Swiss Open: Sindhu, Srikanth, Prannoy advance to second round; Lakshya bows out

The advanced level of the second round of Swiss Open 2023 has been grown by Indian badminton players PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, and HS Prannoy, but compatriot Lakshya Sen lost in the opening round of the tournament, here.

Double Olympic medallist Sindhu, the reigning champion, defeated Switzerland’s Jenjira Stadelmann 21-9, 21-16 in a 32-minute affair on Wednesday night. She will play Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani next.

On the other hand, former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the next round with a hard-fought 21-16, 15-21, 21-18 win over China’s Weng Hong Yang and set up a second-round clash against Cheuk Yiu Lee.

In another men’s singles match, fifth-seeded HS Prannoy beat China’s Shi Yu Qi with a 21-17, 19-21, 21-17 win in a closely-fought tie that lasted for an hour.

Another Indian player, Mithun Manjunath registered a 21-8, 21-17 win over Joran Kweekel of the Netherlands to advance to the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals. He will face Chia Hao Lee of Chinese Taipei next.

However, Commonwealth Games 2022 men’s champion Lakshya made a first-round exit after losing 18-21, 11-21 to Hong Kong’s Cheuk Yiu Lee, ranked 19th.

Meanwhile, Malvika Bansod lost 14-21, 15-21 to Korea’s Kim Ga Eun while Aakarshi Kashyap was handed a 21-15, 21-17 defeat by Germany’s Yvonne Li in the women’s singles events.

Kiran George, however, lost his men’s singles tie to bow out.

In the women’s doubles, the Indian pair of N Sikki Reddy and Arathi Sara Sunil crashed out in the opening round, losing 12-21, 14-21 against Japan’s Sayaka Hobara and Yui Suizu. Reddy also lost her mixed doubles match, partnering with Rohan Kapoor.

On the other hand, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India’s top pair in men’s doubles, defeated the Malaysian pair of Xin Yuan Boon and Tien Ci Wong 21-15, 21-18 to stay in the hunt for a medal.

SRK praises ‘chota Pathaan’ as he dances to ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has reacted to his “cutest fan,” Irfan Pathan’s son’s dancing on his track ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ from his latest release ‘Pathaan’.

Cricketer Irfan Pathan took to Twitter, where he shared a video of his toddler son dancing to the song, picturized on Deepika Padukone and SRK. The video begins with the toddler listening to the track on a mobile phone and then dancing to it.

“Khansaab @iamsrk please add one more cutest fan to your list,” the cricketer wrote as he posted the video.

SRK re-shared the clip and wrote: “Yeh tumse zyaada talented niklaa.chota Pathaan,” he tweeted.

‘Pathaan’ is directed by Siddharth Anand. The fourth installment in the YRF Spy Universe, stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia, and Ashutosh Rana.

The film revolves around Pathaan, an exiled RAW agent, who works with ISI agent Rubina Mohsin to take down Jim, a former RAW agent planning to spread a deadly lab-generated virus across India.

Kangana apologises to anyone she hurt in heartfelt birthday post

Famous actress Kangana Ranaut starts his positive vibes by giving an apology to those who got messages from Kangana and got hurt on social media Because she entered 36 on Thursday.

On social media, Instagram where she posted her video with a green saree and locked hair in the back.

Kangana Ranaut has contented with her mother and father and Sadhguru and Swami Vivekanand who was given the best lectures in her life to success, well-wishers, and fans who are supporting her journey.

She was heard saying: “Mere shatru, jinhone aajtak mujhe kabhi araam nahi karne diya. Chahe jitni bhi safalta mili, phir bhi mujhe safalta ke marg pe tatpar rakha. Mujhe ladna, sangharsh karna sikhaya. Unki bhi main humesha abhaari rahugi.”

“Doston meri vichaardhara bahut saral hai, mera achran, soch bhi bahut saral hai aur main humesha hi sabka accha chahti hu. Iske chalte agar maine kabhi kisi ke liye deshhit mein ya larger picture ke liye maine kisi ke liye kuch kaha ho aur unko uska dukh hua ho, thess lagi ho, main uske liye bhi shama chahti hu,” she said.

She added that she only has “sneh, suvichaar (affection, good thoughts)” for everyone.

On the work front, Kangana has just wrapped up shooting for ‘Chandramukhi 2’. She also has ‘Emergency’, ‘Tejas’, ‘Manikarnika Returns: The Legend of Didda’ and ‘The Incarnation: Sita’ lined up.

Rajamouli commences shoot of ‘NTR 30’, marks Janhvi’s Telugu debut

Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli was seen giving the first clap to superstar NTR Jr’s upcoming yet-untitled Telugu film ‘NTR 30’, which also stars Janhvi Kapoor.

The Telugu project with director Koratala Siva was officially launched on Thursday with a pooja ceremony. It marks the Telugu debut of Janhvi Kapoor.

Pictures and videos from the launch have taken over social media by storm. In one photograph, NTR Jr and Janhvi are seen shaking hands. A clip shows the Telugu star welcoming the daughter of the late star Sridevi, who looked gorgeous in a lime green saree and a matching blouse.

In another video, NTR Jr and Janhvi are standing alongside Rajamouli on the stage as he gave the first clap shot and announced the beginning of the shoot.

NTR is reuniting with Koratala Siva for ‘NTR 30’ after Janatha Garage. Other details about the film are still under wraps.

Bengali star Jeet’s ‘Chengiz’ to uncover Kolkata’s underworld of 1970 to 1990s

Bengali cinema star Jeet will be soon seen in the upcoming film ‘Chengiz’, which will be released simultaneously in Bengali and Hindi. Jeet will play a gangster in the film.

His style and charisma make him look deadly yet chic in this thrilling mass entertainer with universal appeal. The film will be the first Bengali film to be simultaneously released for the Hindi audience. The film also stars Shataf Figar, Susmita Chatterjee, and Rohit Bose Roy in key roles and revolves around the underworld fabric of Kolkata from the 1970s to the mid-1990s.

The film captures and chronicles the journey of the titular character who is an underworld kingpin and rules the streets.

Produced by Jeet, Gopal Madnani, and Amit Jumrani, ‘Chengiz’ is presented by Jeetz Filmworks in association with AA Films.

The film, directed by Rajesh Ganguly, who has also worked on the dialogues and screenplay, is based on a story by Neeraj Pandey and Rajesh Ganguly and is set for an Eid release on April 21, 2023.

For Himanshi Khurana, not followers but talent and hard work matter

Former ‘Bigg Boss 13’ contestant Himanshi Khurana said that having a number of followers on social media can never assure good work and for getting opportunities, what matters is talent and hard work.

She said: “When I started my career in the industry, I didn’t have the same number of followers as I do today but getting work was never an issue and, I don’t think followers are more important, the talent and hard work get you good projects.”

Himanshi is known for her work in Punjabi films like ‘Sadda Haq’ and she also entered the popular reality show ‘Bigg Boss 13’ as a wild card contestant. Apart from Punjabi films, she has also done several music videos.

While discussing the importance of social media followers in the industry, she shared: “Having a good amount of followers and a huge fan base can be fruitful sometimes but otherwise it depends on how good you are at the job.”

Talking about the importance of real talent in the industry, she added: “There are several people who have been working in the industry for years who might not have a good number of followers. But their talent on screen speaks louder. So, these artists have a special place in the audience’s heart just because of the talent they showcase on the screen and not because of their social media presence.”

Meanwhile, Himanshi is wrapping up her shoots for her upcoming film, ‘Fatto De Yaar Bade Ne’ whose release date has still not been announced.

‘I am not dead,’ says Tollywood actor Kota Srinivasa Rao

Veteran Tollywood actor Kota Srinivasa Rao said on Tuesday that social media has killed him, and has appealed to people not to believe rumors of his death.

He released a video to dismiss rumors about him circulating on social media. The 75-year-old said that those spreading rumors should not play with the life of anyone.

Srinivasa Rao said people should teach a befitting lesson to those spreading rumors. The actor termed the rumors about his death “unfortunate”.

“At a time when I am busy with the Ugadi festival tomorrow, the series of phone calls were disturbing. If there was some elderly person in my place, his heart would have stopped beating,” he said.

The actor also revealed that after the rumors about his death, 10 policemen came to his house to make security arrangements.

“If they want popularity or money, there are many ways to earn it but spreading such rumors is not proper,” he said.

The character actor has acted in more than 700 films. He made his debut in 1978 with ‘Pranam Khareedu’.

He joined BJP in the 1990s and was elected to Andhra Pradesh Assembly from Vijayawada East in 1999.

Ibrahim cheers for ‘dear sister’ Sara, says ‘Gaslight’ will be ‘banging’

Being a supportive brother to his actress sister, Ibrahim Ali Khan has cheered for Sara Ali Khan and said that he doesn’t doubt that her upcoming film ‘Gaslight’ will be ‘banging’.

Sara took to Instagram, where she shared a slew of pictures dressed in white. Alongside the image, she wrote: “Wearing White, Waiting for gaslight, Hope you’ll have a fright, But also a great night, So sit tight.”

Ibrahim took to the comment section and wrote in the same rhyming style as his sister: “It’ll be banging I don’t doubt that in the slight, I’ll miss you dear sister as I watch it in the night.”

“But then not long until I take my flight to come and give you a hug so tight.”

“And tell you how well you nailed gaslight.” Sara and Ibrahim are the children of actor Saif Ali Khan and his first wife Amrita Singh.

‘Gaslight’ is a psychological thriller and sees Sara essaying a specially-abled character. The film, produced by Ramesh Taurani, Tips Films Ltd and Akshai Puri, 12th Street Entertainment, and directed by Pavan Kirpalani, also stars Chitrangda Singh, Akshay Oberoi, and Rahul Dev.

‘Gaslight’ will drop on Disney+ Hotstar on March 31, 2023.

Rohit Shetty forays into Marathi films with ‘School College Ani Life’

Bollywood superstar filmmaker Rohit Shetty has turned producer for a Marathi film titled ‘School College Ani Life’ directed by Vihan Suryavanshi.

The film stars ‘Bigg Boss 15’ winner Tejasswi Prakash and Karan Parab, known for his work in the series ‘Meeraa’ and ‘The Final Call’.

‘School College Ani Life’ is a slice-of-life family entertainer. The trailer depicts how a youngster navigates the challenges and joys of school and college life.

Produced by Rohit Shetty, Pavitra Gandhi, and Vivek Shah in association with Reliance Entertainment the movie is directed by Vihan Suryavanshi.

The entertainer will hit the screens on 14 April 2023.

Salman will make you ‘fall in love’ with new ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ song

Bollywood famous Hero Salman Khan came with a new song again with Amaal Malik’s ‘Jee Rahe The Hum’ from ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’.

In 2015, Salman picked up the mic for the Amaal Malik composition, ‘Main Hoon Hero Tera’, for his home production ‘Hero’. The song was a runaway hit back in the day and is still remembered for its soothing melody.

Eight years later, Salman is reuniting with Amaal Malik for another romantic number, ‘Jee Rahe The Hum’ (Falling in Love), for his Eid 2023 release, ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’.

On Monday, the teaser of ‘Jee Rahe The Hum’ (falling in love) was unveiled on social media and the visuals and melody promise another winner from the wholesome album of ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’.

In the video, Salman is in a joyous mood with his on-screen love interest Pooja Hegde, as also seen on screen were Raghav Juyal, Jassie Gill, and Siddharth Nigam.

The song teaser has spiked excitement already among the audience and has just got everyone waiting for the full video song, which will be out on March 21.

‘Jee Rahe The Hum (Falling In Love)’ is the third song from the album of ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ after the highly successful ‘Naiyo Lagda’ and ‘Billi Billi’. The song is written by Shabbir Ahmed and sung by Salman Khan.

‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ is directed by Farhad Samji.

The film stars Salman Khan, Venkatesh Daggubati, Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu, Bhumika Chawla, Vijender Singh, Abhimanyu Singh, Raghav Juyal, Siddharth Nigam, Jassie Gill, Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari and Vinali Bhatnagar with all the elements of a Salman Khan film – action, family drama, and romance.

The film is slated to release on Eid 2023 and will have a Zee Studios worldwide release.