Anushka, Virat set to welcome first child in January 2021

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Anushka, Virat set to welcome first child in January 2021

Actress Anushka Sharma and her husband, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, are set to be parents for the first time. The couple confirmed on Thursday that they will welcome their firstborn in January 2021.

The announcement came with a picture of the couple on Anushka and Virat’s respective Instagram accounts, where her baby bump is visible. In the photograph, Anushka wears a black and white polka-dotted dress, while Virat is seen in a grey T-shirt and white pants.

“And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021,” Anushka captioned the image. Virat shared the same caption on his Instagram page.

The couple tied the knot in December 2017 in Italy.

Saif Ali Khan: Have experienced politics, nepotism, favouritism

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Saif Ali Khan: Have experienced politics, nepotism, favouritism

Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan got upset when people ridiculed him for saying that he has been a victim of nepotism, and says he has battled dark times and phases of lonely struggle.

The actor also revealed that he has been thrown out of his own film in the past.

“I don’t think I’ve had it particularly easy, even though some people will say ‘oh, of course, you have’! But I’ve done a lot of stuff that a lot of people wouldn’t have done. I mean I’ve played the third lead in some dodgy films like ‘Suraksha’ and ‘Ek Tha Raja’, which nobody has heard of,” Saif said.

“But I never thought what the hell am I doing here. I knew what I was doing there. I was trying to get paid and trying to do this job. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere and I was like ‘okay’. But it helps when you’re 25. It’s alright not be going anywhere if you’re 25 but you don’t want to be there at 50 for sure. But a job’s a job, right?” he added.

Opening up about politics in Bollywood, Saif said: “There are stories like a film might have come or gone, usually, it’s me and then once or twice somebody’s rung up and said ‘oh, I don’t know, this film that we offered you might not be offered to you anymore because there’s been some politics behind the scene’, so you’re like ‘ok wow’. So, all that has happened.”

“Earlier I made a comment in an interview saying ‘I’ve also suffered from nepotism’, I’m laughing about it. The point is, that this industry is not the Red Cross. I mean, there are all kinds of things that happen. There is politics and manipulation and control. I’ve never even been at that level where people are calling the shots. I mean, everyone is in it for themselves. They can control it if they have a certain amount for power, so they do,” he added.

Saif continued: “So, I have been in a situation a couple of times in my career where I’ve been offered something, it’s been done. It’s on paper, and the next day I’ve got a phone call saying, ‘it’s gone’. I’m like, ‘what do you mean it’s gone?’ They’re like ‘we can’t help it, it’s out of our hands, someone important has rung up and said, it’s got to be this way, so sorry’. The first time it happened, I couldn’t do anything about it because I was too young, and the second time they tried to do it I made a few phone calls myself and said that you can’t do this and made a big fuss. Then it came back, and my manager said ‘wow’.”

“When anything unfair happens, I don’t think it is right. That’s why I got upset with people ridiculing me for saying I have been a victim of nepotism because I’ve also worked hard. People have images in their head that you’re all privileged and you’ve got a palace and what does it even mean to you. But we’ve had our pretty dark times and our lonely struggles, every one of us has — especially in my time, I mean, Akshay Kumar would know what I’ve been through and I know what he’s been through,” said the actor during a conversation with actress Neha Dhupia in a podcast of “JioSaavn #NoFilterNeha” season five.

However, Saif, who is the son of veteran star Sharmila Tagore and legendary former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, looks back at his journey in Bollywood with gratitude.

“I got thrown out of my own movie so we’ve experienced politics, we’ve experienced nepotism. We’ve experienced favoritism, people changing their minds for whatever reason, getting a better offer. The vicissitudes of the industry — you know the ups and downs of things that happen and therefore, at a certain age you become a bit philosophical, you say ‘let me just be happy with what I’m doing’,” he said.

“But generally, it’s been a really pleasant experience and with lovely people. I think this industry is wonderful and I think it’s a meritocracy and it does, it’s very non-judgmental, you could be anything and it is one profession where, I think Jackie Shroff once said, a spot boy can be a superstar,” he concluded.

2 mobile numbers that gave away Rhea’s dark secrets

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2 mobile numbers that gave away Rhea’s dark secrets

The central probe agencies looking into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput have tumbled upon the startling conversation of his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty with a number of her close aides which has changed the course of the probe.

When CBI’s SIT landed in Mumbai, their top priority was to crack down the digital footprints of Rhea Chakraborty and her associates. Since the incident had happened in June, the central agencies feared that all efforts must have been made by the suspects to wipe out any evidence.

The federal agencies confiscated two mobile phones which were examined. Since most of the data had already disappeared, they cloned them to retrieve the deleted data. It leads to sensational findings that indicted several players including Rhea in the case.

Internal documents accessed by IANS reveals the painstaking works done by the agencies and Rhea’s alleged bank fraud and suspicious nexus with the drug peddlers.

Rhea allegedly stole Sushant’s debit cards passwords and to do it she took the help of Samuel Miranda, the house manager of the actor, sources said.

The 34-year-old actor was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14, and Rhea was named the prime suspect by his family in a case registered at a Patna police station on July 25.

Following Sushant’s demise, Rhea and Miranda were using the late actor’s funds for their own purposes.

Internal documents stated: “They (Rhea and Samuel) were working in close coordination and were using funds of Sushant Singh Rajput for their own purpose.”

The revelation came during questioning of Miranda by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials separately earlier this month.

The agencies are probing why Rhea stole passwords of Sushant’s debit cards. The agencies also found that Rhea was into drugs and Miranda was also deeply involved in it with her.

After Rhea’s nexus with the drug peddlers came out in the open, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was roped in. The bureau accordingly registered a case and started a probe into the matter.

It was on August 6, after a recommendation by the Bihar government, the CBI had taken over the probe from the Bihar Police on the orders of the central government following an FIR lodged by the deceased’s father at Patna’s Rajiv Nagar police station.

The case was registered against Rhea Chakraborty, her father Indrajit, mother Sandhya, brother Show, Sushant’s ex-manager Shruti Modi and house manager Samuel Miranda and unknown persons on the basis of KK Singh’s complaint.

The ED had registered the money laundering on July 31 on the basis of the Patna Police FIR. Singh had alleged that Rs 15 crore was transacted to unknown bank accounts from Sushant’s Kotak Mahindra bank account.

Rhea and her family have been accused by the late actor’s father of abetting his son’s suicide alienating him from his kin.

Bhumi Pednekar: Women are not supposed to be whitewashed in cinema

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Actress Bhumi Pednekar says female characters are whitewashed on screen and there is a need to change that notion because she believes women have superpowers.

“We need to change the depiction of genders. We need to change how we show women and men. Women are not supposed to be whitewashed — we have desires, we have ambition, we have physical needs and emotions, and we have the capacity to balance. I believe women have superpowers. I think we need to see a lot more of that in our cinema,” Bhumi said.

She added that there has to be a change also in the way men are shown on screen.

“Similarly, we must alter the way men are shown in films. We put so much pressure on the male gender, telling them that they are supposed to be strong, that they can’t cry, can’t show emotion. That is so wrong. This narrative — ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’ or ‘a man doesn’t hurt’– needs to change,” she said.

Bhumi says cinema has a huge impact on its audience and it can be used to change the mindset of people in the most positive way.

“I also believe we need to stop objectifying women and there needs to be a lot more inclusivity in films, including the LGBTQIA+ community. I know change is in the air. I just wish we could accelerate it. Like, I just watched ‘Super Deluxe’ and I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” she said.

Bhumi says there is great work happening in cinema. “I feel lucky to be part of the Hindi film industry at this point,” she added.

Kapil Sharma: Feels incomplete to shoot my show without live audience

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Kapil Sharma: Feels incomplete to shoot my show without live audience

Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma feels comedy can help people forget about their problems for a while, and so he says there should more shows in the genre right now.

His comedy show, “The Kapil Sharma Show”, has been regaling fans since 2016, and Kapil feels when it comes to comedies, it’s more the merrier.

“We get so many messages and posts from people saying if they were stressed, watching the show helped them overcome certain situations or they just felt relieved and forgot about their problems for a while. I think comedy has that effect on people,” Kapil told IANS.

“After a long and tiresome day, all one wants is to forget about whatever that has happened, even though it’s for a little while, and relax. So yes, more comedy shows should be on the air,” he added.

Like others, he was also at home during the lockdown, but he did learn one thing.

“The biggest lesson that I have learned in life is that nothing is constant. Therefore, one shouldn’t take anything for granted. There will always be good and bad times in life. But the bad times always teach something important and help us sail through,” he shared.

He has resumed work now and he feels “absolutely great to come back on the set with all my co-actors and the crew”.

“There is so much positive energy, I see broad smiles on people’s faces, there is motivation to do so much more,” said Kapil.

He also got a new look. “Since we were all starting afresh, I thought why not change my look as well. A clean-shaven look is a classic style. As an entertainer, just like I keep experimenting with the portrayal of different characters on the show, I like experimenting with my look as well,” said Kapil, who has now let go of his beard.

Unlike fiction shows, his project involves the audience too. Now, there is no live audience. They have been replaced by cardboard cut-outs.

“For all these years that I have been working, the audience has played a huge role in my success. Whenever I perform, I get a reaction and that helps me build on it further. Since we can’t host the audience onset (due to the pandemic), you will see cardboard cut-outs of audience reactions now. It does feel incomplete to shoot without an audience, however, Archana (Puran) Ji makes up for it — she and her laughter are equal to 100 people on set,” he quipped.

Technology has helped him to “engage with people without their actual presence”.

“People can now get in touch with us and express their interest and we will be more than happy to video call them. Not just them, we can interact with their whole family through this call,” he shared.

There are other safety measures too taken by the team on set. “From sanitization to temperature checks and people working in PPE suits, we are taking all preventive measures in our capacity while shooting. Personally, we are all very careful and conscious. Our display of affection has also changed. Now we consciously maintain a distance and greet each other with a namaste. We shoot with a limited number of crew and even our personal staff who accompanies us on the set are minimum.

“We have a hand sanitizer readily available on the stage for guests. But it gets used by Archana ji more often than not,” he quipped.

‘Dhoom’ turns 16, writer-filmmaker Vijay Krishna Acharya looks back

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‘Dhoom’ turns 16, writer-filmmaker Vijay Krishna Acharya looks back

Filmmaker-writer Vijay Krishna Acharya, who wrote screenplays for all three films of the Dhoom franchise, besides directing the third installment, recalls being pleasantly surprised with the public reaction to the first film.

The first “Dhoom” film released on August 27, 2004. Starring John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Esha Deol, Rimi Sen, and Uday Chopra in pivotal roles, the action-adventure was about a gang of bikers who engage in a robbing spree in and around Mumbai. A police officer joins hands with a local mechanic to bust the gang.

Viktor, as he is widely known as in the industry, said: “Honestly, as a writer, one always looks for appreciation, and I’m often unaware of the commercial aspect of things. I think all films are creative enterprises first and commerce is a by-product of that. But I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the response to the film (the first ‘Dhoom’).”

“We were confident at the script stage that the film was an entertainer, a film which was not taking itself too seriously. Perhaps that is what struck a chord with the young among the audience, along with the energy of the action and of course ‘Dhoom Macha le’ by Pritam. The only person who kind of foresaw the possibility of a sequel was Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) and he wrote me a mail before the release saying, do think about a sequel!” Acharya recalled.

Acharya’s idea to have a villain with a moral compass was ingenious because one often roots for the villain to win.

He said: ” ‘Dhoom’ is more in an anti-hero world rather than a villain in the traditional sense. In the first ‘Dhoom’, the anti-hero is a rebel. Even though he is a thief, his persona is essentially a rebellious one.”

“There is something about youth and bikes and energy, none of which was a planned thing. It just seemed to come organically, instinctively. The bank robbers are essentially cocking a snook at the establishment, which unconsciously is a thread that runs through all the films of the ‘Dhoom’ series,” he summed up.

Telugu superstar Nani: ‘V’ is special since it is my 25th film

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Telugu superstar Nani: ‘V’ is special since it is my 25th film

Telugu superstar Nani says his upcoming film, V, is special because this will be his 25th release.

“For any artist, it is an out-of-the-world feeling to see fans shower you with love and appreciation. The movie is special to me — since it marks my 25th film. To have found such an interesting way to honor all my fans through this unique reveal has been truly exciting,” Nani said.

The trailer of the film was launched on Wednesday. The film delves into the life of a police officer who falls in love with a crime writer. His life takes a turn when a killer puts across a challenge to him with a puzzle to solve. It then leads to a good-versus-evil showdown.

“The trailer is a sneak peek into the action-packed, edge-of-the-seat thrill that the movie promises,” said Nani.

Written and directed by Mohana Krishna Indraganti, the film also stars Sudheer Babu, Nivetha Thomas, and Aditi Rao Hydari.

For the trailer launch, Amazon Prime Video created a specially-dedicated website, which featured a photo mosaic movie poster that included the pictures of 6,45,543 fans across the globe arranged to create the ‘V’ symbol.

Actor Sudheer Babu feels “fans enjoy the atmosphere of a big release”, and that’s why they “didn’t want to take that fun away from them this time”.

“I’m happy to see the fans participating in the trailer launch. They have always been my strength. ‘V’ is an action drama that is worth their weight. Our collective efforts will be appreciated, I’m sure about it. The humongous response for the trailer is an indication of that,” he added.

Nivetha added: “I express my sincere gratitude to all the fans around the world for their constant support and love! They made the trailer launch of our film ‘V’ very special. We’re nearing release and I cannot wait for the audience to watch the film and share their views.”

The film will stream on OTT September 5 onwards.

Anushka Sharma: We owe it to each other to stay cautious during pandemic

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Anushka Sharma: We owe it to each other to stay cautious during pandemic

Actress Anushka Sharma is keen to see Bollywood bounce back after the COVID pandemic and feels the industry is good at taking precautions.

“Our industry is very good at taking precautions to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. Going forward, the atmosphere on set will definitely be different, but we all need to embrace the changes as we know there is a good reason for these. We owe it to each other to stay cautious during this pandemic,” said the actress.

The pandemic has made Anushka introspective. “Living in the moment is the only thing that makes sense to me now, it makes me feel calm. The minute I start planning or thinking of the future, I have to bring myself to the present and deal with what I have to deal with right now,” she said.

Anushka is happy that she has achieved a work-life balance after over three years of trying to perfect it since her wedding. She says she is happy that she has become less judgemental.

“I’ve been introspective over the last three years. I don’t want to think that my only value is what I’ve achieved in life. Peace of mind is my priority and I’m happy that I have become more compassionate and less judgmental,” she says.

India will organise BRICS Games during Khelo India Games 2021: Rijiju

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India will organise BRICS Games during Khelo India Games 2021: Rijiju

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that BRICS Games 2021 is being planned and will be aligned with the Khelo India Games schedule in India.

“BRICS Games 2021 will be held during the same time and at the same venues as of Khelo India Games 2021 so that our players from various parts of the country who will gather for Khelo India Games will have the benefit and great opportunity of witnessing BRICS Games from close quarters. This will be a great morale booster and motivational moment for them,” Rijiju said on Tuesday.

He made these comments as he attended the meeting of sports ministers of the BRICS nations and spoke about the importance of sport in improving the living standards and quality of life of citizens as well as of collaboration between BRICS nations in taking sport forward in the post-COVID-19 era.

Speaking about organizing sporting events as India unlocks, he said, “During India’s 2021 Chairmanship of the BRICS, Sports and Games will be one of deliverables. The government of India organizes annual sports competitions under the Khelo India Scheme.”

“As we find ways to get over COVID-19, we are hopeful of organising Khelo India Youth Games and Khelo India University Games in 2021. During Khelo India Youth Games 2021, we will invite BRICS member countries to showcase their traditional indigenous games during the inaugural or closing ceremony of Khelo India.”

Stressing on the importance of building fitness and sporting culture to promote the well-being of citizens, Rijiju said: “One of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for UN Agenda 2030 is ‘to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages’.”

“To aligning sports activities and programs with this SDG, the government of India has taken several initiatives and launched schemes and programs. To keep people healthy and fit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched the FIT INDIA movement in August 2019.”

“The main focus of the movement is to create awareness amongst Indians about the importance of fitness in daily life and showcasing the ease and simplicity of doing things which make us fit. For the Fit India movement, the government is playing the role of catalyst so that Fit India becomes a people’s movement. The movement has already gained great momentum in the last 1 year,” he added.

Mohit Sehgal on shooting for ‘Naagin 5’ amid new normal

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Mohit Sehgal on shooting for ‘Naagin 5’ amid new normal

Actor Mohit Sehgal is back on TV after a while and that too with the much-anticipated fifth season of the popular show, Naagin.

“The show must go on. One can’t wait till the coronavirus (pandemic) ends. It was important to resume work and move on,” reasoned Mohit while speaking to IANS, on why it was important to return to work despite the current situation.

“Also, one should not neglect health while working. Proper precautions are being taken on the sets. We actors ensure we don’t touch things here and there. Everything is taking care of now. The staff wears masks and shields while doing the make-up of the actors. So, we all have been doing our best to take necessary steps,” Mohit said.

“Naagin 5” also stars Hina Khan, Surbhi Chandna, and Sharad Malhotra. It airs on Colors TV.

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