-based HRX brand aims to motivate and inspire individuals in their journey to overcome challenges and be the best version of themselves. 

An amalgamation of Hrithik Roshan’s brand attributes and core philosophy, HRX is one of the first home-grown Indian brands in the active lifestyle space. 

The brand has sports and training apparel, casual apparel, footwear and accessories for both men and women.

Recently, CureFit-acquired Cult roped in Hrithik Roshan to launch the new HRX workout which is inspired from Hrithik's personal fitness regime. 

Y-Films Makes A Li’l Film With A Big Heart

Y-Films, the team that loves pushing big boundaries, be it for the cause of gender equality (Man’s World), transgender equality (the Cannes’ Lion Grand Prix winner 6-Pack Band), feminism (Ladies Room), sex education (Sex Chat with Pappu and Papa), or, umm, weddings (Bang Baaja Baaraat), makes a li’l film that will pull your heartstrings.

What happens when kids read all the atrocious sexist rubbish that adults (mostly men) land up saying... from Trump to Indian politicians? Y-Films decided to actually put that to test with a bunch of really bright kids, who teach us all a thing or two about why it’s important that we don’t judge, label or discriminate by gender. They beautifully drive home the point Y-Films has always been hammering - Don’t Grow Up! 

The short film also marks the directorial debut of Y-Films’ Nikhil Taneja and has been produced by Y-Films for India Today. The film was launched at the recent India Today Women’s Summit under the #BigShorts umbrella. It is part of a series of commissioned ‘big short’ videos with some of the best filmmakers of the country including Imtiaz Ali, Meghna Gulzar, Hansal Mehta, Rohan Sippy and Pradeep Sarkar last year besides Tigmanshu Dhulia, Ram Madhvani, Nandita Das and Sudhir Mishra this year.

We’re totally chuffed to be keeping such great company. Hopefully people will enjoy this as much as we did making it!

Athiya Shetty enrolls for ballet dance class in London

Athiya Shetty loves dancing and she has now enrolled in a dance academy in London, where she is currently shooting for her forthcoming film, Mubarakan alongside Arjun Kapoor and Anil Kapoor.

The talented actress is thrilled about the fact that she is learning ballet — a dance form in the city.

According to sources, Athiya loves ballet and always wanted to pursue it. Since she is stationed in London for the next 40 days to shoot for the film, she has enrolled in a dance academy.

A source says, “Athiya frequently visits London and when one of her friends informed her about the academy, she showed keen interest. She is excited to join the month-long course at the academy and attends classes four times a week. Coincidentally, Athiya’s classes are held early morning, before her shoot begins, so that was an added bonus for her.”

Athiya confirms, “I have always wanted to learn ballet. It is a beautiful and graceful dance form. Finally, I got the opportunity to learn it while here in London and it is also a great workout.”

Judwaa 2 relese on 29th Septembar

Sajid Nadiadwala lately hosted a party of sorts for his team, exhibitors and distributors on the special occasion of ‘Judwaa‘ completing 20 years of its release ie 7th February 1997 and for the commencement of the shooting of ‘Judwaa 2.

The team of Judwaa 2 commenced shoot on a high note with a devotional Ganapati song in which Varun will be seen performing some phenomenal dance moves.

The Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Rambha starrer ‘Judwaa‘ was a super success and the audience have a special place for the film in their hearts. They have enormous love for the film and its killer dialogues, exciting performances, and sensational songs are still gripping the audiences even after 20 years! 

The cast of Judwaa 2 seems upbeat to take the Judwaa franchise forward.

Along with Varun, ‘Judwaa 2’ also features Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez. Though Varun has worked with Jacqueline in ‘Dishoom’, he will be sharing the screen space for the first time with Taapsee.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING TRAILER TO BE LAUNCHED IN 10 INDIAN LANGUAGES

Ever since the launch of its teaser a few months ago, the excitement and anticipation for 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' has catapulted it to be the most awaited super hero film of the year. Given the success of the franchise at Indian Box Office and the fact that 'friendly neighbourhood' Spider-Man has a universal appeal that cuts across all ages, Sony Pictures Entertainment, India, has come up with a unique idea to ensure that the country's most loved super hero reaches out to his fans like never before

'Spider-Man: Homecoming' will be the first film in the world that will have a trailer launch in 10 Indian Languages. Apart from English, the 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' official trailer will be launched in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali. One language trailer will be revealed every day.

Vivek Krishnani, Managing Director – Sony Pictures Entertainment India says,” At Sony, we pride ourselves in finding innovative ways to engage with audiences that often turn out to be the trend setters for the Industry. We wanted to give Spider-Man a hero’s welcome and what better way than people of India welcoming him to their homes in their own language. India loves Spider-Man and the franchise has seen unprecedented success at the Indian Box Office. Spider-Man: Homecoming is going to be larger, bigger than its previous outings as this installment blends with the Marvel cinematic universe. There is much action planned in coming months, in tune with the expectations of the audiences, as they wait eagerly for this blockbuster.” 

Divya Pathak, Director, Marketing- Sony Pictures Entertainment India, adds," We re-imagined our marketing strategy for the trailer launch since we wanted to have maximum touch points so that we do justice to the fandom Spider-Man enjoys in the country. It was important for us to break the clutter and to be inventive because we wanted to widen the appeal. The trailer launch in 10 Indian languages has not been attempted by anyone in India and we are hoping to turn the latest outing of Spider-Man into a successful one, yet again!"

The makers are also looking at releasing the posters of the film in above said languages, even as the film will be released in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on 7th July 2017.

‘Spider-Man: Home Coming’ marks the debut of spunky 20 year old Tom Holland as Spiderman. What makes this Spiderman different from all others is the fact that this time he is being mentored by Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr).

Needless to say then, we cannot wait to see our favorite web slinger superhero go about his business like never before, in this Homecoming!

Farhan’s late night encounters in the city of Lucknow

Bollywood’s multi-faceted man Farhan Akhtar was seen riding a scooter with his on-screen friend Alok  & director Ranjit Tiwari in Lalbagh for Emmay Entertainment’s upcoming film Lucknow Central.

Farhan was spotted sporting a black jacket teamed with a mustard coloured t-shirt and trousers. In his usual fun mood, Farhan stopped the scooter outside a wrecked car near Bhopal House, cracked a couple of jokes and rode on!

In the presence of Producer Nikkhil Advani, Farhan’s co-actors Diana Penty and Airlift-fame Inaamulhaq have also shot during the Lucknow schedule in the last few days.

The team has shot on the roof of Chota Imambara, Centenniel College, Jahangirabad Palace, Malihabad, Roomi Darwaza, Kaiserbagh, Residency, Lalbagh and several other localities.

Talking about the theme of the film, director Ranjit Tiwari said, “On a personal note I don’t have any connection with the city but film’s central theme has brought us to the city. The story, which I can’t talk about at this moment, is based in Lucknow which is its soul. I have stayed and researched here for the film and it was very important to shoot here to capture the soul of the city in real locations.”

After a long night shoot which was completed at around 2 am, Farhan happily obliged fans and crew members with photos too.

Sanjay Dutt & Bhoomi team return to Mumbai after completing first schedule

The first schedule of one of the most eagerly awaited releases of 2017 'Bhoomi' is over and the entire team including lead star Sanjay Dutt is back in Mumbai. Bhushan Kumar & Sandeep Singh's Bhoomi that marks the return of Sanjay Dutt went on the floors in February.

What followed was a hectic 45-day schedule across Agra and Chambal.

Sanjay Dutt along with his on-screen daughter, actress Aditi Rao Hydari and the rest of the cast are readying for the second schedule that is to start in early April.

Bhoomi is set in Agra and director Omung Kumar wanted the real feel of the place in the film. "Sanjay has been able to show shades to his persona that I haven't seen before. He is a director's delight."

Producer Bhushan Kumar adds, "I have seen some of the rushes and Sanjay is simply outstanding. This is not just his comeback performance, it is his best performance till date."

Producer Sandeep Singh says, "It was hard to shoot on most days since we had a minimum of five thousand people gathered at every location. But what kept us going was how Sanjay managed the crowds. He was so comfortable with them and they listened to him."

The first schedule of the film was extensively shot in Uttar Pradesh. The team now looks forward to soon begin with their next schedule which will soon go on floors.

'Bhoomi' is an emotional and sensitive revenge drama that explores the relationship between a father and daughter.

'Bhoomi' is produced by T-Series & Legend Studios and directed by Omung Kumar.

Pandit Pandharinath Kolhapure marg gets a star studded inauguration

On the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, Pandit Pandharinath Kolhapure marg gets inaugurated renaming the landmark location Gulmohar Cross Road no. 12, JVPD scheme by honourable Shri Uddhav Thackeray and Padma Vibhushan Awardee Smt. Asha Bhosle.

The inauguration was a star studded affair with the entire Kolhapure clan present at thedo. Padmini Kolhapure, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Shraddha Kapoor, Siddhanth Kapoor, Priyank, Shakti & Shivangi Kapoor, Pradeep Sharma, Pankaj Saraswat, Jackie Shroff, Jeetendra, Poonam Dhillon and Rajkumar Santoshi. Witnessed the inauguration.          

The inauguration was a huge affair and was followed by an after party. Many celebrities and socialites Like Sudhir Mishra, Alka Yagnik, Ameet Gaur, Deepshikha Nagpal and Kaishav Arora and more came in to congratulate the family.

Ekta Kapoor is ready with her show application as ALTBalaji

After conquering television and making a strong mark in films, Balaji Telefilms Limited has forayed into the digital entertainment space with ALTBalaji that aims to reach out directly to Indian audiences by providing them with original, exclusive and premium content that they can access at their fingertips.

The shows that will be available on the app soon include the much-awaited Karrle Tu Bhi Mohabbat featuring Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar, Nimrat Kaur-Juhi Chawla starrer The Test Case, Once Upon A Night, DEV DD, Romil and Jugal, Boygiri and

regional show Maya Thirai (Tamil) among several others.

Manav Sethi, CMO, ALTBalaji says, “ALTBalaji’s vision is to acquire leadership position in digital entertainment space in India and globally. We are launching ALTBalaji platform formally in April 2017 with original shows at the time of launch in Hindi and other Indian languages. This hasn’t been done before by any other OTT platform thus far. This content is created & curated by Ekta Kapoor diligently for Indian masses. It’s no secret that we Indians have humongous appetite for non-English entertainment content and mobile as a personal device has acquired that platform advantage to view content, location and time that is personal to every 200Mn smartphone owner. This huge potential is what motivates us and we would strive to create such mass appeal shows. Our brand are our shows and we would do everything to learn and invest in creating best consumer experiences.”

The shows will be streaming on the ALTBalaji app from the 16th of April, 2017.

Rog Jaane... Is The Most Melodious Number From Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana Album

After the release of the title track and other songs such as ‘Bezuban’, ‘Rishta’ and ‘Mano Ya Na Mano’, the makers of the film revealed their most melodious and romantic number ‘Rog Jaane’ featuring lead cast Vivaan Shah and Akshara Haasan.

The number, which has been crooned by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Palak Muchchal and penned by Dr. Sagar, has been composed by Vipin Patwa and revolves around the cute chemistry between Akshara and Vivaan, who play Laali and Laaddoo respectively. The film has been shot in beautiful locations of Gulmarg and Dal Lake and interestingly, one of the sequences of the song was shot at the same temple where the iconic song ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ featuring Rajesh Khanna was shot. The number is a visual delight and is pleasing to the ears too, which will certainly make it one of the highlights of the film.

Written and directed by Manish Harishankar and produced by TP Aggarwal and Rahul Aggarwal, ‘Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana’ stars Vivaan Shah, Akshara Haasan, Gurmeet Choudhary and Kavitta Verma in pivotal roles. The film, which also stars Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Saurabh Shukla and others, is slated to release on April 7 this year.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan becomes sutradhar for Raveena’s Maatr

Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan doing playback for Raveena Tandon's upcoming film, Maatr. The song was recorded early last year, much before tensions between India and Pakistan intensified following the Uri attacks, so director Ashtar Sayed decided to re-work the lyrics as the film near pre-release promotions.

Rahat, unsure about procuring a visa to India, met him in Dubai last month to re-record the song. Now, the film's team is unsure about the final version of the song's video that features Rahat and are planning to go ahead with just the song that will now have clips of Raveena from the film.

Tamil film Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu to have its world premiere at The New York Indian Film Festival

Eros International is delighted to announce the official selection of its upcoming Tamil drama Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu at the prestigious 17^th edition of The New York Indian Film Festival that commences on April 30, 2017. The film will be screened on May 6, 2017 as part of the festival.  

A directorial debut by Suresh Sangaiah, starring Vidharth and Raveena in lead roles, the Tamil film is a tale that revolves around the ritual of offering goats to Gods and presents things from the point of view of a goat. 

Commenting on the selection, director Suresh Sangaiah said, "We are elated at the selection of our film for its World Premiere at a prestigious film festival like The New York Indian Film Festival as it rewards the hard work that has gone into making of this film. We cannot wait to showcase our film to the world!” 

MUKADDARPUR KA MAJNU is releasing on 14th April

Film "Mukaddarpur Ka Majnu" is releasing on 14th April,2017. Film a presentation of 'Associated Dreams Film Company' is produced by Padmini Arun Singh and directed by Ravi & Shekhar. Film's Music Directors are Siddhant Sharma, Gaurav-Sandy, Kashi-Shweta & Sumeet Bela, film has 5 songs rendered by Javed Ali, Nakash Aziz, Neeti Mohan, Dev Negi, Pratibha Baghel & Anand Menon. Trailer was praised by everyone.

Film stars Rahul Bagga, Vidhi Parekh, Tarun Khanna, Sahil Ansari and others. It is being worldwide release by Anamika Studiozz.

Films story revolves around a young boy, son of a barber, falls in love 4 times but fails, finally he finds love in a girl who is deaf and dumb, what happens and who there love story reaches to its destination is a treat to watch.

Prabhu Deva considers Salman Khan as the ‘X’ Factor

Lovingly called as the Indian Michael Jackson, dancing superstar Prabhu Deva is all gung ho about performing with Salman Khan & Sonakshi Sinha for the DA BANG-The Tour in Australia & New Zealand, curated by Mr. Yaju Vaghela, The Chocolate Room.

Says Prabhu Deva “I am eagerly looking forward to perform alongside Salman Khan and the whole team of THE DA BANG Tour. It is very exciting. I have plans to surprise you guys, and God willing, it will become special for the fans”

When asked about Salman Khan being the most successful brand and Sultan of the box-office in India, Prabhu adds “Salman Khan is ‘The Salman Khan’, and an ‘X’ factor himself. He deserves all the success in being so human. Whenever you guys get to meet him, you will understand”

Sonakshi Sinha, who has shared a successful association in Oh My God, BOSS, Rowdy Rathore, Action Jackson etc with Prabhu Deva, too is excited to be performing along with him. 

Says Sonakshi “We are planning on doing something on our songs together, we have done many hit songs together all I can say is the audience will love whatever they see”

Sources close to the grand tour whisper that Prabhu Deva & Sonakshi may do an MJ act like the Que Sera Sera song!

Well that truly might be exciting!

Sonakshi is NOTEworthy, says astrologer

Sonakshi Sinha had once been told by an astrologer that books are lucky for her. She isn’t much of a reader or even superstitious but, the statement amused her.

Sonakshi was not sure if the astrologer meant religious books or was recommending her to buy some book, so she let it pass without giving it much thought but the statement stuck with her.

Now, looking back on what the astrologer said has piqued her curiosity since Lootera and Noor are both book adaptations. 

Her character Pakhi in Lootera got her a lot of love and appreciation from the audiences. It is a film that is really close to her heart and Pakhi is a role she is yet fondly remembered for.

With Noor's trailer and songs receiving positive reactions, Sonakshi has been really excited for the film. It baffles Sonakshi that what the Astrologer had said is actually true or is the thought just playing on her mind. She shares "I don't believe in these things but, it is a happy coincidence. Noor and Lootera both are films very close to my heart." 

Let’s hope what the astrologer had said is true because we too, are really excited about Noor. 

Begum Jaan's Prem Mein Tohre Making Video out

The makers of Begum Jaan have launched the making video of the first track Prem Mein Tohre sung by the legendary Asha Bhosle and composed by Anu Malik

Vishesh Films and Play Entertainment presents Begum Jaan in association with Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, produced by Mukesh Bhatt, Vishesh Bhatt and Play Entertainment. The film has been written and  directed by Srijit Mukherji. Begum Jaan will release in cinemas on 14th April 2017

Link:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXeJ6jGKX4&feature=youtu.be

Haseena Shooting Wrapped Up By Shraddha Kapoor And Siddhanth Kapoor

Siblings Shraddha Kapoor and Siddhanth Kapoor will be seen playing reel siblings Haseena Parkar and Dawood Ibrahim respectively in Apoorva Lakhia’s upcoming gangland drama ‘Haseena’ and we have recently learned that the Kapoor siblings have wrapped up the shooting of the film.

Parkar, who had 88 cases registered against her, but was taken to court only once in her life, was rumoured to have single-handedly run her brother's Rs.1000-crore underworld empire in the city. The film, which was completed in 45 days, will see Shraddha portraying Haseena’s life from being a 17-year-old teenager to being the 43-year-old Queen of Mumbai. Director Apoorva Lakhia said, “As it was impossible to shoot on real locations, our job became more difficult as we had to recreate the exact sets as per the photos we had over 4 decades. Shraddha and Siddhanth were amazing together and their scenes have turned out to be fantastic. They were both committed to their roles and never complained even when Shraddha had to sit for hours in make-up.”

 

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film is being presented by Swiss Entertainment and has been produced by Nahid Khan. Haseena is slated to release on July 14.

Vivek Oberoi joins hand with cricketer Suresh Raina and choreographer Remo D'Souza

Vivek Oberoi recently announced his affordable real estate project in Palghar, which has met with a stupendous response.

The actor -politician is going all out to ensure that the housing project has something for everyone and has joined hands with cricketer Suresh Raina to start a cricket academy,choreographer Remo D’Souza for a dance academy and musician Suresh Wadkar for a singing institute.

Confirming the news says Vivek Oberoi, "This initiative is not only to provide affordable homes, but also quality lifestyle to the residents. We are happy to have such great collaborations. With this, the common man will have the opportunity to pursue their passion and dreams.We are launching a project of almost 5,000 houses and through that, trying to build a community so that people from middle class background can ensure a secure future for their children”.

Sooraj Pancholi to foray into hospitality business

Sooraj Pancholi is known for his envious physique and chiseled body. Taking his passion for fitness to the next level, the talented actor has now decided to venture into the hospitality business by opening a health café in Mumbai, in partnership with his sister Sana who already owns a fine dining restaurant in Goa.

Sooraj confirms, “A major part of fitness is what you put into your body and I see massive potential in this. Whenever I travel abroad, I always seek out and visit health cafés, something we don’t have enough of, here. I am currently working on a fitness app in collaboration with my trainer. But I always wanted to do something in the health food space.”

While there are no plans of franchising the concept yet, the generous actor hopes to put his sister’s experience in the hospitality sector to good use. 

“It’s too early to decide that. Right now, we have only decided to open a standalone cafe. We will offer a variety of health foods like salads/ smoothies/ wheat-based pancakes and healthy desserts. We plan to tentatively start off by year-end or in early-2018,” he adds.

Amy Jackson to produce a short film for animal welfare

Be it raising her voice against cruelty towards animals or raising funds through an NGO for the betterment of animals, Amy Jackson has always supported animal welfare.

Taking the noble cause to the next level, the gorgeous actress has now decided to co-produce and feature in short film with her friend creating awareness about cruelty to animals and how to prevent it.

Amy says, “We will shoot for the film soon. I will also be a part of it, though I won’t act in the film. I will be speaking about my experience of making the movie. It will have a few real stories. I believe that cruelty to animals is a serious issue and it’s important that it’s discussed more.”

The actress plans to launch the film on social media and thereafter send it to film festivals.

Amy shares a “life-changing” article that made her aware about cruelty towards animals. “A 5-year-old female cross-breed dog in Malta named Star made international headlines in 2011. She had been found by Animal Welfare Department officers, shot at point-blank range and buried alive after being covered with cardboard and a tree trunk. She died later!”

The actress felt strongly about the incident and decided to do something about it with the short film.

SANJAY DUTT WANTS BHOOMI RELEASE DATE TO CHANGE

Sanjay Dutt is known for his large heartedness. No surprises then that the star who makes his comeback with Bhushan Kumar & Sandeep Singh's 'Bhoomi' wants the release date to be changed. The reason for Sanjay's insistence is that he doesn't want Bhoomi to clash with good friend Aamir Khan's next project. 

Sanjay Dutt says, “I know the kind of hard work and effort that goes into making a film. I believe, after all the work being put in, it can’t be reduced to a clash at the box office. Aamir is a dear friend and I wouldn’t want my comeback film to be pitted against his. In this industry, we should all make an effort to help each other.”

‘Bhoomi’ was slated to hit theatres on August 4. Sanjay Dutt has requested his film’s producers Bhushan Kumar & Sandeep Singh to change the film’s release date. The final decision will be taken by T-Series and Legend Studios.

Shraddha Kapoor transformed into a badass basketball player for Half Girlfriend

When Shraddha Kapoor was signed on for the cinematic adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's Half Girlfriend, many doubted if the actress' slender built would prove to be a disadvantage. A big chunk of the film is set in Delhi University's North Campus and the protagonists (played by Shraddha and Arjun Kapoor) are ace basketball players.

However, within weeks of training with National Basketball Association (NBA) coaches, Shraddha could play the sport like a pro. Director Mohit Suri, who is collaborating with her for the third time after Asshiqui 2 (2013) and Ek Villain (2014), vouches for that. He admits, though, it was tougher for her than it was for Arjun.

"Shraddha would train for hours on end every day for over a month. While Arjun is a basketball pro, Shraddha was supposed to play a university girl, who is damn good at it. It was important for her to get the basics right. She is a quick learner and also receptive to feedback. The DU girls, who play basketball, would play a game or two while we weren't shooting," he recalls, adding special women coaches from NBA flew down from the US to train Shraddha. "International coach Natalia Andre and her team were always present on set to help her."

In fact, some of Shraddha's teammates in the film are actual players of DU's basketball side. Mohit, who is now busy with the film's edit, says he is content with how her character has shaped up. "There's a lot of conjecture around how Shraddha's character has been adapted from the book. She has worked hard to become the high society Delhi girl — we have gone all out to glamorise her — and is nothing like the girl-next-door that you have seen so far."

Karan Johar issued statement on Babies

I have previously shared the wonderfully exciting news of the birth of my children, Roohi and Yash. None of the many overwhelming emotions that I am currently feeling as I take my baby steps into parenthood would have been possible without the marvels of medicine and the progress it has made today.

Even the most anticipated events can sometimes leave us shaken, confused. And events that occur without any warning can turn our worlds on their very heads. My children were born two months premature and worryingly underweight. Like any person in this situation and on the brink of fatherhood, my heart sank. 

Knowing that there were complications with my babies’ birth owing to how soon it was, I was terrified. All I wanted to do was hold them and protect them but they needed to be in the NICU. It was painful to see how tiny they were… Thankfully, I had a great support system. Roohi and Yash were in the hands of the most competent and patient doctors. Something that had its roots in an ordeal, soon turned into an experience that I will never forget.

With the guidance, support and solidarity of Dr. Avasthi and the unfailingly vigilant care he provided for the twins, they are both on their way to a happy and healthy childhood.

As someone with a voice, I want to reach out. Millions of preemies are born every year… but babies are resilient. With the right kind of care, they stand just as good a chance of survival as anyone else.

Organisations like Surya Hospital are stepping up during this time of need and reaching out to help. Via their campaign #SavePreemies, Surya Hospital aims to gather some goodwill and save as many preemies as possible.

Having a premature baby is something you don't expect to happen to you. The whole experience has ignited a passion in me to help premature babies get the best chance they can… to help those in anguish who want the best chance of survival for their early born babies.

Premature babies, when provided with the right kind of care, have just as good of a shot of making it, as babies born on time. If your baby is a preemie, don’t be discouraged. Seek help. Wonderful organisations like Surya Hospital can nurture your child towards normal growth.

If your baby is born premature, don’t lose faith, don’t lose heart. Brilliant doctors like Dr. Bhupendra Avasthi and Dr. Sonal Saste have dedicated their lives to this wonderful endeavour. I can only share my own experience and hope someone takes heart from it. I feel blessed to have had the care my children received while at the NICU and for all the prayers and support I had – but I urge anyone in the same situation to remember that your baby has the best chance of a long, happy life, too. Don’t lose hope.

Deepika is growing her hair for Padmavati

Deepika Padukone who likes getting into the skin of her characters is growing her hair for her Padmavati.

The actress is taking an extra effort to grow her and maintain the length to look like real Padmavati.

Rani Padmini was known for her exceptional beauty and it would be interesting to see Deepika portray her character as she completely fits the bill by not only being a beautiful woman but also having a command over the quality of her craft.

Since the time Deepika started preparing for her character the actress has made sure she doesn't cut her hair to get the authenticity of the character. 

To maintain Padmavati's beauty and aesthetic sense, Deepika has gone an extra mile and is leaving no stone unturned to give away her best.

After her role in Bajirao Mastani, the actress is all set to treat the audiences with her role in Padmavati.

Irrfan Khan learnt to wear a sari for Hindi Medium

Saket Chaudhary’s upcoming slice of life comedy film Hindi Medium has Irrfan Khan playing a Punjabi Business and sari shop-owner from Chandni Chowk. We heard for a scene in the film where his salesman is not able to convince one of his rich customers, Irrfan despite being the owner of the shop decided to do the selling himself.

Irrfan is a method actor from National School of Drama and thus even though it was just a scene in the film, he actually learnt how to wear a sari to make it look authentic. Well, now that Irrfan has learnt to wear a sari, we wonder if he would help out his wife at home!

Akshay Kumar and Neeraj Pandey reunites for Naam Shabana

Akshay Kumar and Neeraj Pandey, one of the finest actor-director combinations in Bollywood, have collaborated once again, this time in the capacity of producers, on Naam Shabana.

Akshay and Neeraj have together brought quality cinema to the audience with Special 26, Baby and Rustom, all of which have been garnered humongous response.

Naam Shabana, which is all set to release, it is a spin-off on Shabana, Taapsee Pannu's character in Baby.

The 2015 action spy thriller was appreciated for its content and slick direction by Neeraj. Akshay's performance was lauded, too. Taapsee's 20-minute action packed role was also well received, which prompted the makers to come out with the upcoming film.

Gullyboy turns India's Posterboy

Born and brought up in a small town in UP,Nawazuddin Siddiqui hailed from a family who struggled to make ends meet.

After picking up a handful of odd jobs including working at a chemist and as a watchman , he finally enrolled in the National School of Drama and ever since there has been no looking back.

With films like Sarfarosh, Black Friday and Peepli Live he established himself a "dark horse to watch out for" . Later films like Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur acted as a turning point in his career .

The bigwigs too started taking notice and Nawazuddin then became an integral part of big ticket commercial films like Talaash, Badlapur, Lunchbox, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Raees.

Such was the impact the powerhouse star made, that even the biggest magazines took major interest in his story - There was no arguing that his was a talent that could not be dismissed.

The "gullyboy" turned into a "posterboy" overnight with magazines like GQ, Forbes and Society covering his underdog story.

While the GQ Luxury Issue touted him "India's Finest Actor" , Society Magazine covered his journey to the big league and Forbes glorified his inspiring story in a special cover titled "The Importance of Being Nawazuddin Siddiqui".

Bhojpuri superstars, Manoj Tiwari & Ravi Kishan play interesting cameos in Farhan Akhtar's Lucknow Central

Bhojpuri superstars, Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan will be seen playing cameos in Farhan Akhtar's upcoming film, 'Lucknow Central.' They have a small, yet significant role in the film.

'Lucknow Central' is set against the backdrop of a jail, where Farhan plays the role of a prisoner, aspiring to be a Bhojpuri singer and is a huge fan of Manoj Tiwari and admires him. Ravi Kishan has already shot his cameo and they shared a good working relationship with each other. The film is currently being shot in Lucknow itself, and the cameo with Manoj Tiwari will be shot once they are back in Mumbai. 

It was difficult to get both the Bhojpuri superstars for the film together and it is indeed going to be exciting to watch them share screen space with Farhan Akhtar.

Ravi who filmed his portion in Mumbai, adds that despite being a cameo, it is important to the script.“It's a powerful role of a Chief Minister who appears at a very significant juncture. I've already shot for five six days, another two-three days' work remains,“ informs Ravi. Ravi is all praise for Farhan, describing him as a “thorough gentleman“ and informs that even when Farhan was not required, he'd hang around to cue them. “His patience and dedication is commendable and my respect for him has increased several folds.“ 

Producer Nikkhil Advani shares, "We were glad to convince Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan, who are superstars of Bhojpuri cinema, to play interesting cameos in the film and their camaraderie with Farhan is to watch out for!"

The film is already creating buzz for its mammoth jail set in Film City and its shoot is happening in full swing.

Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures, the film is directed by Ranjit Tiwari, and is slated to release on 15th September 2017.

Actor Manav Kaul bags the HT Most Stylish Award 2017

The sixth edition of the Hindustan Times Most Stylish Awards was recently held at the Taj Land’s End hotel in Bandra, which saw celebrities from Bollywood witness the event.

Prominent theatre/ film actor & theatre director Manav Kaul who was nominated won the HT Most Stylish Theatre Personality Award. Manav Kaul, who owns a theatre group Aranya since 2004, said that since this is his first award in Mumbai, he feels immensely honoured to have received it but more so, because it’s related to theatre.

On asking about his experience on winning the award, Manav says, “This is the second time I’ve been nominated as I was nominated last year too. It’s a style award & to me, style means happiness. It’s something you’re comfortable with and since I’m comfortable with theatre, I have a certain style in theatre and that’s why, I believe I’ve been chosen for this award. I feel elated about my win for the fact that any form of recognition is an interesting one as it speaks a lot about my contribution & work in theatre and getting an appreciation for the same feels great.”

Talking about the HT Most Stylish Award, Manav asserts, “It’s a very interesting award, very compact & personal to me and I feel honoured to have received it.”

No break for R Madhavan

R Madhavan has been living out of suitcase since quite some time now. Shuttling between Mumbai and South for several forthcoming projects leaves the talented actor with no time to unwind, or even catch up with sleep.

While Madhavan is currently shooting for his upcoming web series titled Breathe in Mumbai, he’s taking time out from his busy schedule to fly down South to dub for his Tamil film, Vikram Vedha.

And that’s not all! Madhavan is also prepping up for Chanda Mama Door Ke, a sci-fi movie in which he portrays the role of a pilot.

Taapsee trains hard to unleash her action side in Naam Shabana

After her appearance in Neeraj Pandey’s Baby, Taapsee Pannu’s secret agent Shabana Khan is now head-lining Shivam Nair’s spin-off of the 2015 spy action thriller, Naam Shabana. 

For her prep, the actress had some help from Akshay, who has a cameo in the new film and sent over his trainer, Mehul Vohra, and his subordinate, Jatin, to train her in three forms of martial arts — Krav Maga, Aikido and Mixed Martial Arts. 

“I trained at Akshay’s academy with the students in Andheri,” Taapsee informs, admitting that though most of her fight sequences in the film are hand-to-hand combat, she doesn’t like hitting anyone in real life. “I can’t stand any kind of violence and I know that if I hit someone, it will really hurt.”

Taapsee plays the titular role in her upcoming film, is essaying the role of an undercover agent and has undergone rigorous training sessions to learn martial arts in order to perform action-packed sequences. 

Having acquired self defense training, Taapsee understands the importance of knowing these techniques as they would help women protect themselves in every unforeseen situation. 

Anil Kapoor's marathon moment.

Anil Kapoor who is busy shooting for his upcoming wedding comedy in London Gurudwara came across a 105-year-old marathoner recently.

  

The actor who is currently in London for a 50-day schedule of Anees Bazmee's Mubarakan, had a curious encounter recently while shooting a Gurudwara scene. 

The dynamic actor met British-Sikh centenarian Fauja Singh, a marathon runner who is a world record holder in his age bracket. 

The duo caught up in an endless conversation for a couple of hours in between shoot. Anil Kapoor who us known as a fitness freak bonded with well the marathoner.

 

The actor spoke to Fauja Singh about how he keeps himself a positive, happy and simple person while the celebrated marathoner shared views on running. Fauja Singh, who is also known as ‘Turbaned Tornado’, complimented Anil on his Sardar look for his character in the film. Fauja Singh showered blessings on the movie as a parting shot.”

 

Anil shared, “While shooting at the Gurudwara I was pleasantly surprised to meet Mr. Fauja Singh. He is a true delight to talk to and his story is an inspiration for all of us. I'm completely infected by his energy and charm.” When quizzed about the fitness tips the duo exchanged, Anil laughed, “It's amazing to see how a man his age has discovered an elusive fountain of youth. 

Fauja Singh, 105, is a British marathon runner of Punjabi is a world record holder in his age bracket, Singh also holds UK records for the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, a mile and 3000 m for his age group, all set within a single 94-minute period. Mubarakan is all set to release on 28th July

'Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana’ Makers Rope In Malini Awasthi

Theatre actress Kavitta Verma, who made her Bollywood debut in a song opposite Sanjay Dutt in ‘Policegiri’ will be next seen in upcoming family entertainer ‘Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana’ starring Vivaan Shah, Akshara Haasan and Gurmeet Choudhary and we have an interesting piece of trivia for our readers regarding the film.

For a song ‘Mano Ya Na Mano’ focusing on Kavitta and also featuring the other three leads, the makers of the film roped in noted folk singer Malini Awashti to croon the song, which has been composed by Revant-Siddharth. For those who do not know this, Malini Awasthi, who is a Padmashree recipient, is a very respected and famous folk singer of North India and her voice has worked wonders for the song, which is a funny take on mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and would-be husbands.

A source attached to the film said, “There are very few songs in the history of Bollywood that have poked fun at the above mentioned relations and one song which this number will bring to mind is 'Main Sasural Nahi Jaaungi' from Chandni performed by Sridevi. Being a theatre actor and a trained dancer, Kavitta performed the song with effortless elegance and the song, which has been choreographed by Vishnu Deva, will remain one of the highlights of the film.” Another interesting fact about this song is that it was shot at the Laxmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara, which the makers had acquired for the shooting of the song.

'Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana’ stars Akshara Haasan, Vivaan Shah, Gurmeet Choudhary and Kavitta Verma, who play pivotal roles in the film. Written and directed by Manish Harishankar and produced by TP Aggarwal and Rahul Aggarwal under the banner Star Entertainment Worldwide Pvt Ltd. The movie also features Saurabh Shukla, Sanjay Mishra, Darshan Jariwala, Ravi Kishan, Suhasini Mulay, Navni Parihar, Kishori Shahane, Jyoti Kalsh and Ehsan Khan. This film is a family entertainer which revolves around a royal marriage and quirky characters, who are hilariously trapped in their own tragedies.

'Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana’ is slated to release on April 7 this year.

तेजस तुंगार लिखित 'जळू' या आगामी चित्रपटाच्या चित्रीकरणास लवकरच सुरवात

                    

 'चित्रपटाचा विषय हाच 'चित्रपटाचा खरा हिरो' अशी ओळख असलेल्या आशयघन मराठी चित्रपट सृष्टीत अजून एक नवी संस्थे चे आगमन होत आहे, ती म्हणजे साई नक्षत्र प्रोडक्शन. निर्माते अजितकुमार धुळे यांच्या 'साई नक्षत्र प्रोडक्शन' निर्मित, तेजस तुंगार लिखित 'जळू' या आगामी चित्रपटाच्या चित्रीकरणास लवकरच सुरवात होणार असून सी.आय.डी, आहट, मधली सुट्टी, कॉमेडी एक्सप्रेस यांसारख्या एका पेक्षा एक मालिकांचे संकलक निखिल भोसले ह्या चित्रपटाचे दिग्दर्शन व संकलन कारणार आहेत. चित्रपटातील नृत्यदिग्दर्शन प्रसिद्ध नृत्यदिग्दर्शिका फुलवा खामकर करणार असून नितीन चांदोरकर हे कार्यकारी निर्मिता म्हणून जबाबदारी पार पडणार आहेत. 

चित्रपटात ज्योती सुभाष, कमलेश सावंत यांसारखे एकापेक्षा एक कलाकारांचा समावेश असून त्यांची नावे लवकरच समजतील, असे 'जळू चित्रपटाचे निर्माते अजितकुमार धुळे यांनी म्हटले. वास्तववादी असणारा जळू हा सिनेमा महिलांना नक्कीच प्रेरणा देणारा असेल. महिला सशक्तीकरण होणे हे काळाची गरज आहे, तोच विषय घेऊन आम्ही जळू ची निर्मिती करीत असल्याचे निर्माते अजितकुमार धुळे यांनी सांगितले. सिनेमाचे चित्रीकरण एप्रिल व मे महिन्यात होणार असल्याचे, दिग्दर्शक निखिल भोसले यांनी सांगितले.