Raashi Khanna keeps promise, makes planting a sapling on birthday a tradition

Actress Raashi Khanna, who is busy with projects in both the Tamil and Telugu film industries, on Tuesday kept her promise to plant a sapling on every birthday of hers.

The actress, who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, planted a sapling as promised by her last year.

Posting a video of her planting the sampling on social media, the actress said, “This day last year, I planted a sapling and promised to make it a birthday tradition and here I am..!

“I dedicate this beautiful little sapling to those who are making a difference and inspiring us all to be better towards Mother Earth. A shout-out to all those doing their best for a greener planet.

“Thank you all for your birthday wishes. Love from you all matters the most to me,” she wrote.

Interestingly, the video had Micheal Jackson’s ‘Heal the World’ as its background score.

Noted Telugu lyricist Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry passes away

Noted Telugu lyricist and writer Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry is no more. The lyricist breathed his last on Tuesday while battling pneumonia at KIMS Hospital in Secunderabad. He was 66 and is survived by his wife and two sons.

Chembolu Seetharama Sastry, better known by his screen name Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, was a lyricist and poet. Holding a record of writing lyrics for over 3,000 songs till 2020, Seetharama Sastry is known for his philosophical approach in his songs.

Sastry had penned the most meaningful and soulful songs for the movie titled ‘Sirivennela’, which is one of the classics of Telugu cinema. As he got instant fame and critical appreciation from all over, his name caught on as ‘Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry’.

Sastry wrote lyrics for many songs in films like ‘Swayam Krushi’, ‘Swarna Kamalam’, ‘Samsaram Oka Chadarangam’, and ‘Pelli Chesi Choodu’ made him one of the finest writers of Telugu cinema.

Born on 20 May 1955, the 66 year-old-lyricist have received 11 state Nandi Awards and four Filmfare Awards South for his contribution to the entertainment industry. Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to the field of arts and aesthetics.

Sastry’s recent hit song was ‘Samaja Varagamana’ in the Allu Arjun-starrer ‘Ala Vaikaunthapurramloo’.

The Telugu film industry is shocked with the demise of the legendary writer. Messages and condolences pour in, as they remember the writer.

Paras Chhabra on his tango with Mahira Sharma in ‘Chubhti Hai Saansein’ video

Former ‘Bigg Boss’ contestants Paras Chhabra and Mahira Sharma have come together for Palak Mucchal’s music video ‘Chubhti Hai Saansein’, which released on Tuesday.

Paras and Mahira were seen together in ‘Bigg Boss 13’ and their bond was created inside the house and they turned into good friends. Paras shares about his chemistry with Mahira in the song and shooting experience in Chandigarh.

He says of his chemistry with Mahira as their relationship has become strong even after the season 13 of ‘Bigg Boss’ ended: “The world knows that whenever I and Mahira come together for a song, it has to be a superhit! The chemistry and the shooting experience have always been very wonderful. We shot the music video for two days.”

Paras adds on how the song will relate with the listeners. “Not all love stories end on a very good note and we all know that. We wanted to make something different from the mainstream quintessential love stories made on a daily basis by refurbishing the same old story line again and again. So we wanted to break the prototype because of which we went ahead with this story and I think the output has come out beautifully.”

‘Chubhti Hai Saansein’ is produced by Amit Majithia, directed by Akshay Sood and sung by Palak Muchhal.

I don’t demand unconditional acceptance: Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has now become the ‘Digital Cover Star’ for ‘Elle’. The actress who is termed to be the ‘Change Maker’, is currently wearing different hats at work.

On essaying challenging roles and breaking stereotypes, Samantha said, she maintains a simple philosophy- “when it comes to change, someone has to take the first step.”

In her conversation with the magazine, Samantha states that she has her own approach towards social media happenings. “I don’t demand unconditional acceptance,” Samantha conveys.

“I encourage people to have different opinions but we can still love and have compassion for each other. I would only request them to express their disappointment in a more civilized way,” she adds.

Elaborating about her roles in the movies, Samantha said, “At the beginning of my career, I was typecast as a cute, bubbly, non-threatening persona, which I fought against. My hard work paid off, and I can say, every other role I am being offered now, has a different appeal.”

So from her passion project ‘Shakunthalam’ to films with two young directors Ashwin Saravanan and Shantaruban Gnanasekaran, the unfamiliar emotional space is what dictates her choices now.

‘Naa Kosam’ song from Nagarjuna’s ‘Bangarraju’ out on Dec 1

Father-son duo Nagarjuna Akkineni and Naga Chaitanya Akkineni have come together for the upcoming movie ‘Bangarraju’, a sequel to Kalyan Krishna Kurasala’s ‘Soggade Chinni Nayana’.

The makers of ‘Bangarraju’ have announced the release of the second single from the movie. Titled ‘Naa Kosam’, the second single is to be out on December 1. The lyrical song is to feature Naga Chaitanya and ‘Uppena’ fame Krithi Shetty as a pair. The makers also released a poster with the duo sharing a tender moment at a beach.

The music is composed by Anup Rubens, who gave a hit album like ‘Manam’ with Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya. The first single ‘Laddundaa’ was released a couple of weeks ago and turned out to be a hit song.

‘Bangarraju’ is in the final leg of the shooting, and it is expected to be released during Sankranthi. Directed by Kalyan Krishna Kurasala, the movie stars Ramya Krishna as Nagarjuna’s partner, while Krithi Shetty plays Naga Chaitanya’s love interest.

Zee Studios is co-producing the project with Annapurna Studios Pvt Ltd.

Pooja Hegde: The idea is to do good work, prove your credibility

After making her debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Mohenjo-Daro’, Pooja Hegde took the pan-India approach and worked in various regional film industries.

The actress always wanted to be recognised as an Indian actor rather than an actor limited to just one particular industry.

Talking about being a part of different film industries across India, Pooja said, “God has been really kind to have given me the opportunity to showcase my talent in different film industries and be given so much love by the audience. I always wanted to be known as an Indian actor and not let the barrier of language restrict my work. The idea is to do good work, work hard and prove your credibility”.

Revealing as to how she progresses from one project to another, the actress said, “The big question that an actor always has to face is ‘what next?’. One has to go by their instinct, give their 100 per cent and leave the rest up to the Almighty. I have been doing that ever since I started my acting career”.

She also praised Ahan Shetty for she feels he is a promising talent, she said, “Ahan’s debut is certainly one of the most significant and talked-about ones in Bollywood over the last few years. With his tall demeanour, rich baritone and machismo, Ahan looks like a perfect hero on the big screen and has an arresting screen presence.”

“Ahan’s raw and intense avatar in ‘Tadap’ is being appreciated a lot and I’m sure Ahan will not just prove his mettle as an actor, but also win audiences’ hearts. Ahan has a promising bright future and he will go a long, long way”, she added.

Pooja will soon be seen in Bollywood with ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali’ and ‘Cirkus’, the multi-lingual ‘Radheshyam’ and Kollywood film ‘Beast’.

Fourth single from Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Bheemla Nayak’ out on Dec 1

Pawan Kalyan’s highly anticipated Telugu multi-starrer ‘Bheemla Nayak’ is all set for a huge release soon and the makers have announced the release of another interesting single from the action drama.

With a few songs released by the makers, the music album has been a huge hit so far.

‘Bheemla Nayak’ makers announced the arrival of their next single ‘Adavi Thalli Maata – Essence of Bheemla Nayak’. The fourth single titled ‘Adavi Thalli Maata’, which means ‘The word of Mother Nature’, is to be released on December 1.

“It’s time to take in the #EssenceOfBheemlaNayak #AdaviThalliMaata, 4th single from #BheemlaNayak out tomorrow at 10:08 am,” the makers Tweeted on Tuesday.

S.S. Thaman is the music director, while Ramjogayya Sastry has penned the lyrics for the upcoming song.

Nithya Menen plays the female lead opposite Pawan Kalyan, while Samyukta Menon plays Rana Daggubati’s partner. Murali Sharma and others are among the rest of the cast.

Directed by Sagar K. Chandra, the movie is an official remake of Malayalam hit ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’. Trivikram Srinivas pens the screenplay and the dialogues for ‘Bheemla Nayak’.

FB whistleblower to testify before US Congress again

To discuss possible legislative changes to tech’s controversial legal liability shield — Section 230, the US House Democrats have announced that Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will testify before Congress a second time on Wednesday.

The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on communications and technology will hold the upcoming hearing to discuss what Democrats are referring to as “targeted reforms” to Section 230, reports The Verge.

Several committee members have already introduced bills that would create carve-outs in the law that would make big tech companies like Facebook and Google legally liable for algorithms that amplify content that leads to offline violence.

Haugen will testify alongside Colour of Change president Rashad Robinson, according to House Democrats on Monday.

Republicans are also expected to offer a witness for the hearing. A second panel will feature additional expert witnesses from organisations like Free Press Action and Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.

Haugen testified before the Senate Commerce Committee in October shortly after she leaked a cache of internal Facebook reports to the Wall Street Journal.

The reports revealed several alarming policy and moderation failures at Facebook, but lawmakers have focused most intensely on documents concerning Instagram’s mental health impacts on young users.

These reports led the committee to hold additional hearings with representatives from other popular social platforms like Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

Balakrishna’s talk show sets new OTT record

Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna’s maiden celebrity talk show on Aha has set a record as ‘Unstoppable With NBK’ has clocked over 4 million video plays on the OTT platform.

An official statement from Aha Video said Balakrishna’s talk show ‘Unstoppable With NBK’ has seen over 4 million video plays.

As per the reports, this number is said to be the highest tally for any talk show in the Telugu OTT space. The curtain riser episode of the talk show had Manchu Mohan Babu as the guest, who was accompanied by Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu and Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna.

Nani had appeared to chat with Balakrishna on the second episode. Both episodes struck a chord with the OTT audience.

With ‘Aashiqui Aa Gayi’, makers of ‘Radhe Shyam’ kickstart Hindi musical promos

Prabhas and Pooja Hegde-starrer ‘Radhe Shyam’ is prepping up for its pan-India release soon as the makers have started the Hindi promotions.

Hindi musical promotions are going to start with the song ‘Aashiqui Aa Gayi.’

‘Aashiqui Aa Gayi’ is composed by Mithoon and is crooned by Arjit Singh. The full song will be out on December 1, as per the official announcement by the makers.

The makers shared the details of the same, with a promo featuring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde. The promo, which is shot in picturesque locations, gives a glimpse of the love story. Prabhas looks extremely stylish, while Pooja is drop-dead gorgeous. With soothing background music, the couple is seen romancing at exotic locales and bays.

‘Radhe Shyam’ is slated for release on January 14, 2022. Being a Radha Krishna Kumar’s directorial, ‘Radhe Shyam’ is billed as an epic love story made under UV Creations banner.