Siddharth Mahadevan, Om Bhalerao’s song ‘Kar fateh India’ aims to spread hope

Teenage singer Om Bhalerao and composer-singer Siddharth Mahadevan have released the song “Kar fateh India”, an anthem of hope, even as the country battles the second wave of Covid.

The anthem composed by Mir Desai aims at encouraging vaccination and urging people from all walks of life to come together and rally forces in a bid to bring the economy back on the track. The melody blends classical and modern notes.

Om Bhalerao, 17, says: “This is a unique attempt to steer the nation together towards the post-pandemic world, smoothly and with utmost caution. Vaccination is extremely important if we want normalcy to be restored. Through this song, we seek to educate and inspire people to get vaccinated. We also want to help them cope with their troubles in these trying times. All of us have been through this together and it is time we walk out of it together, whilst cheering one another along the way.”

Siddharth Mahadevan adds: “This anthem will instil the much-needed positivity in people and allow them to believe in themselves once again. The touching lyrics and the soothing music will motivate them to banish gloom and embrace hopefulness. This song is extremely close to my heart and I am fervently hoping it touches every soul and inspires them to walk on with courage and help make our world Covid-free.”

“Kar fateh India” streams on YouTube.

Naga Shaurya resumes shoot for rom-com with Shirley Setia

Telugu actor Naga Shaurya resumed the shoot of his untitled next film, tentatively known as NS22, here on Tuesday. The rom-com is directed by Anish Krishna and co-stars Shirley Setia.

Shaurya uploaded a picture whre he strikes a pose with Shirley, Anish and Shaurya’s mom Usha Mulpuri. He captioned the picture as: “Laughter ride begins all over again.”

Seasoned actress Radhika plays a pivotal role in the film produced by Usha Mulpuri and presented by Shankar Prasad Mulpuri. The film also features Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Satya and Brahmaji.

Shaurya recently resumed shooting for his upcoming sports drama film “Lakshya”. The film, which is said to be India’s first film on ancient archery, has entered its last segment of shoot here.

Urvashi Rautela: Got help from Randeep Hooda for my ‘Inspector Avinash’ role

Actress Urvashi Rautela has started shooting for the third schedule of “Inspector Avinash”. She has opened up about her character Poonam Mishra and says she got help from actor Randeep Hooda for the role.

“I also got significant help from Randeep Hooda for my character Poonam Mishra. He’s such an incredible actor and such a powerful force of a human being, so all I could hope for was to learn from him. I was able to learn a lot from him because everything seemed to mirror and connect itself,” Urvashi said.

She added: “In terms of the character, he should be very powerful. This also made me a better actor. I just reacted to him, listened to him, and moved with him. It’s unimaginable.”

Urvashi thanked the director Neeraj Pathak. “Also special thanks to my director Neeraj Pathak sir such a wonderful person to be directed by. The set was just filled with so much love, so much love of acting, so much love of film and camerawork, everything matters, everything is on purpose and it’s just an exhilarating place to be,” she said.

Yami Gautam’s next film ‘Lost’ to be directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Actress Yami Gautam will be seen in “Pink” famed filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s upcoming film “Lost”, an investigative drama that will highlight the issue of media integrity.

Talking about his new venture, Roy Chowdhury said: “Designed as an investigative drama, at its core the film explores themes like commitment, responsibility, holding hands and making our world beautiful and compassionate.”

For him, it is important that any film he makes should have a social context and that the stories are taken from the world around him.

“‘Lost’ is an emotional thriller that represents a higher quest, a search for lost values of empathy and integrity,” Roy Chowdhury added.

Yami will be leading the film’s cast as a feisty crime reporter. Others in the cast include Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpiee and Tushar Pandey.

The film will be largely shot at real locations across the city of Kolkata and Purulia, and will highlight the underbelly of an urban city that often goes unnoticed.

Composer Shantanu Moitra along with lyricist Swanand Kirkire will capture the essence of the city and emotions of the narrative.

“Lost” is expected to go on floors this month.

“It’s a tightly-knit script that will keep you hooked till the end. We are confident that Aniruddha will create a masterpiece with his skills and Yami will be a delight to watch in this role. The film will resonate with everyone and highlight important social issues of current times,” said Shariq Patel, Chief Business Officer, Zee Studios, one of the producers of the show along with Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, Sam Fernandes and Indrani Mukherjee.

“With Aniruddha helming the direction, Yami headlining an interesting ensemble of actors and sharp writing by Shyamal Sengupta and Ritesh Shah, this surely will be a thrilling journey,” Shareen Mantri Kedia of Namah Pictures added.

Pragya Jaiswal happy to be back in ‘second home’ Hyderabad

Actress Pragya Jaiswal is back on sets to shoot for her Telugu film “Akhanda” here. The actress is thrilled to be back in the city she calls her second home.

“It feels amazing to be back in Hyderabad because it is definitely one of the cities that are close to my heart. It’s almost like a second home to me and I was really missing the city over the last two months. The weather right now in Hyderabad is pleasant, so it’s amazing to shoot,” Pragya tells IANS.

“Last time I was here, it was in April and it was super hot. I was craving Biryani two days ago, so I am really happy that it is finally happening. The most important thing for me, which is associated with Hyderabad is the warmth of the people. Whenever I am here, I feel I am showered with affection and I was really missing all of that. So, I am really happy to be back to my team and crew,” she adds.

The actress is happy to work again and meet her team. “Akhanda” stars Balakrishna in the lead role and is directed by Boyapati Srinu.

“It feels absolutely amazing to be back on the set post lockdown. The second wave was way more intense and at that point it seemed way too important to take care of ourselves and stay at home. But after a point it was really caging but now I am finally surrounded by so many people who are positive, inspiring with what they do and especially this crew has almost become like a family now. I was really missing the shoot and I am very happy,” she says.

Shanaya Kapoor’s ‘random clicks of self care’ is all about her love for coffee

Shanaya Kapoor took to social media on Monday and uploaded a series of selfies.

“Random clicks of self care,” she captioned the post on her Instagram page.

In the series of self-clicked pictures, Shanaya posted nine pictures in one post. The posts reflected her love for coffee, as in two pictures she is seen holding a cup of coffee and in another she is making a cup of coffee for herself. In the other pictures and video clips she is seen posing in a gym or taking selfies using Instagram filters.

Sanjay and Maheep Kapoor’s daughter Shanaya will make her debut in Bollywood in an untitled film from Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. She will be cast opposite actors Gurfateh Pirzada and Laksh Lalwani in the lead role. The untitled film is said to be a romantic comedy with a love triangle, and has Shashank Khaitan as director.

Ekta Kapoor says ‘a year of planning’ preceded ‘Pavitra Rishta 2’

Ekta Kapoor in Monday tweeted her excitement over the release “Pavitra Rishta 2”, which she recently announced with Ankita Lokhande returning in her popular avatar of Archana.

“It’s never too late… to love!!! Finally a year of planning later… we embark on our wish of giving Archana one more chance to show her love for Manav! #pavitrarishta #pavitrarishta2 begins!” she wrote on Twitter, tagging Ankita in her post.

The first part of the show had the late Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande in lead roles as Manav and Archana. Shaheer Sheikh now joins the show as Manav.

Ankita retweeted with a heart emoji, saying: “Forever grateful ma’am#PavitraRishta2#PavitraRishta.”

Wamiqa Gabbi: To be cast with successful actors in ‘Mai’ very flattering

Actress Wamiqa Gabbi says she is flattered to be cast alongside experienced, successful actors in an upcoming thriller series “Mai”.

“Mai” is an upcoming Indian drama web-series co-starring Sakshi Tanwar, Raima Sen, Vivek Mushran, Prashant Narayanan, and Seema Pahwa.

Wamiqa said: “‘Mai’ is a wonderful project and to be cast along with such experienced, successful actors is very flattering for me. The script of the series is absolutely great and I can’t wait to go on set to share screen space with this incredible cast whom I’m sure there’ll be a lot for me to learn from.”

The plot of the series moves around the murder of a prisoner. Upon accidentally killing a mafia leader, a middle-aged woman is unwittingly swept into the underworld, where her cult slowly gains renown. As things take a new turn, she has to fight for survival while preparing herself to enter the underworld to stay secure.

Directed by Atul Mongia and Anshai Lal, Mai is written by Atul Mongia, Amita Vyas along with Tamal Kumar Sen.

The series is produced by Anushka Sharma and her brother Karnesh Sharma.

Shilpa Shetty’s son Viaan’s workout video inspires Shamita Shetty

Shamita Shetty took to Instagram on Monday morning and shared a motivational video of her nephew Viaan.

“Today’s Monday motivation my baby viaan #nephew #mondaymotivation #fitnessgoals#fitnessmotivation #workout#workoutvideos #gymvideos #goals#love,” wrote Shamita Shetty on Instagram.

In the video shared by Shamita Shetty, her sister Shilpa Shetty’s son Viaan is seen doing his intense workout session with back flips, kickboxing and treadmill run.

In the inspirational video of nine-year-old Viaan flashes his four-pack abs.

Viaan made his debut on television on “Super Dancer 3” where his mother Shilpa Shetty is one of the judges. He left the audience stunned with his fitness level.

The little kid is a powerhouse of talent and is a self-confessed Tiger Shroff fan.

Viaan is Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra’s son.

Bhumi Pednekar’s quick makeover

Actress Bhumi Pednekar treated her fans with a quick makeover on social media.

Bhumi posted a video on Instagram. The clip see the actress applying foundation, contouring, and doing her lips and hair.

“Let’s start the week with some fun on #Reels #Bbeauty #monday,” Bhumi wrote as caption.

On the professional front, the actress recently announced she would star alongside Akshay Kumar in the upcoming film, “Raksha Bandhan”. The film is directed by Aanand L. Rai.

She also has “Badhaai Do” with Rajkummar Rao and “Mr Lele” with Vicky Kaushal lined up.