Vir Das: There’s nothing to lose when you do charity

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Vir Das: There’s nothing to lose when you do charity

Comedian-actor Vir Das says the idea of helping people through his craft of comedy always lets him be in a win-win situation.

Vir Das has released his latest fundraiser show “Inside Out” on his YouTube channel. He says the effort has given him an opportunity to reach out to frontline workers who risk their lives to fight COVID, as well as people who are often marginalized — like the aged.

“I think when you are doing something for charity, there is nothing to lose. I never intended to do the show in a proper show format. The whole show has developed very organically, from the basic question, ‘what will you do the first thing once the lockdown is over?’ It is a charity special in which we are bringing people together to contribute a minimum of Rs 30. It will amount to something good, will help some people! It is a win-win!” he told IANS.

The show that released on August 21, is billed as unique and unscripted.

“While scripting the final of it, I was feeling free as the content is honest and it comes from the audience. The fun is coming from the answers of the audience when they are asked what will they do. People were candid, some were vulnerable while others were just opening up while talking to me. That way, it is real,” said the comedian.

So, were there any weird or mad answers? Vir promptly replied: “Yes bro! I have to tell you, every five minutes I would get one of those crazy answers! Like, people would say they want to have sex, meet their partners, want to do drugs, they want to make-out, get married! Some would also say that they want to meet their parents, but overall I think this lockdown affected all of us. Their answers were a reflection of that! I would say that it was a privilege to let into people’s lives that way!”

“I genuinely believe that privilege is something that I should pass on. You should share privilege. During the lockdown, I was privileged enough to stay safe, but not everyone was. That was the basic thought behind the charity show,” he further added.

Why did he opt for YouTube rather than an OTT platform, as he did for his earlier shows? “It is more inclusive when it is released on YouTube. A section of the population may or may not have a subscription to OTT, but they would have access to a free platform like YouTube and the heart to donate thirty rupees,” he reasoned.

Big B sings in musical film presented by AR Rahman

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Big B sings in musical film presented by AR Rahman

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman presents the upcoming musical film, Atkin Chakan. Among the highlights is the fact that Amitabh Bachchan has sung a song in the soundtrack of the film composed by master percussionist Sivamani.

The film tells the story of a 12-year-old chai delivery boy and his dream.

“‘Atkin Chatkan’ is a story that is enriched with heart and hope, and we are finally sharing it with the world on a global platform. The rhythm of this kid’s dream will beat with a passion that it is a perfect example of hope,” Rahman said.

The protagonist is a 12-year-old chai delivery boy named Guddu, whose passion is to observe, listen, and create new sounds. He finds rhythm in almost everything. Rising beyond his daily mundane life, he forms a band with three other street children.

Playing Guddu is gifted child pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram, who is also Rahman’s protege. The film will also star Sachin Chaudhary, Yash Rane, and Tamanna Dipak.

The music of the film is scored by the celebrated percussionist Shivamani. “The music in the film plays an integral part, but it’s the storyline that will give the audience a sense of hope. The friendship between the four kids and their passion to fulfil their dream is the rhythm that the world would want to dance to while watching the film. Hope and burning passion are the key takeaways,” said Shivamani.

Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, Runa Sivamani, and Uthara Unnikrishnan have sung the songs.

The film is written and directed by filmmaker Saumyy Shivhare, produced by Vishakha Singh, and is slated to release on Zee5 on September 5.

Sushant’s PR person Radhika Nihalani is mystery girl spotted outside his home: Shibani Dandekar

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Sushant’s PR person Radhika Nihalani is mystery girl spotted outside his home: Shibani Dandekar

Singer-actress Shibani Dandekar has refuted the theory that she is the mystery girl spotted outside the apartment of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Shibani claimed the girl in question is his PR person Radhika Nihalani.

“This is NOT me nor is it Simone! Please fact check before you speculate.. this is his PR person Radhika Nihalani @radhikahuja and her assistant. Stop with the fake news! Enough! My silence doesn’t give you the right to continue spreading lies and hate,” she wrote on Twitter, while sharing a link which has now been deleted.

A video that went viral a while back showed a girl outside Sushant’s apartment talking to the domestic staff. The girl could not be recognised because she was wearing a mask. It has been claimed that the video is from the day when Sushant died.

Many netizens speculated the ‘mystery girl’ — as sections of the media have named her — is Shibani.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14. Now, the CBI has taken over the case.

While the CBI investigates the case, many conjectures and theories have surfaced online. Some celebrities are debunking the claims, and setting the record straight.

Before Shibani, actor Sooraj Pancholi had denounced reports claiming his connection with Disha Salian, the former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Sooraj said claimed he has never met or spoken to Disha in his life, in a social media post.

Sanjay Dutt has a golden heart: Jisshu Sengupta

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Sanjay Dutt has a golden heart: Jisshu Sengupta

Actor Jisshu Sengupta has described working with Sanjay Dutt as a learning experience, adding that he was very comfortable in his company.

Jisshu worked with Dutt on the upcoming film, “Sadak 2”.

“We shot nine days of climax, and every single day was about so much learning. The ease, the pain, the childlike innocence — I was so, so comfortable in his company. We spoke about music, about so many random things and laughed so much. He has a golden heart,” Jisshu said.

With “Sadak 2”, Sanjay is revisiting the world of his 1991 hit, “Sadak”. The second part marks the return of Mahesh Bhatt as director after two decades. The film stars his daughters Alia and Pooja Bhatt along with Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Roy Kapur. The film will release on August 28 on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

Jisshu was last seen in “Shakuntala Devi”, which is based on the life of the late Shakuntala Devi, who is widely revered as the human computer for her innate ability to make complex calculations within seconds.

Shweta on brother Sushant: In some realm, we will always be together

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Shweta on brother Sushant: In some realm, we will always be together

Shweta Singh Kirti, sister of Sushant Singh Rajput, has shared a throwback picture from her wedding celebration posing with the late actor and shared that in some realm, they will always be together.

Shweta took to Instagram, where she shared a throwback picture. In the image, Sushant is seen in a white kurta and smiling ear to ear as he poses with his sister for the camera.

“In some realm, we will always be together… #GudiaGulshan. I will try and find a video from my Sangeet and upload it,” she captioned the image.

Shweta also shared a family photograph, where Sushant can be seen standing alongside his sisters and father.

“A Beautiful Tribute To My Beautiful Brother,” she wrote and used hashtags such as #INSAAFYEEKSAWAALHAI and #JusticeForSushant

In a third picture that Shweta shared from her wedding reception, a happy Sushant can be seen giving a bear hug to his sister.

“Bhai at my wedding reception, giving me a hug. I remember a day prior to the reception how we had hugged and cried, I wish I could just go back in time,” she wrote.

On Monday, old videos went viral of a 21-year-old Sushant at Shweta’s wedding. The videos were posted by her husband Vishal Kirti on his blog. In the same blog post, Vishal wrote that he was not in close touch with Sushant after actress Rhea Chakraborty came into his life.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the death.

Akshay Oberoi: Actors with box office numbers often get the challenging parts

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Akshay Oberoi: Actors with box office numbers often get the challenging parts

Actor Akshay Oberoi says people often tell him he has not got his due or that he is not as big a star as he should be. Akshay notes how several great actors made it only after a certain stage in their careers.

“Bollywood is all about the number game. Certain actors who have box office numbers get the opportunity to play roles that they wouldn’t otherwise get. People give them all kinds of challenging parts, and then later on when the performances aren’t good they also trash those artistes. But you can’t blame it, that is the system,” Akshay told IANS.

He says cinema is art made for commerce. “So, there are certain names that sell more than other names. My career has just not gone that way. I have done really interesting films that I really like — you know ‘Pizza’, ‘Gurgaon’, ‘Laal Rang’, ‘Kaalakandi’ — besides the web series I have been a part of. I enjoyed these roles and I think people have, too. So, the number game doesn’t bother me much,” he said.

The actor continued: “I feel every dog has its day. You just have to put your head down and work hard and be the best actor you can be. Then, no one can stop you.”

“People often say ‘you haven’t gotten your due’, or ‘you’re not as big a star as you should be’. I feel there is a long way to go, so, why get caught up in this now? So many great actors only made it at a certain stage, and I will be ready for it when it comes because I would have worked so much and so hard at my craft that no one will be able to take the craft away from me,” he added.

Akshay currently plays a menacing dark character in the web series, “Flesh”. The series tells the story of two completely different girls who survive the ordeal of being victims of the sex and human trafficking industry in India.

He will also be seen in the films “KTina”, the Hindi remake of “Thiruttu Payalaye 2” and a series titled “Magic”.

Abhishek Bachchan: Web series lets you move away from usual storytelling tropes

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Abhishek Bachchan: Web series lets you move away from usual storytelling tropes

Actor Abhishek Bachchan is intrigued by the psychological interplay of his dual role in his debut web series, Breathe: Into The Shadows, and says he would love to explore the character further.

In the show, Abhishek’s character suffers from a split personality disorder — as Dr. Avinash Sabharwal, a distraught father on a lookout for his missing child, and the sinister J.

Looking back at the challenges he faced while getting into the skin of Avinash, Abhishek told IANS: “There were several challenges we faced when we started to flesh out Avi. (Director) Mayank Sharma and I spent weeks, if not months working on all his characteristics and nuances. There were much debate and discussion. We tried our best to make him as relatable as possible. We wanted the viewers to feel that maybe they could know somebody like Avi. He was not designed as your archetypical ‘Hero’.”

“A web series gives you the ability and liberty to move away from the usual tropes of story-telling and characterizations we tend to use in India. But, I feel the biggest challenge was to make it believable that he was capable of doing all the things he is made to do during the show. Also, (it was a challenge) how to incorporate very faint shades of J in certain mannerisms of his,” he added.

Abhishek researched a lot to get the nuances of the things associated with the disorder right.

“Thankfully, since they were two different personalities there weren’t any conflicts to deal with. The director, writers, and I researched the disorder as much as possible to be as accurate as we could. Apart from extensive reading up on the subject we viewed many videos of patients and also has a consultant on board,” he said.

What themes would he like to explore through the character if the story was carried forward? “I would love to explore J. He intrigues me — the way he thinks, behaves and responds to situations,” Abhishek replied.

“Breathe: Into The Shadows” was released on July 10 on Amazon Prime Video, with Abhishek, Nithya Menen, Amit Sadh, and Saiyami Kher leading the show.

Rhea, family have not received CBI summons: Lawyer

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Rhea, family have not received CBI summons: Lawyer

Actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family have not received a summons from the CBI, her lawyer Satish Maneshinde said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, several reports claimed that Rhea and her father Indrajit Chakraborty have been summoned by the CBI as part of investigations into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Following this, her legal team sent out an official statement, refuting the claims.

“Dear Friends, Rhea Chakraborty & Fly (Family) have not received any summons from CBI so far to attend. No sooner she receives it, she & fly will attend as they did before Mumbai Police and ED as law-abiding citizens. No speculations are necessary,” said her lawyer Satish Maneshinde in the statement.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14. Now, the CBI has taken over the case.

The CBI team on Sunday took the late actor’s personal staff back to his flat in Bandra for further questioning and recreating the crime scene.

The team also visited the Waterstone resort where the late actor had spent two months. The CBI team was there for over two hours, trying to determine how Sushant behaved during his stay at the place.

Soha Ali Khan has healthy feast ideas for festival season

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Soha Ali Khan has healthy feast ideas for festival season

Actress Soha Ali Khan is opting for healthy food alternatives during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, to fully enjoy the festival.

The first thing she is doing is replacing sugar with jaggery.

“As everyone knows, sugar is the refined product of sugarcane whereas jaggery is a more natural and less processed sweetener. As a child, my mom was particular to instill a sense of consciousness in my brother and me, and seeing her I have imbibed some of the same qualities,” she said.

She added: “I am very conscious about what my family and I eat, and its health quotient. Hence, during festivals, one thing that I do is replace sugar with jaggery for all sweets that are prepared at home, and even as the sweetener we use for drinks consumed at home. Adding jaggery to the diet may help boost the body’s metabolism and gradually helps burn fat, which is an added benefit. Besides this, I also prefer jaggery over white sugar as it helps cleanse the body by flushing out toxins.”

Soha feels it is easy to get carried away, during festivals.

“The best way to avoid that is by making sure your spread includes healthy foods like almonds, which are a great snack to munch on any time of the day and they have health benefits across weight and diabetes management, heart and skin health. And with all the festivities abuzz, it’s important to also keep energy levels up,” she said.

The actress also suggests alternatives like exotic fruits.

“Another good way of avoiding sweets during the festivities is replacing conventional sweet dishes with fresh fruit or berries like mulberries. I personally make sure I keep a plate of mulberries, as the dessert course because they are a healthier choice. Consuming berries or fruits after a meal will satiate your sugar craving without adding many unwanted calories,” said the mother of one.

‘Mardaani’ writer Gopi Puthran: There is a dearth of stories on women

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‘Mardaani’ writer Gopi Puthran: There is a dearth of stories on women

Rani Mukerji-starrer Mardaani was released six years ago on this day, and Gopi Puthran, the writer of the film who went on to direct its sequel, feels the franchise resonates because there is a dearth of good stories about women.

“It’s my speculation, but the reason why ‘Mardaani’ as a franchise resonated so much with the audience is because there are a void and dearth of stories of women, which are sincerely told while tapping onto the correct insights of the problems and the journey of women,” Puthran said.

He added: “Somewhere, I think, ‘Mardaani as a universe is tapping into the core of being a woman, especially in a patriarchal society. The themes that we have been dealing with in part 1 and 2 — the struggle of maintaining one’s identity in a world where you are constantly asked to compromise — that’s something we approached with sincerity.”

“I think the sincerity of our themes and dealing with the issues that women face has clicked with the audience and I hope we continue to do justice, in the way we approach the themes, in the subsequent parts that we’ll hopefully be doing,” Puthran said.

“Mardaani” also stars Jisshu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Sadanand Verma. It revolves around Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani), a policewoman who is out to capture a human trafficking mafia led by a man named Walt (Tahir).

Puthran shares an endearing relationship with Rani with whom he has worked in the Mardaani franchise.

“Rani has actually given life and soul to this character, Shivani Shivaji Roy. The way she added so much of depth and gravitas to this character instinctively is so satisfying, especially for a writer when you see that a star and an actor puts in so much effort and instinct. She has made Shivani Shivaji Roy come alive,” said Puthran.

He feels Rani is natural with action sequences. “She has been brilliant in action sequences. Right from ‘Mardaani’ 1 to ‘Mardaani 2′, Rani is a complete natural when it comes to action sequences. It was like she was meant to do this part.”

Puthran said that Rani can bring vulnerability as well as toughness to a character. “Thus, Shivani became as unique a character as you would have ever seen in Indian cinema. That is entirely Rani, her capabilities, her genius.”

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