Vidyut Jammwal kickstarts shoot of his debut production ‘IB 71’

Action star Vidyut Jammwal flagged off the first schedule of his next film titled ‘IB 71’ directed by Sankalp Reddy on Thursday.

The espionage thriller is based on a true incident of how Indian Intelligence Officers outwitted the entire Pakistani establishment and gave the Indian armed forces the required advantage to face a two-front war.

The film is Vidyut’s debut production venture under his banner Action Hero Films in association with T-Series and Reliance Entertainment. Talking about the film’s first schedule, Vidyut Jammwal shares, “It’s a new beginning for my production house Action Hero Films. I’m thrilled about backing a film that revisits a glorious chapter in history. It’s a story of the brilliance of intelligence officers, whom I salute with all my heart. My team and I are grateful to have begun the year on an exciting note.”

Director Sankalp Reddy says, “The shooting for ‘IB 71’ has begun in full swing. We’re all pumped about bringing its story to the audience in a way that celebrates the unsung heroes of India. Here’s a film that is about to redefine what it means to be a hero. I’m happy that we’re off to a great start.”

Bhushan Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, T-Series, says, “We kick off 2022 with renewed enthusiasm and respect for our intelligence officers, who protect us without wanting credit for it. We hope to honour them with ‘IB 71’. I take immense pride in backing a film being conceptualised on such a large-hearted story.”

Producer Shibasish Sarkar says, “We’re excited to have ‘IB 71’ hit the floors. It’s a film about heroes and not all heroes are celebrated publicly. We hope to tell this story in a novel way and give the audience a glimpse into the part of Indian history that inspired it.”

Culture, language barriers blurring: Rashmika Mandana on ‘Pushpa’ success

Rashmika Mandanna, lead actress of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, is overwhelmed by the positive response garnered by the surprise blockbuster of 2021.

“I’m really grateful that all the hard work that the cast and crew had put in the film, is finally being seen and appreciated by viewers all across. There’s so much love and positivity that the audience has showered upon the film, its characters, and the story, which is super encouraging”.

Rashmika is also very happy to see the film, being appreciated by audiences from different regions of the country. Adding to this she says “The humongous applause that the film has received, only shows us that the culture and language barriers are now blurring and fading away.” It seems the film has broken all the cultural differences and sets an example of unity in diversity.

She promises that ‘Pushpa 2’ will be bigger than ever. Earlier, taking to social media, Rashmika wrote, “Thank you for all you love for Pushpa.. only makes us want to work harder.. and we promise you.. Pushpa 2 will only be better and bigger! ?????? Pc: @thisisdsp”

Having its roots in Telugu, ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ has made its mark in every corner of the country. Directed by Sukumar, it was released on December 17 and has scored massive success at the box-office with its collections. The sequel ‘Pushpa: The Rule’ is expected to go on floors in March this year.

Meanwhile, expressing concern over the rising cases of COVID in the country, the actress has urged the audience to be safe and take necessary precautions to avoid any kind of spread of the virus. Talking about the grave situation Rashmika says “Also, would urge everyone to take all the necessary precautions at this crucial point, and take good care of themselves and their loved ones”.

The pan-Indian actress will now be debuting in Bollywood with 2 big-ticket films – ‘Mission Majnu’ and ‘Goodbye’.

Pooja Hegde set to have five releases in 2022

Actress Pooja Hegde, who dabbles in different film industries, will have a busy 2022 as she has five films lined up for release.

Her upcoming films for this year include Vijay Thalapathy’s ‘Beast’, ‘Cirkus’ opposite Ranveer Singh, ‘Acharya’ with Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, ‘Radhe Shyam’ opposite Prabhas and a yet-untitled film opposite Mahesh Babu.

Thrilled about launching into a happening year, Pooja shares, “Despite the challenges, last year has been so giving and inspiring for me. All the love that ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’ got in theatres was overwhelming. It made me feel like a newcomer.”

Her goal for 2022 is to work with people with a knack for brilliant storytelling, “As for 2022, I’m more determined to jam with brilliant minds and give the audience cinema that is worth remembering. I want to explore spaces of my craft that excite the audience, makers and me.”

‘Barun Rai And The House On The Cliff’ heads to OTT for Jan 28 release

Psychological horror series ‘Barun Rai And The House On The Cliff’, starring Sid Makkar, Nyra Banerjee and Priyanshu Chatterjee along with British actors Tony Richardson, George Dawson, Emma Galliano, is set to stream from January 28.

The six-part series, co-produced and directed by Sam Bhattacharjee, follows the life of a gifted parapsychologist detective, giving the audience a glimpse of the dark paranormal power tormenting a fictional town.

Talking about the series, actor Priyanshu Chatterjee says, “I love the horror space and I am thrilled to be a part of this project. I must admit that ‘Barun Rai And The House On The Cliff’ is a bit different from what we have seen before as it mixes the elements of science with horror. I would love to know the audiences’ reactions to this series.”

Sam Bhattacharjee adds, “We are so excited to see the reaction to this series and have such high expectations for audiences who are looking to enjoy a particularly dark and chilling psychological horror. We have a talented cast on screen and an equally talented team behind the production. I look forward to seeing Barun Rai contact the other world on Eros Now.”

‘Barun Rai And The House On The Cliff’ is all set to stream from January 28, exclusively on Eros Now.

Priyamani to make Telugu OTT debut with web movie ‘Bhamakalapam’

Telugu OTT platform Aha is coming up with a web original movie – ‘Bhamakalapam’ – starring Priyamani. The movie’s first-look poster was launched on Wednesday.

The film marks the Telugu OTT debut of the popular actress who shot to fame in the digital space with ‘The Family Man’.

Captioned ‘a delicious home-cooked thriller’, ‘Bhamakalapam’ is directed by Abhimanyu Tadimeti, of ‘Dear Comrade’ fame, with filmmaker Bharat Kamma as the showrunner.

The first-look poster has Priyamani as a homemaker in an avatar resembling Goddess Durga and her various dimensions in a typical household. She’s simultaneously holding a knife, a basket, a plate of biryani, a broom, an egg and a pooja-room bell while peeping into something as if she’s holding binoculars in her hand.

The poster, highlighted with different hues across the kitchen, hints that the lead character is a woman of many shades and can tackle any crisis that comes her way. What does destiny have in store for her?

Justin Prabhakaran, the composer of films like ‘Radhe Shyam’, and ‘Dear Comrade’, is scoring the music for this film. Sudheer Edara and Bogavalli Bapineedu have bankrolled the project under SVCC Digital. Cinematographer Deepak Kumar has cranked the camera, while Viplav is the editor.

The streaming platform Aha also has an impressive line up of movies and shows, including ‘The American Dream’ which is releasing on January 14. Aha’s talk show, ‘Unstoppable’, hosted by actor Nandamuri Balakrishna has been rated the No. 1 talk show on IMDB as well.

Other recent releases on Aha include ‘Lakshya’, ‘Senapathi’, ‘3 Roses’, ‘Laabham’, ‘Manchi Rojuloachaie’, ‘Romantic’, ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’, ‘Anubhavinchu Raja’, ‘Sarkaar’, ‘Chef Mantra’, Alludu Garu’, and ‘Christmas Thatha’.

Chahhat Khanna on ‘grey hair’: It’s beautiful which trolls don’t have the vision to see

‘Qubool Hai’ actress Chahhat Khanna says it’s easy for trolls and mockers to sit back behind the screen and put out their so-called opinion on anything.

Trolls have been hitting out at Chahhat for her grey hair and her single mother status.

Chahhat says: “I am a single mother and it takes guts of steel to be a mother let alone a single mother who is fending for herself and her family. That exactly was not grey hair and it looked like that as it was a mirror image and at an angle but even if it was, there is nothing bad in having grey hair. It’s natural and it has to be beautiful that way. The trolls won’t be able to say it on the face.”

“It’s only behind the screen that they hide and put out their filthy opinion out there. I have developed a thick skin to these. But the heart goes out to the young and the vulnerable who might get affected due to these. There has to be a measure where we nab these individuals and make the internet a safe and happier place for all individuals. And as for the grey hair, it’s damn beautiful which the trolls might not have the vision to see. Tell me what’s the novelty of being a troll,” she adds.

Decision to separate from Samantha was in best interests of both: Naga Chaitanya

Telugu star Naga Chaitanya has said that the decision to part ways with his wife Samantha was taken in their mutual best interests.

“My entire family stood by me during those difficult times. It was a decision taken in the best interests of the two of us. She’s happy. I’m also happy. Both of us are doing well professionally too,” Naga Chaitanya replied to a media query on how he overcame the tough times in his personal life.

Naga Chaitanya was speaking at a program to mark the completion of his latest movie outing ‘Bangarraju’. The movie starring his father Nagarjuna, and directed by Kalyan Krishna, is slated for theatrical release on January 14 coinciding with the Sankranti festival. The movie also stars Kriti Shetty.

Samantha and Naga Chaitanya had announced their seperation in October last year. The announcement on social media, coming four days ahead of their fourth wedding anniversary had led to much curiosity in public and media circles. So far, both of them have not divulged the reasons for their split.

While Naga Chaitanya’s last movie ‘Love Story’ directed by Sekhar Kammula, did well at the box-office, Samantha’s item number in Allu Arjun-starrer ‘Pushpa’ has become a national sensation. Both of them, separately, have several movie projects lined up in the days ahead.

Director Sasi’s film with Harish Kalyan titled ‘Nooru Kodi Vanavil’

Director Sasi’s much awaited romantic entertainer, featuring actors Harish Kalyan and Siddhi Idnani in the lead, has been titled ‘Nooru Kodi Vanavil’.

On Wednesday, the makers of the film released a motion poster of the film which was shared by actor Harish Kalyan on his Twitter timeline.

Harish said, “‘Nooru Kodi Vaanavil’ – a Sasi directorial. This wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of you people. We wanted to give it back a 100 times and so we decided to drop this surprise motion poster for you all.”

Harish Kalyan plays a character called Vino while Siddhi Idnani plays Fenny in the film that the makers chose to describe as an ‘intense love tale’.

Produced by Balaji Kappa and Arun Arunachalam, the film has music by Siddhu Kumar and cinematography by Prasanna S Kumar.

Shreya Ghoshal comes up with her first single of 2022 titled ‘Uff’

Ace singer Shreya Ghoshal talks about her upcoming single, ‘Uff’, featuring ‘Naagin 3’ fame Heli Daruwala and ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ actor Mohsin Khan.

‘Uff’ is an independent track which portrays heartbreak. Through its lyrics the song brings out innermost emotions of agony and pain that one experiences during those tough times.

Commenting on the same, Shreya says: “It’s always a great experience while working with Indie Music Label. Being my first song of 2022, it’s personally very close to my heart and I must compliment the entire team for working towards the vision we set out with. I have had a great time working on this song and I hope the listeners enjoy it just as much.”

‘Uff’ features Heli Daruwala and Mohsin Khan, music by Shreyas Puranik, lyrics by Kumaar and directed by Arif Khan. It will be released on Indie Music Label’s official YouTube channel on January 14.

Hansika plays an ad filmmaker in ‘My Name is Shruthi’

Actress Hansika plays an ad filmmaker in director Srinivas Omkar’s upcoming Telugu action thriller ‘My Name is Shruthi’, a teaser of which the filmmakers have chosen to release now.

On Wednesday, Hansika tweeted the teaser, which shows that the film is a gripping crime thriller that revolves around a gang that is into human skin trading.

Apart from Hansika, ‘My Name is Shruthi’ also features Prema, Murali Sharma, Pooja Ramachandran, Raja Ravindra and Aadukalam Naren among others.

The film, which has music by Mark K. Robin, has cinematography by Kishore Boyidapu and editing by Chotai K Prasad.

The film, which throws light on the organ mafia networks, shows that India is right behind Nepal when it comes to supplying human skin.

The film, which was started in July last year, was shot with the unit taking all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of Covid.