Mahesh Babu urges fans to avoid social gatherings on his birthday

TB Team
-
0
Mahesh Babu urges fans to avoid social gatherings on his birthday

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has urged his fans to avoid any kind of social gathering on his birthday on August 9, keeping in mind the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The actor turns 44 on Sunday.

“A kind request to my dear fans. I feel blessed and thankful to have all of you. I truly appreciate all the good deeds you do to make my special day worth remembering. since we are battling a global pandemic this year, safety is indispensable. I request all my fans to avoid any social gatherings on my birthday. Please stay safe,” the actor posted from his verified Twitter account on Friday, two days ahead of his birthday.

Amid the lockdown, Mahesh has been spending quality time with his family, going by the pictures and videos he shares on social media.

Fondly called the Prince of Tollywood, Mahesh will next be seen in “Major”. He will also be producing the film inspired by 26/11 martyr, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. The film stars Adivi Sesh in the title role.

“Major” is inspired by the life of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the NSG commando who lost his life in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. The bilingual film is being shot in Telugu and Hindi. “Major” is set to release later this year.

Sushant’s first scene in his debut TV show shared by Ekta Kapoor

TB Team
-
0
Sushant’s first scene in his debut TV show shared by Ekta Kapoor

On Friday, producer Ekta Kapoor shared the first scene that late actor Sushant Singh Rajput ever shot, for his debut TV show and long before Bollywood stardom beckoned.

Sushant made his acting debut in the Ekta-produced television soap “Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil” in 2008. Taking to Instagram, Ekta posted a video clip of Sushant’s introductory scene in the show.

Sushant played Preet Singh Juneja in the TV series. In his dramatic entry sequence, we see Sushant as Preet helping Harshad Chopda as Prem Juneja, who is injured in the scene, win a football match.

“Lots of people were asking me about Sushant’s first scene… this was the first scene we shot with him. This was his first scene on Television which went on-air in a show called ‘Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil’,” wrote Ekta with her video post.

“He was the second lead in that show, but we knew he was meant for greater things and he went and did just that. Lots of love, peace, and prayers for this beautiful, beautiful piece of light and shining soul,” Ekta added.

After making his debut with “Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil”, Sushant bagged the lead role in Ekta’s hit show “Pavitra Rishta”. His role of Manav Deshmukh made him a household name, and Sushant had never looked back.

He made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with Abhishek Kapoor’s “Kai Po Che”, which released in 2013. His best-recalled film roles are in “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story”, “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”, Shudh Desi Romance”, and “Chhichhore”.

He was last seen in “Dil Bechara”, which released about a month after his June 14 demise. The film released digitally owing to the ongoing lockdown.

Rhea appeared in ED at appointed time: Actress’s lawyer

TB Team
-
0
Rhea appeared in ED at appointed time: Actress’s lawyer

Actress Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen who duly met with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at the appointed time, her lawyer observed on Friday.

Rhea arrived at the ED office to be questioned over financial dealings and investment into properties, pertaining to the investigation into the death of her late boyfriend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The directorate is questioning her about financial transactions from Sushant’s bank account over the last one year.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to alleged “suspicious transactions” worth Rs 15 crore from the late actor’s account.

“Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen. In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone the attendance is rejected. She has appeared in the ED at the appointed time and date,” said the actress’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Show Chakraborty at 11.50 am for the questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

This comes after the directorate rejected Rhea’s request for deferring her questioning earlier in the day.

“Rhea Chakraborty has requested a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing,” her lawyer had said previously.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear next week Rhea’s plea seeking transfer of the Bihar Police probe to Mumbai Police.

Last month, it was revealed that Sushant’s father KK Singh has filed an FIR in Patna, accusing Rhea, her father Indrajit Chakraborty, mother Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chakraborty, house manager Samuel Miranda and business manager Shruti Modi of abetment to suicide, fraud and holding Sushant hostage.

Sushant was found hanging on June 14 at his Bandra apartment. The post mortem report has stated the actor committed suicide. CBI has currently taken over the investigation into the death.

Shweta’s post as Rhea appears before ED: Be careful who you mess with

TB Team
-
0
Shweta’s post as Rhea appears before ED: Be careful who you mess with

Shweta Singh Kirti, sister of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has shared a cryptic social media post on Friday when his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai.

“Someone said be careful who you mess with because you don’t know who protects them in the spiritual world,” reads Shweta’s post on her verified Facebook account, along with a painting of Lord Shiva.

“Har Har Mahadev #justiceforsushantsinghrajput #godiswithus #Warriors4SSR #JusticeForSushantSinghRajput #jaijaishivshambhu,” Shweta added along with her post.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to “suspicious transactions” worth Rs 15 crore allegedly carried out from the late actor’s account.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Show Chakraborty at 11.50 a.m. for questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Rhea Chakraborty may skip ED summons

TB Team
-
0
Rhea Chakraborty may skip ED summons

Model-turned-actress Rhea Chakraborty, who has been accused of abetting late actor Sushant Singh Rajput to suicide, is unlikely to appear before the Enforcement Directorate officials, her lawyers indicated here on Friday.

“Rhea Chakraborty has requested a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing,” said her lawyers here. The Supreme Court is expected to hear next week Rhea’s plea seeking transfer of the Bihar Police probe to Mumbai Police.

Her name figures in FIRs lodged by both the Patna Police and the CBI. The investigation into the June 14 death of the 34-year-old actor has been handed over to the CBI and also the ECIR of the Enforcement Directorate, after much wrangling between the Mumbai Police and Sushant’s home state police.

Sushant’s father lodged the first FIR in the case against Rhea and six others on July 25 at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna.

Among other things, Sushant’s family has accused Rhea also of swindling large sums of money from his bank accounts.

The ED reaction to her request is not yet available.

Shivaleeka Oberoi on being an outsider in Bollywood

TB Team
-
0
Shivaleeka Oberoi on being an outsider in Bollywood

Budding actress Shivaleeka Oberoi admits it is not easy for an outsider to carve a path in Bollywood, and says that one needs to have immense self-belief to survive the journey.

“Honestly, it is not easy,” Shivaleeka told IANS, when asked how tough it is for an outsider to find a way and sustain in Bollywood, and then added: “But if you believe in yourself and if you are actually talented, and you reach the right places… I have a belief that you have to be in the right place at the right time. Destiny plays a very important role.”

“I never thought that I would be an actor. My mom is from a different line, my dad does something else and my sister does something else. I’m the only one in the acting field. My grandfather (Mahavir Oberoi) had produced a film once, but he passed away when my father was young, and since then we had no touch with the industry. I actually found my way, in terms of being on a film set, by becoming an assistant director. I gained maximum experience and knowledge by being an AD. It really helped me as an actor,” she added.

Before her debut as an actor, Shivaleeka worked as an assistant director on “Kick” and “Housefull 3”.

She made her acting debut in 2019 with the romantic thriller “Yeh Saali Aashiqui” opposite Amrish Puri’s grandson Vardhan Puri, and will next be seen in “Khuda Haafiz”, co-starring Vidyut Jammwal.

Looking back at her short journey so far, she said: “It was not easy. To be very honest, what comes easy does not last. My parents have always taught me that ‘jo bhi chaiyeh life mein uske liye hardwork karna padega’ (you have to work hard to achieve what you want).”

For Shivaleeka, that meant lots of auditions. “I have given an insane amount of auditions, and that’s how I bagged my first film, and then second. My role in ‘Khuda Haafiz’ is completely different from what I portrayed in my first film. It is a huge jump and people are going to see that variation.”

“Your versatility as an actor is the only thing that really matters in this industry. For me, being a complete outsider, I kind of felt that it is important to show different shades and a variation to your characters,” she said.

Her next release “Khuda Haafiz” is a romantic action thriller inspired by real life-events, and has been directed and written by Faruk Kabir. It will release on August 14, on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

Talking about the direct-to-OTT release, Shivaleeka said: “We all wish for a theatrical release, but knowing the situation around, safety comes first. With OTT, the film will reach a maximum audience. Everybody can watch the first show. It is a great move by the producers. (In the end), you just want your film to be watched by maximum people.”

Sushant’s legacy extends in the song ‘Khulke jeene ka’: Shashaa Tirupati

TB Team
-
0
Sushant’s legacy extends in the song ‘Khulke jeene ka’: Shashaa Tirupati

Sushant Singh Rajput celebrates life in the song Khulke jeene ka, picturized on him in his last release, Dil Bechara. Shashaa Tirupati, who voiced the song, feels that the number infused with positivity could be an extension to the legacy of the late actor.

“For the longest time, I really wanted to sing for a film that starred Sushant Singh Rajput, and it didn’t happen. I was completely oblivious to the fact that ‘Dil Bechara’ had him as the male lead. When the news of his demise broke and I went through social media seeing the details of the cause, that’s where I read that ‘Dil Bechara’ was his last film,” Shashaa told IANS about the actor, who was found hanging at his Mumbai residence on June 14.

“I was very shocked at that moment. Initially, it was very emotional but it translated into a point where I kind of felt that singing a song with the lyrics being ‘Khulke jeene ka tareeka tumhe dikhate hain’ (ways to live life to the fullest) — just the fact that in a way it could be an extension to Sushant’s legacy,” she added.

Composed by AR Rahman and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, the song is sung by Arijit Singh and Shashaa. She calls it a masterpiece.

“It’s one of those songs that you always go back to. When you listen to it (you wonder) how the idea occurs to him (Rahman). Intertwining notes, the harmonies just hug each other so beautifully and personally. I am a massive fan of Amitabh Bhattacharya’s work. The kind of words he has used — everything about it is so beautiful and in the current situation, I feel so deeply applicable,” she said.

“The times that we are going through right now, it’s something that we have forgotten or lost touch with, and ‘Khulke jeene ka’ acquaints you to that,” shared the National Award winner.

She has worked with Rahman on quite a few film songs, including the award-winning track “Vaan Varuvaan”.

“Rahman Sir is one of those people you don’t take away from, just musically or only something creatively. Having one conversation with him gives me so much insight spiritually. It taught me so much about life in general or just applying things on a day-to-day basis that are otherwise are difficult to tap into,” she said.

“Other than that, I think he has the capacity to create gold out of pebbles — to know what the capacity of any talent is. He has that strange capability of knowing what he can get out of the minutest talent or the biggest talent. In a lot of ways, he creates that talent in a lot of us including myself. There are songs that I have sung for him that I never thought I’d be able to render. These are the things you realize, and go ahead and apply in your creations as well,” shared the singer.

Bihar CM recommends CBI probe into Sushant Singh case

TB Team
-
0
Bihar CM recommends CBI probe into Sushant Singh case

The Bihar government on Tuesday recommended a CBI inquiry into the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

According to official sources, the government has recommended the CBI inquiry after Sushant Singh’s father K.K. Singh demanded it.

Sushant Singh’s brother and BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Bablu thanked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for recommending the CBI inquiry and said that now the truth will come out.

On Monday, the Sushant Singh suicide case was raised in the Bihar assembly and almost all lawmakers demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14.

The Mumbai police had claimed that Sushant Singh died by suicide.

However, on July 25, Sushant’s father lodged a case in Patna and now Bihar Police is also investigating the case.

‘Shakuntala Devi’ producer: Theatrical releases will not become irrelevant

TB Team
-
0
‘Shakuntala Devi’ producer: Theatrical releases will not become irrelevant

Producer Vikram Malhotra has just released his much-hyped new film, the Vidya Balan-starrer Shakuntala Devi, on OTT, but he takes a pragmatic approach and says skipping theatrical release is just a situational decision and by no means is the theatrical experience going to become irrelevant.

“The practice of consuming films and shows on digital platforms is not a new phenomenon. In the western world, it has been happening over the last 10 years. In India, too, a potential market has grown in the last five years. Yes, in the last three months, there have been films releasing directly on the OTT platforms for the obvious reason of the global pandemic. But I see no reason to looking at it as a shift from theatrical release to OTT,” Malhotra told IANS.

“It is not that theatrical releases will become irrelevant once normalcy returns. It is a temporary phase because content has to reach the audience,” he added.

Citing the example of “Shakuntala Devi”, he explained: “This film was slated to release in June. But we can see the unprecedented situation that the world is going through. During the lockdown, OTT is the widest platform of distribution of a film. As makers, we are utilizing that. If we make a film for a theatrical release, we have a very good reason to release it theatrically.”

“Shakuntala Devi” is directed by Anu Menon and it also features Jisshu Sengupta, Sanya Malhotra, and Amit Sadh. The film released on Amazon Prime Video on July 31.

The films released so far on OTT have all been small to medium-budget fare. Would digital release of a big-budget film guarantee as big a collection as the film in question might see at the theatrical box-office?

Malhotra replied: “I will explain how it works. There are different revenue models for the two platforms (theatre and OTT). The structures are different. When you release a film in the theatre, your fortune swings from zero to a hundred. A film goes from a deep loss to a great profit (financially) for a set of reasons. So the risk-reward ratio is very high. Earning profit for a film on the streaming platform after its release is different because the business model is different. So I refrain from the comparison.”

“In the future, when we take a call on what kind of risk and reward we are looking at from a film, we will map our audience. Based on whether a story is for individual viewing or collective viewing, we will decide whether to release the film on OTT or in the theatre,” explained the founder of Abundantia Entertainment.

TV actor Fahmaan Khan wanted to be a cricketer

TB Team
-
0
TV actor Fahmaan Khan wanted to be a cricketer

Fahmaan Khan says he wanted to be a cricketer, to begin with, and his original aspiration in life was never to be an actor.

Fahmaan, who is seen on the show, “Mere Dad Ki Dulhan”, said: “I wanted to be a cricketer at some point. I still think cricket is my first love, but things didn’t unfold that way for me.”

Interestingly, he was always part of drama groups in school and college.

“I believe I was performing every day, performing characters at home and school, in different situations of life. I used to change small characteristics and enjoy people’s reactions to them. I love performing arts, I enjoy the various small traits and characteristics you can add with your imagination while executing them,” he said.

He now looks forward to playing versatile characters.

“I want to play characters that aren’t me. I would like to play intense characters or a character that speaks through his eyes. There are so many such characters that I’ve watched. One of them being Sidharth Malhotra’s character in ‘Ek Villian’. That character had so much potential. I would love to play that. It had the potential of becoming the next ‘Angry Young Man’ of the industry,” he said.

1...413414415...448Page 414 of 448