Shweta Tripathi: No one is forcefully putting drugs in our mouths!

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Shweta Tripathi: No one is forcefully putting drugs in our mouths!

Actress Shweta Tripathi says the claim by Kangana Ranaut that 99 percent of Bollywood is on drugs is an incorrect generalization, adding that such an assertion is a half-truth.

The “Masaan” fame actress, who impressed in recent digital releases such as “Cargo” and “The Gone Game”, also said that Kangana’s allusion that actresses had to sleep around to get work and that outsiders make space in the “big bad world of cinema” only after compromising, would make for an interesting script, but that’s not how Bollywood functioned.

“I think narratives doing the rounds that half of the people of the film industry are drug addicts, that female actresses are sleeping around to get work, and outsiders can make their space in the ‘big bad world of cinema’ only after compromising make for great and interesting scripts. No, that is not how we work here in Bollywood,” Shweta told IANS.

“Trust me when I say this, no one is forcefully putting drugs in our mouths! If a youngster wants to get into drugs, they will do it anyway — whether in Mumbai or in any small town of the country. It has nothing to do with the city of Mumbai. I want to tell all parents it is important to keep a check on the upbringing of their children, with the moral compass in the right direction, as well as their mental health,” she added.

“I think when we pack our bags and come to Mumbai, our parents should ask if we are fine instead of telling to give up on the initial struggle that we all go through. If we are constantly asked about how much money we earn and are told that our struggle is nothing but a waste of time, it really creates a different kind of mental pressure on any budding talent. It is not about consuming drugs. It is about the issues they face, which in turn lead them into the world of darkness and addiction, and mental health issues. I think that should be addressed, instead of defaming an industry,” the actress pointed out.

Over the past few weeks, several female personalities in the film industry have raised their voice against the negativity being spread around Bollywood. These include actresses Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Vidya Balan, Urmila Matondkar, Taapsee Pannu, and singer Sona Mohapatra.

Kangana ‘will quit twitter’ if anyone can prove she starts fights

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Kangana ‘will quit twitter’ if anyone can prove she starts fights

Amid a backlash against her abrasive comments on Urmila Matondkar, Jaya Bachchan, and Bollywood in general, actress Kangana Ranaut has claimed that she has a record of never starting a fight, and is ready to quit Twitter if anyone can prove otherwise.

“I may come across as a very ‘ladaku’ person but it’s not true, I have a record of never starting a fight, I will quit twitter if anyone can prove otherwise, I never start a fight but I finish every fight. Lord Krishna said when someone asks (ask) you to fight you mustn’t deny them,” Kangana tweeted on Friday.

Her statement came shortly after she engaged in a tweet spat with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, which followed when the filmmaker took a jibe at Kangana and said that she is a warrior who would keep fighting for herself and the country.

Lately, Kangana has been involved in Twitter spat with several people. She has been hitting the headlines for her ongoing tussle with the Shiv Sena and for her claim that 99 percent of Bollywood is addicted to drugs.

SSR case: CBI’s SIT apprises top officials of developments

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SSR case: CBI’s SIT apprises top officials of developments

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the nation’s premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Friday met senior officials and apprised them of the findings into the mysterious death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The team, which returned from Mumbai almost a month after recording the statements of several people and recreating the crime scene met the senior officials of the agency and briefed them about their investigation.

According to agency sources, CBI Superintendent of Police (SP) Nupur Prasad and Deputy SP Anil Yadav met the senior officials at the agency headquarters and apprised them about the development in the case so far.

The CBI had registered a case on August 6 on the orders of the Central government following the recommendation from the Bihar government on the complaint of Sushant’s father K. K. Singh.

The CBI team before going to Mumbai recorded the statement of Sushant’s elder sister Rani Singh and father.

A team of the CBI’s SIT led by Prasad had gone to Mumbai along with the members of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) on August 20, a day after the Supreme Court gave its nod for a federal agency probe into the death of Sushant.

The CBI team was exempted from the mandatory quarantine of 14 days by the BMC. The CBI team stayed at the DRDO guest house, which also acted as its makeshift office. The team collected the documents relating to the investigation by the Mumbai Police and the statements it recorded in the matter.

The CBI team also visited the flat of Sushant, where he was found dead on June 14 along with the CFSL team and recreated the crime scene. The CBI team also met the doctors of the Cooper Hospital, who performed the post-mortem of Sushant and collected the reports. The team had also visited the Waterstone resort, where Sushant stayed for a few months.

During its stay in Mumbai, the CBI team was also joined by the team of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which also visited the Mont Blanc Apartment where Sushant was found dead. The entire crime scene was recreated in the presence of the late actor’s sister Mitu Singh and flatmate Siddharth Pithani, personal staff Neeraj Singh, Keshav Bachne and Dipesh Sawant.

The AIIMS forensic team will be sharing its findings with the CBI team on September 20. The CBI team during its stay in Mumbai also recorded the statement of Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, father Indrajit, Sushant’s house manager Samuel Miranda, Pithani, former manager Shruti Modi, talent manager Jaya Saha and several others.

To know the real cause of the death of Sushant, the CBI team has questioned Rhea, Showik, Pithani and his personal staff multiple times to know what happened between June 8 to 14. Besides the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are also probing the money laundering angle and the drug angle in the case. The NCB has arrested Rhea, Showik, Miranda, Sawant and several others in connection with the case.

Sona Mohapatra on Kangana’s recent attacks: ‘Worst act of opportunism’

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Sona Mohapatra on Kangana’s recent attacks: ‘Worst act of opportunism’

Singer Sona Mohapatra has slammed actress Kangana Ranaut, saying that playing the messiah by using a tragic death is the worst act of opportunism.

The singer took to Twitter to share her viewpoint on Kangana, who has been in the news over the past weeks for her controversial comments about Bollywood’s alleged drug culture as well as her abrasive attacks on celebrities including Jaya Bachchan and Urmila Matondkar who countered her opinion. Kangana also hit the headlines earlier with her statements related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

“The number of misogynistic slurs spilling from her mouth now makes me wonder about the ‘feminist scholars’ who had hated on me in 2017 when I’d called out Kangana. My choice of words I’m not too proud of but nevertheless had smelt the problem a mile away,” Sona tweeted while sharing a link to an article from 2017 which called out Sona for attacking Kangana.

“Calling others Gold digger, mafia bimbo, Sasti copy, Soft porn star?!? Playing the messiah of the masses by using a tragic death is the worst act of opportunism. Doesn’t make you the pillar of virtue, justice, or the flagbearer of “Hindu Cultural values”. Highlights the worst side,” she added.

Over the last two days, Kangana has received a lot of flak from netizens and celebrities for calling Urmila a “soft porn star”, and disrespecting veteran actress Jaya Bachchan.

Anoushka Shankar: Important to call out inappropriate behaviour

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Anoushka Shankar: Important to call out inappropriate behaviour

Grammy-nominated sitarist, composer, and producer Anoushka Shankar feels it is important to call out inappropriate behavior and says there is a need to amplify the voices of women at all levels of the music industry.

Recently, Anoushka used social media to call out abusive and sexually inappropriate comments that she received during a live session.

“In this instance, I suppose I dealt with it by calling it out and refusing to accept it. I think it’s important for us to consistently call out inappropriate behavior, especially when that behavior has been normalized, as it takes so much active work to change the status quo,” Anoushka told IANS, recalling the incident.

Anoushka feels there are a lot of things that fuel hatred that women, and not just female artistes, receive in the virtual world.

“Sexism? Inequality? Misogyny? The question is not about female artistes but about women and inequality overall,” she said when asked about the reasons why women are subjected to online hate and abuse.

Talking about how one can work towards eliminating normalized misogyny in the music industry, the mother of two said: “We need to support and amplify the voices of women at all levels of the music industry. Not just singers, but composers, producers, engineers, record label executives. Corporations have a responsibility to ensure equality and representation at all levels.”

The daughter of the late sitar legend Ravi Shankar is known for channeling inner thoughts and her emotions through her music. “Traces Of You” was about intense joy, pain, and sadness. Her album “Land Of Gold”, released in April 2016, was written in response to the refugee crisis. Her latest album “Love Letters” is a compilation of songs written across 2018 and 2019. It documents a time of profound flux for the artiste: health issues, heartbreak, and domestic upheaval.

Now, she has come out with “Those words”, which features British composer, singer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and Indian singer Shilpa Rao.

“Musically, the song started with Ayanna and myself, with me writing my sitar line to complement her beautiful cello progressions. As the EP Love Letters evolved into a collection of songs with lyrics, I suggested we also add lyrics to ‘Those words’ and thought of Shilpa, whose voice is beautiful. As far as the influence emotionally, the song came from a desire to express longing, nostalgia, and regret,” she explained.

The video was shot amid lockdown, and Anoushka says “the song itself is so simple and natural, so I wanted the video to have the same simplicity, and that certainly made it easier for us to each shoot from our homes”.

Ranveer Singh’s efforts to make Indian Sign Language an official language is on

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Ranveer Singh’s efforts to make Indian Sign Language an official language is on

India’s deaf community has lauded the efforts of actor Ranveer Singh to make Indian Sign Language an official language.

Ranveer has been urging authorities to consider and declare Indian Sign Language (ISL) as the 23rd official language of India. He recently signed a petition aimed at furthering awareness of the cause.

His independent record label, IncInk, which he has formed with Navzar Eranee, also released sign language music videos. Twenty-five members from the deaf community in India appreciated him by putting out a thank-you video for him.

“We were very happy to hear the good news about Ranveer Singh, who is a famous Bollywood actor, to support ISL to be recognized as the 23rd official language of India. We are so glad that he supports this,” the members stated.

“Indian sign language is a beautiful language. We want to thank Ranveer for showing support to the deaf community,” they added.

An overwhelmed Ranveer said that his independent music label was created to encourage inclusivity.

Ranveer said: “IncInk was created as a platform to encourage inclusivity through art and we are deeply committed to making Indian Sign Language (ISL) become the 23rd official language of India.”

He added: “This progressive step will create a ripple effect in providing equal access across all areas, from education to employment to entertainment to more than 10 million deaf people in India.”

Amartya Bobo Rahut on advantages of creating music amid pandemic

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Amartya Bobo Rahut on advantages of creating music amid pandemic

New-age Bollywood composer Amartya Bobo Rahut has opened up on the pros and cons of making songs amid lockdown.

“I have been working with numerous directors and have primarily tried to imbibe their ideas and vision to my music. Pandemic has allowed me the time to work on my vision. It has helped me channelize my vision and helped me create a lot of content,” Amartya told IANS.

The 43-year-old composer has scored songs in films such as “Tumhari Sulu”, “Drive”, “Jai Mummy Di” and “Aurangzeb”, and has now come up with a new song, “Shaam simti”, which was shot in Goa after lockdown.

” ‘Shaam Simti’ is an expression of longing for a person who has long gone, but whose absence becomes more painful through every passing moment. I composed this song for my wife who I love very dearly, and one day when we were having a drink and chatting, we discussed how either of us would feel once one of us goes away with age, since we don’t have children. This song came from that feeling. So it’s completely honest and dedicated to her,” he said.

This in turn also dictated the song’s creative process. “That’s the reason I kept the arrangement of the music as simple as possible. The song has a single piano as accompaniment and nothing else. As for the video, a friend of mine who lives in Goa was nice enough to shoot during lockdown along with his wife,” he said.

Gurmeet Choudhary on outdoor shoot amid Covid-19 pandemic

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Gurmeet Choudhary on outdoor shoot amid Covid-19 pandemic

Gurmeet Choudhary is back in Mumbai along with the rest of the unit, after an outdoor stint for the film, The Wife, in Jaipur.

He said it wasn’t easy to shoot the film amid Covid-19, and shared his experience of being on the set after lockdown.

“Completing the film was a challenge during this pandemic as we weren’t shooting in Mumbai, we were shooting out of the city. When you are shooting outside the city, the major concern is if someone contracts in the team Covid-19 then we would need at least a 21-days quarantine and keep the shoot on hold. The cycle would be going if the number of cases increased,” he said.

“I think our film is the first one in Bollywood to start during the pandemic and end smoothly with no (COVID positive) cases,” Gurmeet added.

He expressed concern about the workers. “We had to be sure that even when the shoot was over, everyone needed to be negative. The entire team of 100 to 120 tested negative and after that, we took the decision to return. I feel it is an achievement in itself that as a team we worked together and headed back safely,” he said.

“Many shots have been kept on hold and people have lost their jobs. Lightmen, cameramen, actors, sports, directors, assistants and roughly 300 people are involved in making a film. Many have been sitting at home without work or heading back to their villages. I think this is positive that a film went on floor in the Covid-19 era and it worked out smoothly,” Gurmeet said.

“The Wife” is as an urban-horror film, co-starring Sayani Dutta.

SSR case: CBI team back in Delhi, to meet AIIMS forensic board

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SSR case: CBI team back in Delhi, to meet AIIMS forensic board

Almost a month after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) went to Mumbai to probe the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, it has returned to Delhi and will hold a meeting next week with the AIIMS forensic team, sources said on Thursday.

According to CBI sources, the team of the SIT has returned to Delhi on Wednesday and will now be holding meetings with the AIIMS forensic team on Sunday and later in the coming week also to take its medico-legal opinion in the case.

The team had gone to Mumbai along with the forensic team on August 20, a day after the Supreme Court gave its nod to the CBI probe into the death of the late actor.

During the CBI’s stay in Mumbai, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) forensic team also visited the flat of Sushant and recreated the crime scene along with Sushant’s sister Mitu, Pithani, and personal staff.

The CBI last month had roped in the AIIMS forensic department to take its assistance in studying the autopsy report prepared by the Cooper Hospital, the crime scene recreation and to guide the federal agency if there was any foul play in his death.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14.

AIIMS Forensic Department head Dr. Sudhir Gupta has constituted a medical team to assist the CBI.

AIIMS sources said, “We are in the process of perusal of the case after the due medical board meeting and subsequent meeting with the CBI.”

The source said that the AIIMS forensic department medical board’s opinion will be given to the CBI, and hoped it will present a total conclusive report without any confusion or doubts. The source, however, said that the reports could not be shared as the matter was sub judice.

He further said that next week the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) findings and the CBI investigation findings have to be understood before a final medical opinion is arrived at.

The CBI team during its stay in Mumbai recorded the statement of Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Show, father Indrajit, his house manager Samuel Miranda, flatmate Siddharth Pithani, former celebrity manager Shruti Modi, talent manager Jaya Saha, personal staff Neeraj Singh, Keshav Bachne, Dipesh Sawant and several others.

The CBI team also recorded the statement of Sushant’s sister Mitu Singh in Mumbai, and his father K. K. Singh, and elder sister Rani Singh in Delhi.

The CBI’s SIT also visited the flat of Sushant Singh Rajput several times and the Cooper Hospital where his autopsy was done.

The team also visited the Waterstone resort, where Sushant stayed for several months.

However, officials of the CBI remained tightlipped on the return of the SIT members from Mumbai and the meeting of the team with the AIIMS forensic department.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are also probing the death of Sushant.

The NCB has arrested Rhea, Showik, Miranda, Sawant, and several others in the drug-related case.

Priyadarshan has been on my checklist forever: Aditya Seal

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Priyadarshan has been on my checklist forever: Aditya Seal

Actor Aditya Seal recently got a chance to work with director Priyadarshan, and says that it was his wish to work with the veteran filmmaker for a long time.

Aditya features in the story titled “Anamika” in the film “Forbidden Love”, which is directed by Priyadarshan.

“He has been one director who has been on my checklist forever and finally I had a chance to work with him. Let me tell you it was beyond what I had expected my experience to be,” Aditya, who has featured in films like “Student Of The Year 2” and “Tum Bin 2”, told IANS.

“Forbidden Love” comprises four stories — “Diagnosis Of Love”, “Rules Of The Game”, “Anamika” and “Arranged Marriage”.

Ali Fazal, Aahana Kumra, Patralekhaa, Omkar Kapoor, Anindita Bose, Pooja Kumar, Harsh Chhaya, Raima Sen, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rannvijaya Singh, and Vaibhav Tatwawadi, also feature in the cast, across the four films.

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