Megan Thee Stallion: Grew up watching women who did it all

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion has said that she takes inspiration from the women in her life.

“I grew up watching women who did it all. I saw people like my grandmother, my mother and my aunt pursue their education while still being fashionable, while still showing off their curves, and working nine-to-five jobs,” the singer told Yahoo Life.

“I don’t think it is hard for people to believe women can do it all, because we are in your face every day doing it,” added Stallion, according to a report in femalefirst.co.uk.

The 26-year-old musician recently became the first rapper to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue.

She said: “When I got the call that they wanted me on the cover, I was like, ‘Wha–? Me?’ And to be the first female rapper on the swim cover makes it extra special. It feels amazing!”

Stallion spent “months” training for her photoshoot and tagged the day as “one of the best experiences” of her life.

Telugu star Balakrishna being trolled after comments on AR Rahman and Bharat Ratna

Netizens had a field day on Wednesday, after an interview of Telugu star and MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna went viral. In the interview, the actor says he doesn’t know who Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman is, and adds that Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, is equal to the “toenail” of his father, late actor-politician NT Rama Rao.

“I don’t know who AR Rahman is. He won an Oscar and I don’t even know who he is. He gives a hit once in a decade,” said Balakrishnan, in an interview to the channel TV9.

Rahman, incidentally, had composed the background score of Balakrishna’s 1993 film, “Nippu Ravva”.

Speaking about Bharat Ratna, the actor, also known as Ballaya to fans, said: “I feel that Bharat Ratna is equal to my father’s toenail. No award can compensate for the contribution of my family to Tollywood. So, only the awards should feel bad. Not my family or my father.”

Soon, a Twitter war erupted, with Rahman fans mercilessly posting memes, and hashtag #whoisbalakrishna started trending.

A fan tweeted: “How can a senior actor like #Balakrishna talk about Indian legend #ARRahman? Will people accept if a similar thing is being spoken by a Tamil actor on #Rajamouli?”

While another one tweeted: “Who is balakrisha the funny actor #whoisbalakrishna.”

“Born to spoil is DAD good name.. #whoisbalakrishna this head weight attitude is the biggest reason for people to hate him.. funniest part is he is MLA”

Soon, Balakrishna’s fans were out defending him, saying he was a hero of the masses and a charitable personality.

Sonu Sood pens emotional note for late mother on her birth anniversary

Actor Sonu Sood took to social media on Wednesday to write an emotional note for his late mother on her birth anniversary, thanking her for the life lessons she had taught him.

Sonu shared black and white photographs of his mother from her younger days on Twitter and wrote: “Happy birthday Maa. I wish I could wish you personally and thank you for the lessons of life you have taught me. These messages can never express how much I miss you. The vacuum that has been created in my life without you will always remain the same till I see you again.”

Meanwhile, the actor is currently working on helping Covid patients amid the pandemic along with other kinds of social service through his charitable organisation Sood Foundation.

Just a few days ago, Sonu got a Covid patient transferred via air ambulance from Delhi to Hyderabad for treatment.

Informing about the same, the actor tweeted last week: “Yesterday we shifted Hitesh Sharma from Delhi to Hyderabad on an Air Ambulance. He will undergo a Lung Transplant surgery at @YashodaHospital. He’s been a true hero who’s been fighting COVID since April. We need your prayers to get him back hale and hearty. @SoodFoundation.”

Saiyami Kher, Sunny Kaushal come together for track ‘Dil lauta do’

Actors Sunny Kaushal and Saiyami Kher will be seen sharing screen space for the first time in the music video of the track “Dil lauta do”. The love track, sung by Jubin Nautiyal and Payal Dev, has been shot against the scenic backdrop of Leh.

“The song is astounding and I was in love with it right from the first time I heard it. It has an old school vibe, which gives me a great feeling of how the song will do! Shooting for this song was my first time in Leh and I’m in love! The locations we shot at were perfect and they gave the right feel to the shoot. It took us time to acclimatise ourselves to the rough weather of Leh-Ladakh but once that was done, it was a blast. Working with Saiyami was a great experience. She was an amazing performer,” says Sunny.

Saiyami Kher adds: “I am happy I could be a part of this song because I really liked it the first time I heard it! The song turned out to look very beautiful and Sunny was great to work with because we got along really well. I shot my first film in Ladakh and so it was extremely exciting to shoot this song there again! It’s just a place which makes everything look very beautiful! I’m happy that we are a part of the song. ”

The song has been composed by Payal Dev and the video is directed by Navjit Buttar. It will release on July 28.

Amit Sharma: Surekha Sikri ji started reading the scene and left us in tears

It was my good luck that I had a chance to work with a veteran actress like Surekha Sikri ji. There was a very crucial scene in the last leg of the film in which ‘Dadi’ (played by Sikri) defends her daughter-in-law, played by Neena Gupta.

I was very sorted in my mind from the beginning that whoever would play Dadi, has to get that scene right. So, I had a word with Surekha ji and told her about the reading of that scene. We went through the reading twice but she said she would take a little more time because she wanted to ‘prepare’.

Cut to, Surekha ji comes to our office with the final reading of that scene and she says she is ready. She sat across the table and started reading the scene. By the time she ended, I had goosebumps and teary eyes. Everyone in my office had silently gathered just to watch her read that scene and we were all left in tears.

That was Surekha Sikri ji for me. What was most fascinating about her was her dedication. It is only natural that when you are working on something for years, you tend to go easy or feel relaxed with your work. We all have that attitude that ‘haan ye to roz ka kaam hai, kar lenge (this is everyday fare, will manage)’. Never have I ever seen that attitude in Surekha ji.

She would come prepared with lines, action and everything about each scene. I tend to take more takes for a scene as I tend to experiment in my shot-taking as a filmmaker. I have never seen her asking me for a break or refusing to give so many takes. She was always enthusiastic to do more. After the shot, she would say, ‘dude, have you got your short!’ and laugh!

Surekha ji was a combination of excellence, highly professional, disciplined yet very effortless and easy-going to be around. I loved her and she, I think, also liked working with me because she told me once, ‘kaafi time ke baad, aaj kaam karke mazaa aa raha hai (feels good to work after a long time)’. I wish I had more opportunities to work with her. Surekha ji, you will remain someone very, very magical and we will miss you.

Athar Siddiqui says he misses celebrating Eid with family this year

Actor Athar Siddiqui, who is currently seen as an antagonist in the television show “Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2”, misses his family on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha on Wednesday.

“Every year I am with my family for the occasion and we enjoy it all together. This year I am missing the festive fun as I am in Mumbai due to work commitments and my family is in Meerut. Last month I was there for my sister (Arshiha) marriage so I couldn’t make it for the festival. I am missing the celebration with them,” Athar said.

Athar, known for featuring in television series like “Jag Janani Maa Vaishno Devi”, “Parvarrish: Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi” and “Vighnaharta Ganesha”, will cook sweet and invite close friends for celebrations.

“We can’t go to offer namaaz like it used to be earlier. Due to the pandemic I have performed it at home. I will have a meal with my close friends. I am cooking sweet sheer today,” he says.

Salman Khan: Great that this season of Bigg Boss will have a digital first

Salman Khan on the occasion of Eid on Wednesday has treated fans with the promo of the upcoming “Bigg Boss OTT”. The actor finds it great that this season the show will have a digital first with “Bigg Boss OTT”, six weeks ahead of its television run.

“It’s great that this season of Bigg Boss will have a digital first with ‘Bigg Boss OTT’, six weeks ahead of television. The platform will see unparalleled interactivity where the audience will not only get entertained but also participate, engage, give tasks and more – It is truly for the people and by the people,” Salman said.

The actor, who has been a part of the show as a host for over a decade, shared advice for all the contestants who will be seen in the show.

He added: “My advice to all contestants is to be active, entertaining and conduct themselves well in the BB house.”

In the promo, Salman can be seen bursting with joy has he declares and warns the audience to gear up for the upcoming season.

He is heard saying: “Is baar ka Bigg Boss, itna crazy, itna over-the-top, TV par ban ho jayega..”

Salman also shared that he will be seen hosting on television. It is speculated that the digital version will have a different host, however no confirmation has been made.

The digital version of the show will air on Voot.

Rituparna Sengupta: Gracious of Riteish Deshmukh to do cameo in Bengali film

Rituparna Sengupta will be seen sharing screen space with Riteish Deshmukh, who will be making a special appearance in “Antardrishti”. The Bengali actress praised the actor and said it was very gracious of him to do a cameo in a Bangla film.

Riteish will be seen in a cameo role as Rituparna’s boss who is the main protagonist of the film, a remake of a Spanish thriller “Julia’s Eyes”.

Rituparna said: “It’s an interesting character to play who has many complex layers and it becomes more amazing when you get to work with talented actors. I have briefly worked with Riteish in David Dhawan’s film ‘Do Knot Disturb’ and it was a great experience then and now as well. He is very talented and a humble person to work with and it was very gracious of him to do a cameo in Bengali.”

“Antardrishti” is directed by cinematographer-director Kabir Lal. The film is shot 90 per cent in Dehradun while rest will be shot in Mumbai.

Riteish says he loves the heritage of Bengali cinema.

“It was an incredible experience every time I worked with Rituparna and Kabir. I love the heritage of Bengali films and would love to do one sometime if I get a proper script”, he said.

The film is based on the story of a blind girl and how the events in her life turn into an investigation saga.

YouTuber Puneet Kaur says Raj Kundra tried to contact her for his app

YouTuber Puneet Kaur has opened up against arrested businessman Raj Kundra saying he had approached her via social media direct messaging for his mobile app, through which pornography content produced by him was reportedly published.

The YouTuber has further said that after receiving the DM or direct message from Kundra, at first she could not believe that it was actually him who had sent her that message and thought that it might be a spam message.

“Brooooo you OGS remember our verified DM video where he reached out to me for Hotshots? I’m dead,” Puneet Kaur wrote on her Instagram story reacting to a news piece talking about Raj Kundra playing a key role in making the Hotshots application.

Actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra, has been sent into police custody till July 23.

Reacting to the news of Kundra being sent to police custody for three days, Puneet wrote in a separate story: “I can’t even WT* this man was really luring people. We literally thought it was spam when he sent that DM to me? Jesus Christ man rot in jail.”

Kundra was arrested on Monday night on charges of creating pornographic content and publishing the same through mobile applications.

Tony Kakkar reveals in what way sister Neha Kakkar inspires him

Tony Kakkar has gained popularity by belting out foot-tapping numbers such as “Dheeme dheeme”, “Coca Cola”, “Kurta pajama” and “Shona Shona” among others. He says the endeavour is to make every track better and bigger than the last one, and also reveals how his sister, star singer Neha Kakkar, inspires him.

Tony, brother of singers Neha Kakkar and Sonu Kakkar, is once again topping the charts with his new track “Number likh”, with “Bigg Boss” star Nikki Tamboli. The song dropped last month and currently has over 46,370,460 views and 951K likes on YouTube.

On whether expectations add to pressure to come out with tracks that can outdo his previous hits, Tony told IANS: “It always pushes me to do better. The endeavour is to make every song better and bigger than the last one. It’s all about being true to your art, driving your uniqueness that sets you apart. As long as you’re honest about who you are inside out, the expectations only empower you more.”

The 37-year-old singer hails from Rishikesh. His family later shifted to Delhi in the1990s, where he along with his sisters Sonu and Neha sang at jagratas. It was in 2012 that he made his debut in Bollywood as a music director, with the film “Mr. Bhatti On Chutti”.

In less than a decade, life has changed courtesy hits such as “Car mein music bajaa”, “Das ki karaan”, “Bijli ki taar”, “Goa beach”, “Booty shake”, “Chocolate” and “Tera suit” among many more.

Looking back at his journey, Tony, who has often faced flak on social media over his repetitive lyrics, tags it as a “satisfying one”.

“It has been a satisfying one. That’s for sure. But it’s also about working hard and being open to growth — whatever shape it may take. That’s something that is inspired by Neha. She has a hit in almost every genre!” he said.

Tony currently enjoys a fan following of eight million on Instagram and 408K on Twitter.

Does he feel he is ruling the music industry now? He said with a laugh: “There are many ways to think about success. But what’s more valuable to us is to measure how we have grown. Everyone in the industry is kind and warm. It’s important to be humble and it’s important to be unique.”

Tony recently performed on the app MX Takatak, he says: “We hope to return again soon for a surprise with some of our musician friends. The opportunity for the fans to go live with their favourite musicians, interact with them and also perform with them — that’s new and I’ve never heard of anyone doing this.”