‘Trivikram is like the thread in a garland that kept us all intact’

The makers of ‘Bheemla Nayak’ had organized an event to celebrate the blockbuster success of the movie, earlier on Saturday.

Talking at the event, director Sagar K Chandra thanked the entire team, as he showered praise on Trivikram Srinivas for his hard work. “We are overwhelmed with the kind of response for this movie. Hearing blockbuster reports along with mind-blowing collections,” Sagar said.

Talking about the teamwork, Sagar K Chandra thanked Thaman, who scored thumping music for the Pawan & Rana- starrer. “His music added great value to the scenes,” Sagar K Chandra added.

“We are all flowers of a garland, who were kept together by Trivikram, who acted as a thread. He’s the one who held us together, coordinated with each team. We are forever thankful for his continuous efforts in keeping us all motivated despite the challenges.”

Thaman, who delivered good music for the ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ remake, stated that the team was confident about the movie being a super hit, ever since.

“We knew it would be nothing less than a Tsunami”, Thaman said.

Screenplay and dialogue writer Trivikram said, “I first need to thank the media. The media hyped the movie, as much as it was needed.”

“We need to shift the balance. We started the journey of Bheemla Nayak saluting forest, to take the character close to the jungle. We later imbibed Koshy’s character.”

“The major change we made was to give both characters a common journey,” the ‘Ala Vaikunthapuramu Loo’ director said. Actress Samyuktha Menon, Producer Naga Vamsi, Ganesh Master, and others were present at the success meet along with Sagar K Chandra, Thaman, and Trivikram Srinivas.

Kangana’s ‘Lock Upp’ runs into trouble after court issues stay order on reality show

The reality show ‘Lock Upp’ hosted by Kangana Ranaut, which was set to be aired from Sunday, has been put on hold by the City Civil Court of Hyderabad.

As a result, the show will not air on any form of electronic or social media.

After taking note of a video clip of the trailer of the show, the court issued an ad-interim injunction on releasing the upcoming show, saying that it bears resemblance to petitioner Sanober Baig’s story and the script of the concept ‘The Jail’.

The concept, which is owned by Pride Media through its proprietor Sanober Baig, was written by Shaantanu Ray and Sheershak Anand and is registered under the Copyright Act on March 7, 2018, and was also registered at the Film Writers Association.

The petition explains how the concept was developed and also lists the details of the money invested by him at various stages of concept development.

Commenting on the situation, Sanober said, “When I saw the promo of the said show, I was in shock. I have been in touch with Abhishek Rege from Endemol Shine for a long time and had several meetings about the subject in Hyderabad. He had promised that once the market gets better, we will get going.”

He further mentioned that the show is outrightly plagiarised, saying: “The show is not only similar to our concept, but it is an absolute copy of the same. I could not believe that somebody could plagiarise the concept to such an extent. We have prayed to the court for infringement of copyright and have got a stay order.”

If the legal representatives of the petitioner are successful in proving infringement, the defendant production house (Ekta Kapoor’s AltBalaji) will be liable for consequences under Sections 51 and 52 of the Copyright Act.

It’s not that Sanober directly knocked on the court’s door. It was only after the production house refused to have a dialogue with him that Sanober reached out to the court.

“I connected with the respective companies and requested them not to go ahead with the concept. But they turned a deaf ear and challenged that they have every right to stream as per the schedule,” he said.

“I had no option but to seek redressal from the judiciary. The notice has been served to all the parties involved and we have the acknowledgment of the same. If the show gets aired, it’ll be a contempt of the court. I have full faith in the judiciary and I am sure that justice will be served,” Sanober signed off.

Ajay Devgn describes Rudra as ‘suave, nuanced and mindful’

Actor Ajay Devgn has talked about his character in the upcoming web series ‘Rudra – The Edge of Darkness’. He calls it “suave, nuanced and mindful”.

Asked how he would describe his character, the actor shared, “The concept of Rudra was intriguing for me. Rudra is a smart cop who uses his impeccable mind skills to stay ahead of criminals. He doesn’t feel the need to use violence as a weapon. Instead, he is analytical and puts details first. Rudra is suave, nuanced, and mindful and that’s why I was drawn to him in the first place.”

A remake of the successful British series ‘Luther’, ‘Rudra – The Edge of Darkness’ is an engaging and dark take on a cop’s journey of uncovering truths and bringing victims justice.

It will see Ajay Devgn’s titular character of an intuitive and instinctive police officer fighting for the truth in darkness as he wades through a grim and complex web of crimes and criminals and corruption with a wrathful, steely grit.

To be released Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali, the crime drama features a stellar cast including Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra in pivotal roles.

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ mints Rs 10.5 cr on day one

Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ has made a whopping Rs 10.5 crore on the first day of its release on February 25.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the earnings of Alia’s hits such as ‘Raazi’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ on Twitter.

Adarsh said: “#Raazi vs #GangubaiKathiawadi: *Day 1* biza #Raazi: 7.53 cr (pre-Covid + 100% occupancy) #GangubaiKathiawadi: 10.50 cr (pandemic + 50% occupancy in #Maharashtra)… Note: #Mumbai, #Thane, #Pune, #Gujarat, #Delhi (some locs) are best performers on Day 1. #India biz.”

‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ tells the tale of a young girl named Ganga who becomes Gangubai, a madame in the red light area of Kamathipura.

It is loosely based on the true story of Gangubai Harjivandas, popularly known as Gangubai Kothewali, whose life was documented in the book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’, written by S. Hussain Zaidi.

Hrithik gives shoutout to rumoured girlfriend Saba Azad on social media

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan recently took to his Instagram and gave a shoutout to his rumored girlfriend, Saba Azad. The shoutout came ahead of Saba’s gig and it marks Hrithik’s first post for her.

The ‘War’ actor shared a picture of Saba Azad along with Naseeruddin Shah’s son Imaad Shah. The two have an electro-funk band called Madboy/Mink. Hrithik wrote on the picture, “Kill it, you guys”.

The rumors of the two dating each other have been grabbing headlines of late. Earlier, Saba was also seen at a Hrithik family lunch in a picture shared by Hrithik’s uncle Rajesh Roshan. Captioning the picture, Rajesh Roshan had written, “Happiness is always around… Especially on a Sunday, specifically at lunchtime.”

Hrithik was earlier married to Sussanne Khan, they’re parents to two sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan. Sussanne had also attended Saba’s gig sometime back. She posted Saba Azad’s photo from the music event and wrote, “What an amazing evening. You are super cool and supremely talented.”

Saba Azad expressed her gratitude towards Sussanne through Instagram stories, where she wrote, “Thanks, my Suzie. So happy you were there last night.”

Meanwhile, after a hiatus of two years, Hrithik will be next seen in the Hindi remake of the 2017 runaway Tamil success, ‘Vikram Vedha’ essaying the role of Vikram along with Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte and Rohit Saraf.

Nagarjuna-hosted ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’ all set to go

Disney Plus Hotstar comes forth with the 24-hour OTT version of the sensational ‘Bigg Boss’ show, to entertain the Telugu television audience.

As announced by the makers of the controversial reality show, the curtain-raiser episode will start airing on Saturday, February 26.

The promos released by the makers of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’ features Nagarjuna, as his hosting adds to the excitement.

Earlier, on Friday, the makers unveiled a video in which the ‘Manmadhudu’ actor is seen exploring the colorful sets, where the contestants of the first season of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’ will reside for the coming days on the show.

It is reported that the 24-hour show will have 17 contestants, the list, which includes contestants from the previous five seasons of the reality show in Telugu.

It is also informed that the show will continue to be telecasted for 12 weeks, as of now, but there are chances that the makers will prolong a couple of weeks, as per the requirement.

Historical drama ‘Outlander’ kicks off its prequel

With Season 6 of ‘Outlander’ scheduled to release on March 6 and the seventh season already getting a nod for production, a prequel to the historical drama series is currently in works at a leading television network with Matthew B. Roberts set to write and executive produce the prequel, reports ‘Variety’.

‘Outlander’ is based on the ongoing novel series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon, who recently teased in a Facebook post about working on a prequel novel about Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, the parents of Jamie Fraser – the main character from ‘Outlander’. Currently, a writers’ room is being assembled for the project which is set to begin work in the coming weeks.

According to ‘Variety’, the exact plot details with regards to the prequel and its focal point haven’t been revealed yet. Ronald D. Moore, who developed ‘Outlander’ for television, will also executive produce along with Maril Davis under their Tall Ship Productions banner.

The series remains one of the premium cabler’s most popular shows. As with ‘Outlander’, Sony Pictures Television will be the studio.

Raashii Khanna: Was nervous at first to work with Ajay Devgn

Actress Rashi Khanna, who is all set to make her digital debut with ‘Rudra – The Edge of Darkness’, has talked about working with Bollywood star Ajay Devgn in the stories.

Raashii said: “To be honest, I was nervous at first to work with him. But when I met him, I realised how down-to-earth he is. It’s very easy to have a conversation with him. And whatever little that I have pulled off playing this character is all thanks to him and my director. Ajay sir was very supportive and made me feel very comfortable.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to pull off certain scenes if it wasn’t for his support, especially my introduction. He obviously is very experienced and I learned a lot from him in terms of camera angles, playing out certain emotions, playing it natural and the list is very long!”

A remake of the successful British series Luther, ‘Rudra – The Edge of Darkness’ is an engaging and dark take on a cop’s journey of uncovering truths and bringing victims justice.

It will see Ajay Devgn’s titular character of an intuitive and instinctive police officer fighting for the truth in darkness as he wades through a grim and complex web of crimes and criminals and corruption with a wrathful, steely grit.

‘Rudra – The Edge of Darkness’ will be available exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar from March 4, 2022, in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali.

Helmed by ace director Rajesh Mapuskar, spanning across six episodes, the series has been shot across multiple unique locations in Mumbai and reimagines the city from the lens of the country’s most wanted.

Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India, the crime drama features a stellar cast including Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra in pivotal roles.

Priyanka Chopra says Ukraine situation ‘terrifying’, urges people to help

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who was appointed the UN Goodwill Ambassador in 2016, has strongly reacted to the crisis which is currently unfolding in Ukraine following the military attack launched by Russia.

Terming the situation as “terrifying”, she has urged people on behalf of Unicef to provide aid to Ukraine. The actress shared a video of a news coverage on the situation in Ukraine, which is getting battered with Russian bombing on their military bases.

The bombing has created widespread panic among the Ukrainians, who have turned subway stations into underground bunkers to stay safe during the ongoing skirmish.

Priyanka wrote in the caption, “The situation unfolding in Ukraine is terrifying. Innocent people living in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones, while trying to navigate the uncertainty of the immediate future.”

She further wrote, “It’s difficult to comprehend how in the modern world this could escalate to such a catastrophic point, but this is a consequential moment that will reverberate around the world.”

Urging people to lend a helping hand, she wrote, “There are innocent lives living in this war zone. They are just like you and me. Here is more info at the link in my bio about how to assist the people of Ukraine.”

The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has drawn varied reactions from influential people. Earlier, actor Sonu Sood had urged the Indian Embassy in Ukraine to help find an alternative route for evacuating stranded Indians.

Pooja Banerjee exits ‘Kumkum Bhagya’

‘Kumkum Bhagya’ actress Pooja Banerjee has decided to take maternity leave and bid a heartfelt goodbye to the show. She was seen playing a negative role of Rhea Mehra. Her association with the show spanned three years.

Pooja mentioned: “I knew this day was coming but honestly I wasn’t really prepared for it. It’s overwhelming to see the amount of love pouring in from everyone on the set and I think my ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ family has taken more care of me than my own family.”

“So, I am honestly thankful to each and every person who gave me the opportunity to play Rhea Mehra. She is a character that will always be very close to my heart.”

Adding further about how she spent her last day on the set, Pooja added: “I did shed a couple of tears here and there. Everyone was very upset and sad about me leaving and it was difficult for me to say goodbye to all of them. Being the sweetest people they are, they had a little surprise planned for me to celebrate my last day.”

“We had a cake cutting celebration, we danced a little, everybody was singing, talking, crying. I made sure to thank each one of them before saying goodbye,” she concluded.

‘Kumkum Bhagya’ airs on Zee TV.