Aditi Rao Hydari’s Telugu debut film ‘Sammohanam’ turns three

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari made her debut in Telugu films with “Sammohanam”, which released on this day three years ago. She went down memory lane and recalled the time she was offered the film.

Aditi played Sameera, a character that reflected the struggles of a working woman on a daily basis.

Talking about “Sammohanam” completing three years, Aditi said: “Firsts are always special. I heard this story over a phone call with (Director) Mohan Krishna Indraganti. I loved the story and said yes immediately.”

She added: “There were lots of well-meaning people who told me to do a more typical big-ticket film as my first Telugu film. I loved ‘Sammohanam’ and I went with my gut and I’m so happy that I did.”

Aditi’s upcoming projects include “Hey Sinamika” opposite Dulquer Salman, and “Maha Samudram” starring Sharwanand and Siddharth.

Kiara Advani flaunts action-packed avatar in latest video

Actress Kiara Advani flaunts an action-packed avatar in her Tuesday Instagram post.

In the video, Kiara performs a stunt under the guidance of her trainer. She twists and kicks the cap off the trainer’s head.

“Hats off to him for trusting my kicks back with @mma.lalit after a year and a half,” Kiara captioned her video.

Commenting on her post, fans called the actress a “fitness freak” and “inspiration”.

Kiara was last seen in the comedy film “Indoor Ki Jawaani” where she features alongside Aditya Seal and Mallika Dua. The actress has her kitty full with upcoming films like “Shershaah” opposite Sidharth Malhotra, the Kartik Aaryan-starrer “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” and “Jug Jugg Jeeyo” co-starring Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan

Bhumi Pednekar: Have been itching to be back on set

Actress Bhumi Pednekar has resumed shooting and says it feels surreal to be back on set.

“I have been itching to be back on the set and resume work. I find myself fortunate that I’m starting to work as soon as the unlock started in Maharashtra. The industry has gone through a lot over the last one year and it has been pushed to the brink by this pandemic,” Bhumi said.

The actress lauds the industry bigwigs for having started the vaccination drive to inoculate the film fraternity members.

“I’m sure that every producer will take all necessary measures to ensure that the industry restarts. It’s amazing that the industry leaders have come forward to vaccinate the fraternity because that’s the need of the hour. We work in a very intimate environment so safety is of prime importance to everyone,” she said.

The actress recently revealed she would feature in the Akshay Kumar-starrer “Raksha Bandhan”. This would mark their second collaboration after “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”. She also has “Badhaai Do” with Rajkummar Rao and “Mr. Lele” with Vicky Kaushal lined up for release.

Shweta Tripathi on reaping benefits of digital space

Shweta Tripathi says she has always been aware of the diverse characteristics of OTT platforms.

Shweta is known for her work in the web-space, in projects such as “Mirzapur”, “Made In Heaven” and “Lakhon Main Ek”. Her upcoming slate of work is also all set to release on the OTT space.

“I have always been aware of the vast and diverse characteristics of OTT platforms. As an actor, I do not believe in restricting myself due to the medium of the content I’ll be a part of,” Shweta said.

She added: “Without a doubt, the digital space is booming today and I’m sure will continue to do so in the future, and having embraced it early on makes me feel grateful to be a part of something so big and enriching.”

Shweta currently awaits the release of two projects — “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” and “Escaype Live”.

“Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” also stars Tahir Raj Bhasin while “Escaype Live” features South star Siddharth.

Kirti Kulhari posts pic getting first jab of Covid vaccine

Kirti Kulhari on Monday posted a picture of getting vaccinated with the first jab for Covid-19. She urged everyone to get over myths and misconceptions about the vaccine.

“Took my first dose of vaccine …It’s the need of the hour in our fight against #corona… Let go of myths and fears surrounding the vaccine… and go and take one if you have yet…” Kirti captioned the image.

“P.S — I know a lot of people want to get vaccinated but the vaccines are not easily available and it’s a #mindf**** to actually book a slot.. but things are getting better.. be patient… it will all fall in place slowly and steadily,” she added.

Kirti was recently seen in the OTT-released film “Shaadisthan”.

Shilpa Shetty suggests the right yoga to but stress and anxiety

Actress and yoga enthusiast Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Monday shared an asana on Instagram that would help relieve pent-up stress and anxiety.

In her new video, Shilpa performs the Parsva Sukhasana.

“Sometimes, one needs to start their week on a calm and quiet note. Today is one such day for me when I just want to relax my mind and calm myself down. So today, I practiced the Parsva Sukhasana. It helps relieve the pent-up stress and anxiety that gradually affects the immune system and one’s overall health. Physically, it helps stretch the neck, shoulders, obliques, and back,” she writes with the clip.

“Take some time off whenever you can, choose to practice this asana, and let your mind and body just go with the flow. A calm and composed mind and body can deal with a lot more than we can think of. Tag a friend who should start this ritual right away!” the actress suggested.

The actress is all set to make a comeback in Bollywood with the upcoming films “Hungama 2” and “Nikamma”.

Kamal Haasan: Dasavatharam was declined by many directors who said they didn’t understand it

Kamal Haasan’s Tamil action thriller “Dasavatharam” completes 13 years of release on Monday.

The actor, who also was the writer of the film, has played 10 different characters in the film. He recalls how the script was rejected by many filmmakers before director K.S Ravikumar came on board.

“Dasavatharam was a script that was declined by many directors who said they didn’t understand it, and quite unexpectedly Mr. Ravikumar jumped at it. He immediately claimed it a winner on cards and was surprised that it was turned down and asked to make the film while on a telephonic conversation with me at Eldams road. That’s how the movie came into being,” shares Kamal.

The veteran actor also shares how well-known filmmaker Mukta Srinivasan advised him to give the film his undivided attention.

“Most of the time I work alone and like to take the opinion of seniors and well-wishers while on a project. For Dasavatharam it wasn’t any different and thus I wanted to take Mr. Mukta Srinivasan’s opinion as he has strong instincts and is a brilliant short story writer. He heard the ‘Dasavatharam’ script and he said ‘Kamal, you must watch over the film closely as it’s your idea and go further and say foster it like your child. They will kill the child otherwise if you only decide to walk in and out of shoot’. I took his advice and spent all my time on it,” Kamal shares.

The actor recalls how he shared the story with close friends and colleagues, which gave him the confidence to go ahead.

“Once I finished the logline with Mukta Srinivasan, the director was still skeptical about the way the script was written. We had Sujatha, Madhan, Ramesh Arvind, and Crazy Mohan sit with us for narration and I answered all the questions they kept asking. It was a very important exercise as they are all experts and have the expertise to analyze the script. My biggest support was from Sujatha who said ‘you got it to bang on man’. The rest were new to the ideation, scale, and budget,” he says.

Big B at first day of shoot after lockdown2.0

Amitabh Bachchan went to work at 7 am on Monday, after the second lockdown was lifted. The veteran actor posted a picture on Instagram, wearing a mask and seated in his car on way to work.

“7 am .. driving to work .. first day shooting after Lockdown 2.0 .. on with the PANGOLIN mask .. and the MANIFESTATION: “every day in every way things will get better and better and better,” Big B captioned the image.

The actor did not share what he was shooting for or the name of the project.

His upcoming slate of work includes a string of films. He has “Brahmastra”, “Chehre”, “Jhund”, “MayDay”, “Goodbye” and a remake of the Hollywood film “The Intern” coming up, besides an untitled film with Prabhas and Deepika Padukone.

Priyadarshi Pulikonda wants to get out of ‘so-called image’ as comedian

Actor Priyadarshi Pulikonda, who primarily works in Telugu films, says he wants to come out of his “so-called image” as a comedian and be known as an actor who can do whatever he is offered.

“As an actor, you want to come out of that comfort zone. I want to discover the endless possibilities through these characters, entering into worlds that are more challenging and scarier. The so-called image I have of a comedian, I also wanted to get out of that. The image is for the people to give me but I would rather not have an image associated with me and become an actor who can do whatever he is offered,” he tells an interview.

Priyadarshi is known for his roles in Telugu films such as “Pelli Choopulu”, “Arjun Reddy”, “Mallesham” and, more recently, “Jathi Ratnalu”. He will soon be seen in a crime thriller series titled “In The Name Of God”, where he portrays a complex and dark character.

“To discover these dark areas as a human being, my character Adi was the anchor that helped me to go into myself and discover those grey areas. That was a good exercise for me as an actor and something new to work for. I haven’t done anything of this sort so far. This has been the most excruciating and rewarding journey for me,” shares the actor.

“He has high aspiration and little of everything — of greed, love, lust — and puts himself in an inconvenient position. Somehow, he tries to seek redemption from all of this,” the actor adds about his character. The series is scheduled to drop on the Aha streaming platform from June 18.

Sunil Grover on how he makes comedy seem so easy

He doesn’t have to try too hard. His audience can’t hold back a chuckle when he doles out a mere oneliner or tiny twist of expression. Sunil Grover makes comedy seem like a cakewalk.

“I think I am lucky. I am lucky that people laugh at what I say. So, there is nothing else to it. We all have to do our work and create our jokes, and how to render it, and how to approach it. I love it. Maybe the love for it makes it work sometimes,” Sunil told in an interview.

The 43-year-old funnyman gained the spotlight for his portrayals of Gutthi, Dr. Mashoor Gulati, and Rinku Devi on television.

He has also featured in films such as “Bharata, “Gabbar Is Back”, “Patakha” and “Baaghi”, among many others.

“I love what I do and that is a tool. This is something that is not imposed. I can’t do anything else. Maybe when you know that this is the only survival thing you have you have to love it,” he said.

Currently, Sunil stars in a web series titled “Sunflower”, a comedy murder-mystery.

The show also features Ranvir Shorey, Ashish Vidyarthi, Girish Kulkarni, Mukul Chadda, Radha Bhatt, Dayana Erappa, Shonali Nagrani, and Saloni Khanna, among a huge ensemble cast.

The series tells the story of a middle-class housing society in Mumbai called Sunflower, which houses quirky characters and becomes the scene of a murder.

Produced by Reliance Entertainment and Good Co., the series is written by Vikas Bahl who co-directs with Rahul Sengupta.

It streams on Zee5.