Ashley Roberts wants to learn Italian to hang out with Harry Styles

Singer Ashley Roberts finds One Direction star Harry Styles cute.

In an interaction with The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, Ashley praised Harry a lot, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“He (Harry Styles) properly has a ‘Boogie Nights’ mustache going on and I have to say, what I love about Harry is he’s just so adventurous with his looks. He tries different things and I’m a fan of that. I think he looks cute, I’m for it,” she said.

Ashley now wants to improve her own Italian language skills to impress Harry, who recently revealed he has been learning the language.

She added: “I know a little bit but not much. I need to up my game so I can hang out with Harry.”

‘Aarya’ actress Priyasha Bhardwaj is hooked to web series format

Actress Priyasha Bhardwaj is gradually making a mark in the web series space and is sure loving the format.

Priyasha, who has worked in shows like “Aarya”, “Kaafir” and the upcoming “Mirzapur 2”, told IANS: “I love the web series format. It allows an actor the bandwidth to play around and explore deeper since individual characters get more screen time as against in films.”

“My first ever project was a series where I played a very small character — that of an ICU nurse in an episode of ‘Made In Heaven’. It was an inconsequential character with two lines (dialogues), but I still tried to give the character a backstory and an intention, since I didn’t have the crutch of good dialogues. And when it was pack-up for me and I was saying my goodbyes, director Nitya Mehra said, ‘You’re really good you know!’ I smiled but my subtext was ‘I’m so glad you noticed’,” she recalled.

After auditioning for several films and web series, she was signed on for the web series “Kaafir”, starring Dia Mirza, last year.

“I essayed the role of a journalist, Naina Balsara, who played a key role in taking the story forward. I still yearned to play a part where I can show a character graph or arc, play a character very different from myself. Luckily last year, I did two such characters — Soundarya in ‘Aarya’ and Jamuna in ‘Mirzapur 2’,” she said.

Priyasha hopes to work in films as well. “But there definitely is something more inviting about the web series format,” she said.

Sushant’s father files FIR against Rhea for abetting suicide

Late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case has taken a dramatic turn after it emerged that his father K.K. Singh has filed an FIR in the Rajiv Nagar police station here accusing six people, including actress Rhea Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide.

Rajiv Nagar police station in-charge Yogendra Ravidas said on Tuesday that Sushant Singh Rajput’s father K.K. Singh has accused six people, including Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide in his complaint (FIR number 241/20). The police are investigating the case.

Chakraborty has admitted to being the late actor’s girlfriend in an open letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah while pleading for a CBI probe into the matter.

“Rhea Chakraborty and five other persons have been charged under Sections 340, 341, 380, 406, 420, and 306 of IPC after Sushant Singh Rajput’s father filed an FIR against them. Further investigation is going on in the case,” Sanjay Kumar, IG, Patna Central Zone, told reporters here.

In his complaint, Sushant’s father said, “While my son was doing extremely well in Bollywood till May 2019, a girl named Rhea Chakraborty and her family members and others got in touch with him so that she could use his contacts to make a career in the film industry.”

“She along with her family members, namely Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya Chakraborty, and Shauvik Chakraborty, started interfering in my son’s life. They even forced him to move out of the house he was living in, saying that some paranormal activities were going on there which had a big-time impact on my son’s mind. They forced him to live in a resort near Mumbai airport,” he said in his complaint.

He has also mentioned in the FIR that Rs 15 crore was transferred from Sushant’s bank account to a few other bank accounts which were not linked with the late actor in any way.

He even accused Rhea and her family members of stealing Sushant’s laptop, cash, jewelry, credit cards with PIN numbers, etc. and threatening the late actor of making his medical reports public.

In the FIR, it was also mentioned by the late actor’s father wondered why no consent of family members was sought for his son’s treatment if he was suffering from some mental illness, as claimed.

He said: “My son never had any kind of mental illness… wondering what happened all of a sudden after he came in contact with Rhea. This should be probed.”

Sushant’s father also sought to know the kind of treatment the late actor received and the medicines given to him.

He also demanded an investigation against the doctors whom he suspected was involved in “a conspiracy along with Rhea”.

K.K. Singh wrote in the FIR that he and other family members tried to reach out to Sushant several times but Rhea “did not let them contact” the late actor, and also did not allow him to come to Patna.

Expressing his haplessness, he mentioned in the FIR: “I am an old man… I am 74. I am saddened by the death of my son (Sushant). Almost 40 days have passed since my son died but Mumbai Police is yet to begin an investigation against the prime accused.”

Meanwhile, a four-member team of Bihar Police has reached Mumbai and met with concerned police officers probing the matter and are studying the papers pertaining to the sensational case which created a huge upheaval in the entertainment industry, confirmed Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Trimukhe.

Though it was not immediately clear what further action the Bihar Police plan to initiate, there have been demands from various quarters, including Rhea herself, to hand over the investigations to the CBI.

Chakraborty had earlier disclosed that she received rape and murder threats on social media over the actor’s death and added that she “only wanted to understand what prompted him to take the step”.

Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly committed suicide on June 14 in his flat in Bandra. Mumbai Police are already investigating the case and several people have been already been interrogated.

Several organizations have been demanding a CBI probe into the matter as the death of the actor has literally opened a can of worms with nepotism charges, groups and lobbying in Bollywood coming to the fore with many people coming out of the closets with their claims of being sidelined by a selected group.

So far, around 40 people have already recorded their statements, including director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, filmmakers Aditya Chopra, Mukesh Chhabra, Shekhar Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, and film critic Rajeev Masand, among others.

Chakraborty’s statement was recorded at the Bandra Police Station on June 18, four days after Sushant’s demise.

“#SushantSinghRajput ‘s father, #KKSingh has registered an FIR against Actress #RheaChakraborty in #Patna. He has alleged that Rhea took money from Sushant and instigated him to commit suicide. Sushant and Rhea dated for a while before the actor died by suicide on June 14,” trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted from his verified account on Tuesday evening.

Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman, who has been actively voicing his demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Sushant’s death, tweeted from an unverified account on Tuesday evening: “Case filed against Rhea and her family under section 306 for abetment to suicide..also section 340 and 342.#CBICantBeDeniedForSSR”

“Good news coming in..Presumably, the cops from Patna are in Bombay already after an FIR has been filed by Sushanr’s (sic) family and an SIT has been formed to investigate the matter. #CBICantBeDeniedForSSR #justiceforsushanthforum,” Suman said in a separate tweet.

Sushant Singh Rajput made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with the movie “Kai Po Che”. He was appreciated for his performance in “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”, “MS Dhoni: The Untold Story”, “Sonchiriya” and “Chhichhore”.

“Dil Bechara”, his last movie which was released online on July 24 on Disney+Hotstar, has drawn praise from the critics.

Big B enraged as trolls say ‘I hope you die of Covid-19’

Amitabh Bachchan has reacted sharply to trolls in an open letter he wrote from the Covid-19 ward in a Mumbai hospital.

He penned the note to anonymous trolls who have been wishing his death due to the novel coronavirus. “they write to tell me… ‘I hope you die with this COVID”.

“Hey, Mr. Anonymous… you do not even write your Father’s name,… because you do not know who Fathered you… there are only two things that can happen… either I shall die or either I shall live. If I die you won’t get to write your diatribe anymore, by weathering your remark on a celebrity name… pity.”

He added: “The reason for your writing to be noticed was that you took a swipe at Amitabh Bachchan… that shall no longer exist… !! If by God’s grace I live and survive you shall have to be ‘weathering’ the ‘swipe’ storm, not just from me, but on a very conservative level, from 90+ million followers.”

“I have yet to tell them to… but if I survive I shall… and let me tell you they are a force incensed… they traverse the entire World… from the West to the East from the North to the South … and they are not just the Ef of this page… that extended family shall in the flash of an eye become ‘extermination family’!! All I shall say to them is… ‘thok do saalon ko’.”

After his granddaughter Aaradhya and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan tested negative for coronavirus and was discharged from hospital, Big B had penned an emotional letter on his blog.

“They go home, the little one and Bahurani .. and the tears flow out .. the little one embraces and tells me not to cry ..’ you’ll be home soon’ she assures .. I must believe her…” he had written on Monday night.

Big B also shared that as the day passed by, in the evening he sat and contemplated “on that which brings vexation… in averse sleep hours the writing thoughts run through the mind and brain… tomorrow or as soon as it is day break shall I bring it all to book .. scathing, defiant, angered, indignation profound…”

Arjun Kapoor recalls shooting for ‘Mubarakan’

Actor Arjun Kapoor on Tuesday went down the memory lane and shared a throwback video from the shooting of Mubarakan, which was released three years back.

Taking to Instagram stories, Arjun posted the clip in which we can see him practicing on the “Hawa Hawa” song from “Mubarakan”. “Scrolling through my phone and look what I found. Miss dancing on ‘Hawa Hawa’. 3 years of Mubarakan,” Arjun shared.

Directed by Anees Bazmi, “Mubarakan” also stars Anil Kapoor, Athiya Shetty, and Ileana D’cruz.

As the film completed three years, Athiya also took to Instagram and remembered shooting for it. She uploaded an old picture in which the lead actors could see sharing a light moment.

“3 years of ‘Mubarakan’,” Athiya captioned the image.

Speaking of Arjun’s upcoming projects, he will be seen opposite Rakul Preet Singh in a rom-com next.

Shivraj Waichal: Web series ‘Idiot Box’ brings alive various emotions

Actor Shivraj Waichal says he entered the industry with an aim to experience and experiment with different genres.

He added that his new series “Idiot Box” gave him a chance to do both.

“This series brings alive various emotions on screen and encapsulates everything that we grew up enjoying on television,” Shivraj said.

“There is friendship, love, drama, and all the hacks one would possibly try in order to win over his ex. I entered the industry wanting to experience it all, experiment with different genres, and this series made my dream come true in five episodes! You will have to watch it to know what I mean,” he added.

From spies to getting into a surprise heist and fighting with his former girlfriend’s fiance, the Marathi web series depicts all the mushy things that Aakash (essayed by Shivraj) does, to win the love of his life back. In the show, he is seen on a quest to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend.

Directed by Jeet Ashok and Virajas Kulkarni, the MX Exclusive series also stars Shivani Rangoli, Spruha Joshi, Abhijeet Khandkekar, Pushkar Jog, Sanskruti Balgude, Akshay Tanksale, Pravin Tarde, Mrinal Kulkarni, Sunil Barve, and Aashay Kulkarni. The show is dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

A joke should be taken as a joke: Anubhav Singh Bassi

Stand-up comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi says the art form of comedy is ever-evolving with more people entering the arena, bringing fresh content and audience with them. He also says that a joke should be taken as one, and we need to come to a place of mutual acceptance.

Bassi, who has over 18 lakh subscribers on YouTube, may not have many show clips on his channel, but what makes him an internet sensation is the viewership he enjoys. The Indian comedian had a whopping 38 lakh views on a comedy video based on cheating in exams. Success with an audience, he says, depends heavily on how much they relate to your content.

“I try to create something either nostalgic or relatable or it’s a lived experience or a story they’ve heard. They start imagining and it hits them. The relatability factor works best,” he told IANSlife in an interview. Asked a question on the audience finding certain content-sensitive, he says: “I think comedy is influenced by life and evolves with the times we live in. So, we have a diverse spectrum of artists and audience, I believe there is something for everyone. Some people are sensitive about particular kinds of content, it’s true, but it’s okay. Every artist has an audience. This will get resolved as the art form progresses and evolves in India.”

Speaking on comedy and politics being increasingly intertwined, Bassi believes: “It’s hardly a trend, a joke should be taken as one and we need to come to a place of mutual acceptance. The purpose is only to entertain people.”

The law school graduate has much content culled out and spun from his personal experience of hostel life. Between law school and being a stand-up comedian, he says things have panned out pretty well. The entrepreneur and one time UPSC aspirant, says he’s happily ended up with stand-up.

On more and more people wanting to get into comedy he asserts, “I think it’s really far and far. I get texts on Instagram saying people want to try their hands on stand-up comedy. It’s really good that more and more people are giving recognition to the art form. The fresh audience would mean our content reaches far and wide.”

The period of lockdown and no live shows has brought the whole industry to a standstill, with only a handful attempting to do script-writing or online performances. This, however, has not been the case with Bassi. “I tried to write many things, but for a comedian whose art form is basically live, it’s difficult to write content and think whether it’s funny. Till the time you’re not performing it in front of an audience, you cannot determine that. Another thing is, when we did live shows before as comedians, we did not record those shows. We recorded only those sets which we knew we had to release on YouTube or somewhere else. I will try to record as many shows as possible from now onward because if anything like happens again, I must have few videos to release.”

Is he expecting a strong recovery? “I expect a strong bounce-back when it opens, people will step out and buy tickets out of frustration of being home. Plus, many people have saved money on entertainment.”

Vidyut Jammwal: I don’t get disappointed about anything in life

Bollywood action star Vidyut Jammwal is happy that his films are releasing on OTT platforms because now people can watch his films on their own and decide whether they would like to watch somebody or not.

Vidyut’s upcoming films “Yaara” and “Khuda Haafiz” have bypassed traditional theatrical release and will be releasing on the OTT platforms Zee5 and Disney+Hotstar VIP respectively.

He insists he is not disappointed that these films will not hit the big screen. “I don’t get disappointed about anything in life. As they say, when the right time comes, the right things happen. Maybe, this is the right time for the right thing to happen,” Vidyut told IANS.

“What is this arrogance about not releasing in theatres? This is so good. The whole nation needed to watch my movies. There are people who wouldn’t watch a Vidyut Jammwal film. Now they would know who this guy is and then decide. Normally, what happens is people don’t go to the theatres because critics have their own opinion,” he added.

Citing an example of his film, “Junglee”, Vidyut claimed: “‘Junglee’ did not do Rs-100 crore business at the theatres but it is the number one rated movie on all OTT platforms. Critics didn’t enjoy the film and what they wrote didn’t let people go to the theatre. Now, people can watch it on their own and decide whether they would like to watch somebody or not.”

Vaani Kapoor: I am happy doing what I like and what I want

Actress Vaani Kapoor says she does not carry the baggage of being the most relevant in Bollywood.

“If I was carrying the baggage of wanting to be the most relevant in the industry, I wouldn’t make the choices that I did,” Vaani told IANS.

The actress made her Bollywood debut in 2013 with a slice-of-life portrayal as a smalltown girl in “Shuddh Desi Romance” that won her acclaim and then switched on the uber-glam mode in “Befikre” (2016) and “War” (2019).

“I am happy doing what I like and what I want. These are my decisions and I am happy that I got to choose and make these calls for myself,” she said.

Vaani currently has two films in her kitty, “Shamshera” and “Bell Bottom”. “Shamshera” co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt, is a dacoit drama set in the 1800s. The film casts Vaani as a dancer.

“Bell Bottom” is a thriller set in the 1980s and stars Akshay Kumar. The film also features Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta.

Shruti Haasan on nepotism: Easy to get in, hard to stay in

The conversation on nepotism in Indian cinema continues, and actress Shruti Haasan, the elder daughter of Kamal Haasan and Sarika, says while the initial opportunity to enter the film industry was comparatively easier for her, it has been tougher to survive in the business of cinema that is cut-throat by nature.

“I have to admit that the doors opened for me because of the kind of people I have grown up with, because of my parents. I got that because of my surname, I cannot deny that. But I am a slow learner, in general, in life. I did not know the right way of communication, and how to hustle to reach out to the right people. In fact, I still am socially awkward. So, it was not been easy for me to navigate. I do not take away the fact that I am privileged, though overall I have a hard journey. I would say, it was easy to get in but hard to stay in,” Shruti told IANS.

Right now, she is gearing up for her upcoming OTT release, “Yaara”, a directorial venture of her “favorite”, the National award-winning filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia. The film also features Amit Sadh, Vijay Varma, Vidyut Jammwal in a pivotal role.

“Yaara” releases on Zee5, on July 30.