Elnaaz Norouzi: Nobody functions well under pressure

Actress Elnaaz Norouzi says she is not one to stress over performing well on screen or choosing the right project.

The actress, who has been seen in the web series “Sacred Games” as well as the OTT-released film “Hello Charlie”, feels if she takes on pressure, she won’t be able to perform well.

“I believe that nobody functions well under pressure, especially me. So, I never put myself in a place where I feel the pressure of performance. That’s detrimental, especially in a creative field like ours,” she told in an interview.

Talking about how she comes on board with a script, she says that it all depends on if she likes it and how different it is from what she has done before.

“I read the script and if I like it, and if I feel that it has potential, then I go for it. I never go for what I’ve done before or what people expect of me. It’s my career, and the first priority is always what I love to do, and something that can be challenging for me as an actor. Hopefully, that’s the right script to choose,” she says.

Ruhi Singh tries to decode why runaway bride stories are entertaining

Actress Ruhi Singh who plays the protagonist in her latest web series “Runaway Lugaai” feels she was mentally cheering for her character, who was bold enough to run away from her marriage.

From Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride”, to Kareena Kapoor’s escape in “3 Idiots” or Diana Penty’s run in “Happy Bhaag Jayegi” stories about brides-to-be running away from their weddings has always entertained the audience. Ruhi reasons why: “Stories of runaway brides might not be convincing for all, but there could be multiple reasons as to why a bride is fighting against this new chapter of her life.”

She explained: “My character Bulbul is bold, ‘bindaas’ and, as a smalltown girl, she goes through this dilemma of wanting to achieve and live her big dream even at the cost of running away from her life as a newlywed. While enacting that scene, there was this sense of purpose and adrenaline rush through me, and I was mentally cheering on my character who so bravely decided to make an unconventional choice. Bulbul finds a different path for herself and she isn’t afraid to go after it. This courage is what I love about her. It’s the sheer thrill of being able to take a giant leap of faith that leaves most of us fascinated by these plots.”

The show also features Sanjay Mishra and Naveen Kasturia among others, and it streams on MX Player.

Shruti Haasan is getting whole ‘glam’ thing right

Actress Shruti Haasan posted a picture of her lush cascading hair, saying that she has got “the whole glam things right”.

In the Instagram images, Shruti is seen struggling with her hair while she is all dolled up. “Clearly I’m getting the whole glam thing right #epicfail #toomuchhairdontcare,” she wrote as the caption.

Shruti will soon be seen in the Prabhas-starrer “Salaar”, which is being shot in Kannada and Telugu languages, and will be dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam.

Rati Pandey motivates fans to ‘heal and transform’

Actress Rati Pandey posted a motivating message for fans on Instagram on Wednesday. She wrote about how they must use this time to heal themselves.

The actress posted a series of pictures gazing up at the sky. She looked comfortable in pajamas and a sleeveless top, with a mug in her hands. She wrote about how “every day is a new day” for her and how everyone must “heal and transform” themselves during this time.

“Heal and transform deeply through this time…#gratitude #everydayisanewday #thoughtoftheday #myvibes #hometown #ratipandey,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, the actress’ show “Shaadi Mubarak”, where she shared the screen with actor Manav Gohil, came to an abrupt end recently. The actress took to Instagram to break the news to fans, talking about how she would miss shooting for the show.

The show was on a break earlier as the shooting of TV shows was halted in Maharashtra, and Manav was infected with Covid-19.

Sanjay Dutt: Honoured to have received a golden visa for the UAE

Actor Sanjay Dutt on Wednesday expressed gratitude to the government of UAE for receiving a golden visa for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“It’s an honor to receive the prestigious Visa. I’m grateful to the government of UAE for their never-ending support considering Dubai became a home for my family in the past year. The Golden Visa initiative by the leaders is truly visionary, it has helped the country grow as an investor-friendly nation and I’m sure it will continue to do so in the coming years. I vow to help the country whenever they are in need since that’s what our true purpose as humans is, to help each other grow,” Dutt shared.

The 61-year-old actor also shared the news on social media. “Honoured to have received a golden visa for the UAE in the presence of Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of @gdrfadubai. Thanking him along with the @uaegov for the honor. Also grateful to Mr. Hamad Obaidalla, COO of @flydubai for his support,” he wrote on Instagram.

Since 2019, UAE has been providing the Golden Visa to foreigners to work, live, study and conduct business without requiring national sponsors. The initiative helps foreign investors and business owners get complete ownership of their businesses in the country.

This is indeed a feather in the cap of the “MuDutt, incidentally, shares a huge fan base in the Middle East.

On the work front, Sanjay Dutt will next be seen in upcoming films like “Bhuj: The Pride Of India”, “KGF: Chapter 2”, “Prithviraj” and “Shamshera”.

Kamal Haasan asks govt to probe sexual harassment allegations against school

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has said that the Tamil Nadu government must conduct a detailed investigation into the sexual harassment allegations leveled against a Chennai school.

The Makkal Needhi Maiam president said that parents must supervise children when they are taking online classes and must listen to them when they raise issues.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday Haasan said that the complaint that the school did not address the issue even after it was flagged earlier, reduces people’s faith in the system.

He said, “Following this, allegations in a few other schools have also come to light and the government must form an investigation team and conduct a detailed investigation on a war footing.”

Haasan said that there is an attempt to turn this into a caste issue and added that this was for short-term political gains. “If we don’t focus on the crime and the perpetrator of the crime there is a possibility that it would become advantageous to those who commit the crime. No matter which caste he belongs to, the perpetrator must be punished and as an informed society we must ensure that justice is done.”

It may be noted that a teacher of a well-known CBSE school in Chennai was arrested Tuesday following a complaint after allegations of sexual harassment of girl students surfaced against him on social media.

A police statement said that the commerce- accountancy teacher had sexually harassed girls by sending lewd messages.

The police statement also said that a girl student of the same school was sexually harassed a few years ago by the same teacher and parents had complained to school authorities against the teacher for sending obscene messages.

The teacher is already arrested and remanded to judicial custody and is lodged in the Puzhal central prison under the Protection of Children From Sexual offenses (POCSO) act.

Randeep Hooda slammed for joke on Mayawati as old video goes viral

Actor Randeep Hooda has been facing flak online for an allegedly casteist and sexist joke he shared using the name of Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati in an old video that has gone viral.

The video did not go down well with a section of netizens who have called the actor’s behavior “casteist”, “sexist” and also demanded an apology.

Sharing the video, a user tweeted: “If this does not explain how casteist and sexist this society is, especially towards Dalit women, I don’t know what will. the ‘joke’, the audacity, the crowd. Randeep Hooda, a top Bollywood actor talking about a Dalit woman, who has been the voice of the oppressed.”

“@RandeepHooda This shows how sexist, casteist, and foolish you are!! #Casteist_Termites #Casteism #sexism,” wrote another user.

“Mr. Randeep Hooda will pay for this, Indian audience would not forgive him, I as an obc person strongly condemn his remarks,” posted another user.

“@RandeepHooda Miss Mayawati is considered “behan” by most of the Dalit population of UP. She is not just a politician, a Dalit icon too. Anyway, it is a very sexist and misogynistic comment. Suppose anyone saying this to your sister? Apologies,” expressed another user.

“It took me a while to understand this, and I realized that We are still living in such a feeble society. How casteist, misogynistic & sexist slur was that. @RandeepHooda. Praising her strength in politics against all of her odds wouldn’t have caused you any harm,” wrote another user.

On the work front, Randeep Hooda features alongside Salman Khan in “Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai”, which dropped digitally on Eid.

Sunny Leone acts out her favourite emojis

Sunny Leone has revealed her most favorite emojis, in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

In a video clip she has uploaded, Sunny brings alive her favorite emojis by acting them out before the camera.

“What’s your fave emoji? Remix with me and tell me!!” she wrote as the caption.

Sunny is currently in Kerala shooting the upcoming psychological thriller film “Shero”. The film is directed by Sreejith Vijayan and is scheduled to be released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam.

She is also all set to make her digital debut with the web series “Anamika”, helmed by Vikram Bhatt.

Rakul Preet suggests Yog Nidra to beat pandemic stress

Rakul Preet Singh on Wednesday shared a tip to overcome anxiety and stress in the time of Covid.

The actress shared a photograph on Instagram, where she can be seen resting on the ground in a gym with her eyes closed and hands stretched.

“No! I am not sleeping off. This is how I relax post-workout, with a session of Yog Nidra, as suggested by my wellness expert @munmun.ganeriwal.If the pandemic anxiety is making you sleepless, stressed or if you are recovering post-COVID, she suggests giving Yog Nidra a shot. And I cannot agree more! #everydaypostworkout,” she wrote alongside the image.

On the work front, Rakul’s latest release is the digital film “Sardar Ka Grandson” co-starring Arjun Kapoor and Neena Gupta. The Kaashvie Nair directorial also features Kumud Mishra and Soni Razdan.

Tamannaah Bhatia: Idea of a star is changing rapidly

Actress Tamannaah Bhatia feels the star culture is changing rapidly after the boom in the digital space.

Tamannaah has been one of the biggest names in the Tamil and Telugu industries for well over a decade and has also acted in Bollywood and Kannada films. After tasting success on the big screen, she has now forayed the digital space. This year, she was seen in the web series “The 11th Hour” and, more recently, “November Story”.

She doesn’t feel the need to choose between the two mediums, of course. “There is nothing to choose from because at least in my case I get to have both. I just feel that the fan the following one could have amassed, say, 10 years ago will be tricky for the generation today, because with the situation we are in, owing to the pandemic, emotions around films are different. The way cinema is viewed is going to be different,” Tamannaah told IANS.

“So, the whole idea of a star itself is changing very rapidly, and people are watching content and liking content for the content and not just for an individual actor or individual talent,” she added.

Tamannaah feels fortunate that she amassed a loyal fanbase through cinema. “I think the idea of stardom I saw 10 years ago was probably the most organic way of developing a loyal fan following, which I have been fortunate to experience,” she said.

Talking about her new show, the crime thriller “November Story”, the actress says it’s not every day when one gets a character that has a detailed emotion graph.

“I have never been a part of a crime thriller before. So, the genre for me is new and it got me to explore primarily a father-daughter relationship. There were many angles to this as to why it became unique and new for me, and it was literally like keeping the tension going through the show in every scene. It was challenging and I had never done that in my career,” she said, about the seven-episode whodunit that also features Pasupathy, GM Kumar, Aruldass, and Vivek Prasanna, and airs on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.