Ranveer Singh: I’ve idolised Big B, SRK, Akshay Kumar since childhood

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Ranveer Singh: I’ve idolised Big B, SRK, Akshay Kumar since childhood

Bollywood’s livewire star Ranveer Singh shared that while growing up, he was mesmerised by on-screen personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, among others, who have all successfully hosted TV shows and entertained the whole of India.

“Iconic mainstream Hindi film heroes like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have all connected with and captivated the nation through their television shows. I’ve idolised them since childhood and closely followed their journey,” says Ranveer.

Ranveer is all set to host his first television show ‘Big Picture’. He feels it will help him connect with a larger audience.

The actor said: “I always recognised the fact that they garnered an immense amount of love from people for their charismatic turns on the television screen. I have a great opportunity here with the Big Picture to connect with the youth of India as well as the entire Indian family audience.

“I hope I can continue the grand legacy of the mainstream men of Hindi cinema on national television.”

On the work front, Ranveer will soon be seen in Kabir Khan’s ’83’, which recreates India’s historic World Cup Cricket win in 1983, as well as Rohit Shetty’s comedy film ‘Cirkus’ and action drama ‘Sooryavanshi’.

He is also prepping for his role in ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’, directed by Divyang Thakkar.

Not just movie theatres, people need to get back to work: Rakul Preet

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Not just movie theatres, people need to get back to work: Rakul Preet

Celebrating her birthday on Sunday and the imminent re-opening of movie theatres in Maharashtra, Bollywood’s biggest market, on October 22, Rakul Preet Singh said that it was about time people got back to a normal working life.

The actress, who has major films lined up for theatrical release, threw a massive birthday party here, where celebrities such as Riteish Deshmukh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Sidharth Malhotra, Sophie Choudry, and Saqib Saleem, among many others, showed up to wish her the best. The day was doubly special because both Rakul Preet and Jackky Bhagnani announced on social media that they were in a relationship.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of her birthday, Rakul Preet said: “So many films are ready and we all are waiting for almost a year to release them, so I am really hoping that things get back to being normal as soon as possible and people should start earning their livelihood all over again.”

On the year ahead, she said: “I had a fun birthday because it was a working birthday. I have lined-up quite a few releases next year. I have complete 6-7 movies, so I am really excited about the next year and hope it will be as beautiful as ever.”

When asked when one has 6-7 films releasing back-to-back, does it add to one’s responsibilities, Rakul Preet said: “Yes, the responsibility does increase along with the anxiety, as the films are ready and the people will soon start watching them. They should like the films, so it also heightens expectations, but I think, I am in the phase of being just grateful, as I am getting a chance to so many films and I hope that I keep getting such films and they keep on releasing.”

With life returning back to normal, Rakul Preet said it was a good sign, but people could not afford to be careless. She said: “I think it is a positive sign, but it doesn’t mean we can go around mask-free. We need to follow Covid-19 protocols and defeat this virus.”

In the months ahead, Rakul Preet will be in movies such as “Indian 2”, “Ayalaan”, “Attack”, “Mayday”, “Thank God”, and “Doctor G”, among others.

Post MAA vote, Manchu Vishnu seeks peace with Prakash Raj, Naga Babu

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Post MAA vote, Manchu Vishnu seeks peace with Prakash Raj, Naga Babu

Actor-producer Manchu Vishnu, who was elected president of Tollywood’s influential industry body, Movie Artists Association (MAA), on Sunday, has claimed that megastar Chiranjeevi wanted him to withdraw from the contest in favour of character actor Prakash Raj.

Addressing a news conference here on Monday, Vishnu revealed that Chiranjeevi had told his father, Mohan Babu, to advise him to pull out as Prakash Raj was contesting for the top MAA post. Vishnu made this revelation hours after Prakash Raj and Chiranjeevi’s brother, Naga Babu, resigned from the MAA following a bitterly contested election.

Both Prakash Raj and Naga Babu said they were pained by the regional sentiments stirred up in the run-up to the elections. Vishnu said he would persuade both Prakash Raj and Naga Babu to continue in the MAA, for he needed their “valuable advice” to discharge his responsibilities as MAA president.

Vishnu did not agree with Prakash Raj, who’s from Karnataka, that he was defeated because he not a Telugu ‘bidda’. The young actor pointed out that 274 MAA members had voted for Prakash Raj and most of them were Telugu.

Vishnu also denied that his panel had promised to amend MAA bye-laws to stop non-Telugu members from contesting the elections.

In the elections held on Sunday, Vishnu was elected MAA president defeating Prakash Raj by 109 votes. He polled 383 votes, compared with the 274 garnered by his rival. The Vishnu panel also won all the key posts, barring executive vice-president, which was bagged by actor Srikanth of the Prakash Raj panel.

In the elections held for the 18 Executive Committee members, the Vishnu panel bagged 10 seats and the opposing camp won the remaining eight.

Claiming that MAA is one family, Vishna said he had been given a chance to serve members of the family. He said that those who were elected from the other panel were also members of the MAA family. “I love Prakash Raj. We said so many things during the elections, but the past is the past,” he said.

Vishnu also remarked that actor Ram Charan has not voted for him. “I am 99 per cent sure because Charan will stand by his father (Chiranjeevi), just like I support my father,” the newly elected MAA president said.

Vishnu gave credit for his victory to Mohan Babu. “Everyone in the industry said that let us vote for Mohan Babu’s son. That’s why I have won,” he said. He also thanked the outgoing MAA president, Naresh, for his support.

Mohan Babu, meanwhile, reacted by saying that some people had tried to provoke him. He warned them not to think that he would remain silent. “You want to say whatever you like just because you got a platform. I have many things to say, but this is not the platform,” he said.

The veteran actor said that the MAA should seek the support of the chief ministers of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Suriya releases motion picture of Tamil courtroom drama ‘Jai Bhim’

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Suriya releases motion picture of Tamil courtroom drama ‘Jai Bhim’

Multiple award-winning Tamil actor Suriya on Monday shared a captivating motion poster from the courtroom drama “Jai Bhim”. The upcoming film will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, starting from November 2, but the poster has doubled the hype building up around the movie.

The motion poster introduces Suriya in a powerful narrative setting, reminding his fans about the legal personalities who fought for social uplift. The film, which also showcases the talents of Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Rajisha Vijayan and Lijo Mol Jose, is also about the struggles of certain sections of people in a divided society.

“Jai Bhim” has been written and directed by T.J. Gnanavel. The music is by Sean Roldan, which is the industry name of Tamil composer Raghavendra Raja Rao. Suriya and his wife and co-star Jyotika have produced the movie under the 2D Entertainment banner.

Big B turns 79: Birthday wishes pour in on Bollywood’s ‘Shahenshah’

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Big B turns 79: Birthday wishes pour in on Bollywood’s ‘Shahenshah’

A galaxy of stars from across India, from Mammootty, Prabhas, Ajay Devgn and Chiranjeevi Konidela to Rashmika Mandanna and Rakul Preet Singh, have wished Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 79 on Monday.

To ring in his birthday, Big B shared a picture of himself, but he seemed to have got confused about his age and wrote: “Walking into the 80th.”

His daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda quickly took to the comment section and corrected him. She wrote: “79th (heart emoji).”

Since Monday morning, wishes have been pouring in for Amitabh on social media. Ajay Devgn, who will be seen sharing screen space with Big B in the upcoming film ‘Mayday’, tweeted: “Sir, looking at you through a different lens taught me what being a true artist is. Happy birthday dear Amitji.”

Southern superstar Mammootty simply wrote: “Happy Birthday Amitabh Sir @SrBachchan #AmitabhBachchan.”

Prabhas, who will appear with Big B in the upcoming Nag Ashvin film, ‘Project K’, took to Instagram and greeted the birthday boy. Sharing a photo of him and Big B, Prabhas wrote: “Happy Birthday to the legend of all times @amitabhbachchan Sir!”

‘Mega Star’ Chiranjeevi, who’d shared the screen with Big B in ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’, said: “Wishing My Beloved Big Brother, My Forever Guru, the One and Only Amit Ji @SrBachchan a very Happy Birthday. Many Many Happy Returns!! Health, Happiness and More Power to You Amitji!!”

Actor Suniel Shetty wrote, referencing Big B’s famous dialogue from ‘Kaalia’: “All lines begin where you stand Mr Bachchan & you will always find me in that line. Stay blessed sir. #FanBoyForever #HappyBirthdayAmitabhBachchan. @SrBachchan.”

Actress Rakul Preet Singh wished the thespian ‘Happy Birthday’ and added: “Wishing you abundance of joy, great health and all things beautiful. You are such an inspiration and I’m so grateful to get an opportunity of working with you. Have the most amazing year @SrBachchan.”

Big B’s ‘Chehre’ co-star Emraan Hashmi wrote: “HAPPY 79 ?@SrBachchan?!! And still blazing ahead with passion and ferocity. Thank you sir for always inspiring me. Best wishes and have a good one!”

Actress Rashmika Mandanna and Big B will be seen together in ‘Goodbye’. She called the cinema icon ‘paapaji’ and said that he is “truly the awesomest”

“Happy birthday my handsome paapajiiiii @SrBachchan. You are truly the awesomest. We love you! Thank you for being the most amazing human being. We wish you all the love, health and happiness.”

Actress Parineeti Chopra, who will be seen sharing screen space with Big B for the first time in the upcoming film ‘Uunchai’, penned a heart-warming note.

She wrote: “Mr. Bachchan, happy birthday sir! This is a special day, and a special moment. @amitabhbachchan. Especially excited to be working once again with Anupam sir @anupampkher, Boman sir @boman_irani, and Neena mam @neenagupta001. And for the first time with Sarika mam and Danny sir. Let this magical journey begin. #Uunchai.”

How Vishnu Manchu won MAA vote despite Chiranjeevi backing rival

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How Vishnu Manchu won MAA vote despite Chiranjeevi backing rival

The high-voltage elections to the Movie Artistes Association (MAA), Tollywood’s apex industry body, ended on Sunday with actor-producer Manchu Vishnu’s convincing victory over noted character actor Prakash Raj, aka Prakash Rai in Kannada and Hindi filmdom.

At 39, the scion of the Manchu clan is easily the youngest actor to win the post of president of the powerful Telugu film body. Along with movies, Vishnu has been a businessman, with interests in education and other sectors. Apparently leveraging his business skills, Vishnu crafted a poll campaign that upset the calculations of the rival camp, which had the backing of the powerful Chiranjeevi clan.

Compared to the other leading Tollywood film families, such as those of Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, and Balakrishna, the Manchus, with four stars in the family — patriarch Mohan Babu, daughter Lakshmi Prasanna, Vishnu and Manoj — are seen to enjoy relatively less clout.

Mohan Babu, known popularly as the ‘Collection King’ for his blockbuster Telugu movies, is famous for his mercurial temperament. He has a blow hot-blow cold relationship with Chiranjeevi and the MAA elections saw them ranged against each other.

The MAA elections saw Vishnu woo voters with a manifesto that included several welfare measures for the Telugu movie industry fraternity. Apart from calling on senior actors for support, a carefully orchestrated poll campaign by his father soon had the attention of the voters diverted to the issue of “local versus non-local”.

Prakash Raj, who hails from neighbouring Karnataka, but has had a long association with Tollywood, polled 274 votes to Vishnu’s 381.

As a child, Vishnu first acted in his father’s movie ‘Ragile Gundelu’ in 1985. He made his big-screen debut with ‘Vishnu’ in 2003. His biggest commercial success has been ‘Dhee’ in 2007. Incidentally, his co-star in the movie, Genelia De Souza, flew in from Mumbai to vote in the polls. It’s another indication of the meticulous planning that went into winning the vote, according to industry observers.

Vishnu is married to Viranica, niece of the late former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The couple have four children — twin daughters and a daughter and son.

Kamal Haasan urges Centre, TN govt to prevent power outages

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Kamal Haasan urges Centre, TN govt to prevent power outages

With the shortage of coal leading to power cuts in various states, the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader and Superstar, Kamal Haasan has urged the Central and the state government to ensure that there is no power cut in Tamil Nadu.

In a statement on Sunday, the actor-turned-politician said both Central and the state government must work together to make sure that there was no shortage of coal in Tamil Nadu.

Kamal Haasan expressed concerns over reports that the state has coal reserves only for four days, adding that there is still coal storage for 14 days.

The actor-turned-politician urged the DMK government to take up the matter with the Central government as industrialists in the state have already expressed concern about the possibilities of power cuts in the days to come if the coal supply is not maintained properly.

Under the previous DMK government from 2006-2011 there were unprecedented power cuts leading to several industries in the state shifting base to other states. The government must remain alert that such things do not recur in the state, Haasan added.

The MNM Chief said the industrial towns of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Sivakasi had faced innumerable difficulties during the 2006-11 period due to power cuts and said common people faced the brunt of this as jobs were lost following industries shifting base.

The state government must coordinate properly with the Central government to maintain a steady flow of coal and to remain alert about its depletion, Haasan added.

The economy of the state was slowly recovering, adding that if power cuts are again witnessed, the state would face a huge loss.

Rajkummar, Kriti-starrer ‘Hum Do Humare Do’ trailer launched

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Rajkummar, Kriti-starrer ‘Hum Do Humare Do’ trailer launched

The makers of the upcoming family entertainer ‘Hum Do Humare Do’ starring Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon have unveiled the film’s trailer on Monday.

The film also features veteran stars Ratna Pathak Shah and Paresh Rawal.

The Dinesh Vijan production takes an “out of the box” look at adoption, telling the story of a man forced to “arrange” a set of parents to impress the love of his life.

Speaking about the movie, Dinesh Vijan says, “Maddock trusts in the power of content driven films, while ‘Mimi’ was a delightful family entertainer, with ‘Hum Do Humare Do’, we take the essence of family further, because in the end, a family is a set of people we love and cherish. Our film is a wholesome comedy that can be enjoyed by all three generations”.

‘Hum Do Humare Do’ also stars Aparshakti Khurana. It is directed by Abhishek Jain, produced by Dinesh Vijan, a Maddock Original film, starts streaming from October 29 on Disney+ Hotstar.

Big B ‘walks into 80th’, daughter Shweta corrects it to ’79th’

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Big B ‘walks into 80th’, daughter Shweta corrects it to ’79th’

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan turned 79 on Monday and he shared a fabulous picture of himself on social media to ring in his birthday. However, it was his daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s comment that caught the eye of many.

Amitabh took to Instagram, where he shared a collage of himself dressed in grey joggers and a jacket paired with a sling bag and neon green shoes.

He captioned the image: “walking into the 80th..”

Shweta took to the comment section to correct him.

She wrote: “79th (heart emoji)”

The thespian’s granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda dropped a clapping emoji.

Bollywood livewire star Ranveer Singh called the cine icon “gangster” in the comment section.

Actress Bhumi Pednekar wished the star and wrote: “swag Happy birthday sir”.

The cine icon made his acting debut with ‘Saath Hindustani’ in 1969. He was later seen in blockbusters such as ‘Deewar’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Namak Haraam’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Don’, ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Coolie’, among many others.

His current slate of work includes ‘Jhund’, ‘BrahmAstra’, ‘Mayday’, ‘Good Bye’, ‘Uunchai’ and Nag Ashwin’s untitled film.

MAA elections: Manchu Vishnu defeats Prakash Raj by huge margin

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MAA elections: Manchu Vishnu defeats Prakash Raj by huge margin

Actor Manchu Vishnu was Sunday elected as the new President of Movie Artists Association (MAA), defeating Prakash Raj by a huge margin in a bitterly-contested election.

Vishnu, son of veteran actor Mohan Babu, defeated Prakash Raj by 106 votes.

Ending day-long suspense, MAA election officer Krishna Mohan announced the poll results on Sunday night. Vishnu polled 380 votes while Prakash Raj, who was branded as non-local by some supporters of rival panel, could secure 274 votes.

A native of Karnataka, Prakash Raj acts in Telugu and other South Indian films. He had unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election from Bangalore Central as an independent candidate in 2019.

The Vishnu panel also bagged the key posts of Vice President, General Secretary, and Treasurer. Madhala Ravi was elected Vice President beating Benerjee of the Prakash Raj panel.

Raghu Babu trounced Jeevitha Rajasekhar for the post of General Secretary by 7 votes. Siva Balaji was elected treasurer, defeating Nagineedu by 32 votes. Balaji polled 316 votes while Nagineedu secured 284 votes.

Actor Srikanth from Prakash Raj panel was elected Executive Vice President. He defeated Babu Mohan of the Vishnu panel.

The acrimonious election was seen as a tussle between families of megastar Chiranjeevi and veteran actor Mohan Babu. Chiranjeevi’s family backed Prakash Raj while Mohan Babu actively campaigned for his son Manchu Vishnu.

Soon after the results were declared, Chiranjeevi took to Twitter to congratulate Vishnu and other members of the new body. He hoped that the new body will work for the welfare of all artists. “MAA has always been one family. No matter who wins, it’s the victory of our family,” he wrote.

Earlier speaking at a film event Chiranjeevi expressed his displeasure over the acrimony created during the MAA elections. He remarked that positions are temporary.

According to election officer, 68 per cent polling was recorded which was highest in the history of the MAA. Out of 925 members of the MAA, 883 were eligible to cast their votes and of them, 605 did do to elect 26-member body comprising the President, two Vice Presidents, Executive Vice President, General Secretary, two Joint Secretaries, Treasurer and 18 Executive Committee members.

The polling which began at 8 a.m. at Jubilee Hills Public School was peaceful barring minor clashes between the two rival groups.

The polling, which was to end at 2 p.m., was extended by an hour by election officer Krishna Mohan. The counting of votes began at 4 p.m.

The first result went in favour of the Prakash Raj panel when Shia Reddy was elected as executive member. This was followed by three more victories for the panel as Anasuya, Kaushik and Suresh Kondeti were also elected as executive members.

From the Vishnu panel, Poojitha, Shashank, Jayavani, U.P. Srinivasulu, Srilakshmi, Manik, Harinath Babu, and Vishnu Boppana were elected as executive members.

Chiranjeevi, leading actors Pawan Kalyan, Balakrishna and Nagarjuna were among leading personalities of Tollywood who cast their votes.

Murali Mohan, Mohan Babu, Jaya Prada, Rajendra Prasad, Roja, Babu Mohan, Naga Babu and other prominent faces also came to vote.

After a bitter campaign between the rival panels, scenes of camaraderie were witnessed on the polling day. The two actors, battling for the post of MAA President, shook hands and embraced each other to declare that they are all one.

Prakash Raj also shook hands with Mohan Babu and took his blessings. Mohan Babu had arrived early at the polling booth to bless his son Vishnu and claimed that the panel enjoyed support of majority of voters.

MAA founding President Chiranjeevi said he cast his vote as per his conscience. He said every time MAA elections were being held with the same acrimony and called for putting an end to this trend.

Actor politician Pawan Kalyan was one of the first to cast his votes. Talking to reporters, the Jana Sena president declined to name the panel he votes for saying this would amount to influencing voters. He said MAA elections would have no bearing on the friendship between his brother Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu. Pawan said the film industry will not split due to MAA polls.

Chiranjeevi’s other brother Naga Babu, however, told reporters that he cast his vote for the Prakash Raj panel.

Leading actor Balakrishna told reporters after casting his vote that Prakash Raj and Vishnu are like brothers. The actor politician, who had earlier declared his support to Vishnu, said he votes for those who will do better.

Veteran actor Jaya Prada also cast her vote. Mohan Babu said she flew in from Delhi at his request to participate in the voting.

Ileana, who had been staying away from Telugu films following his marriage to Bollwyood actor Ritesh Deshmukh, also came to Hyderabad to cast his vote. She said MAA will soon have a super President.

There was mild tension at polling booth when Vishnu panel members alleged that Prakash Raj panel members were campaigning inside the booth. Siva Balaji tried to stop a member of Prakash Raj panel who was allegedly giving dummy ballot to voters. There was heated argument between the two groups and the police had to intervene to pacify them.

Mohan Babu also took exception to campaigning by Prakash Raj panel inside the booth. He urged voters to leave in five minutes after exercising their franchise. There was also heated argument between Siva Balaji and Hema.

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