OTT premiere of Kiran Abbavaram, Chandini Chowdary-starrer ‘Sammathame’ on July 15

0

The romantic comedy film ‘Sammathame’, starring Kiran Abbavaram and Chandini Chowdary, will premiere on the OTT platform Aha on July 15 at 12 a.m., makers of the movie announced on social media handles.

Written and directed by Gopinath Reddy, ‘Sammathame deals with an urban romance and explores what happens when an independent woman crosses paths with a man who tries to make her conform to his way of life.

Krishna (Kiran Abbavaram) is a small-town person in the story ‘Sammathame’. His primary ambition in life is to marry a woman who will replace the emptiness left by his mother’s death.

The trouble begins when he moves to Hyderabad and falls in love with Saanvi (Chandini Chowdary), who enjoys hanging out with a diverse group of friends and does not mind a drink or two. The plot revolves around Krishna overcoming his anxieties and embracing his love for Saanvi.

With good music and decent production values, ‘Sammathame’ can be considered a good watch on OTT.

 

High on exposure: Urfi Javed flaunts herself in powder-blue cutout dress

0

Taking her fashion game a notch higher, former ‘Bigg Boss OTT’ contestant Urfi Javed, who is known for her bizarre style game, this time made heads turn with a bold powder blue cut-out dress.

She shared a video on Instagram, where she is seen dressed in a blue dress as she with a cut-out of a netted design in the front, showcasing her toned waist and her tattoo. She completed her look with braids and high heels.

Taking to the captions, Urfi wrote: “I refuse to follow the rules where society tries to control people with low self-esteem.”

Earlier, she took over social media with a dress she made of electrical wires.

On the work front, Urfi Javed was last seen in a music video along with singer Kunwarr.

She is known for her roles in ‘Bade Bhaiyya Ki Dulhania’, ‘Meri Durga’, ‘Bepannaah’ and ‘Punch Beat Season 2’.

In 2018, the actress was seen in ‘Saat Phero Ki Hera Pherie’ and two years later, she joined ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ and ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’.

 

‘The Ghost’ makers announce release date for first visual

0

The makers of Nagarjuna’s next film ‘The Ghost’ vow to release a spine-chilling first trailer soon. The ‘FIRST VISUAL,’ which will be released on July 9, is likely to heighten the excitement surrounding Praveen Sattaru’s directorial debut.

‘The Ghost’ producers revealed the release date of the first episode of the action-packed suspense drama on their social media accounts. They also released a poster of Nagarjuna.

The image, which depicts Nagarjuna holding a weapon, was labeled “Unleashing The Killing Machine.” The poster’s background appears to be a fort or a massive European structure, with the blood moon in the backdrop.

Gearing up for its release soon. ‘The Ghost’ completed its entire shooting part, except for an action sequence. This action block will be canned soon and with that, it will be a wrap for the production part.

In this high-octane action entertainer, Nagarjuna plays an Interpol officer for the first time. With ‘The Ghost’, Praveen Sattaru is on a mission to provide the audience with a never-before-seen experience.

Sonal Chauhan is the female lead opposite Nagarjuna in the movie that also stars Gul Panag and Anika Surendran in important roles.

Suniel Narang, along with Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, and Sharrath Marar is producing the film on Sree Venkateshwara Cinemas LLP and Northstar Entertainment Banners.

First Look poster of Trisha as princess Kundavai in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ released

0

The makers of director Mani Ratnam’s much-awaited magnum opus, ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ on Thursday released the first look of actress Trisha as princess Kundavai in the film.

Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, which are jointly producing the film, tweeted the first look poster and said, “In a world of men, a woman of courage. Presenting Princess Kundavai! ”

The makers have already released the first look poster of Vikram as Aditya Karikalan, Karthi as Vanthiyathevan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as queen Nandini in the film.

The film, the first part of which will release on September 30 this year, will release in five languages — Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi.

The film is based on the classic Tamil novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan by eminent writer Kalki.

The film, called by Mani Ratnam as his dream project, will be among the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the country.

The film has the best in business handling each of its departments. An R Rahman is scoring the music for this epic historical and the cinematography is by Ravi Varman. National Award-winning art director Thotta Tharani is in charge of production design while Mani Ratnam’s trusted editor Sreekar Prasad is handling its editing.

 

Suhasini Maniratnam to play grandmom in ‘Modern Love Hyderabad’

0

With a formidable line of accomplished actors in its star cast, the upcoming web series ‘Modern Love Hyderabad’ is raising anticipation levels ahead of its release on Amazon Prime Video.

In the six-episode series, Suhasini Maniratnam will be seen essaying the lead in the episode named
‘Why did she leave me there…?’

Suhasini, who will be seen playing the character of a grandmother, shared about her role in the story, saying, “Nagesh Kukunoor insisted on me and was very confident about me playing this grandmother role. And I am old enough to play such a character.”

She further elaborated, “I need to talk about Nagesh’s courage. It requires a lot of courage and strength to pick up such a story – love and affection between grandmother and her grandson. We generally tend to think of Romeo and Juliet. I didn’t have enough guts to play this role, but my friend Revathy convinced me to play this role. I couldn’t convince myself as a grandmother.”

The episodes feature Suhasini Maniratnam and Naresh Agastya in pivotal roles.

After the successful run of ‘Modern Love Mumbai’, Amazon Prime Video brings the second local edition of the audience’s favorite international Amazon Original series Modern Love.

With ‘Modern Love Hyderabad’, the anthology brings a star-studded cast playing interesting characters in unique stories of love.

‘Modern Love Hyderabad’ is produced by Elahe Hiptoola with Nagesh Kukunoor and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, Venkatesh Maha, Uday Gurrola, and Devika Bahudhanam.

‘Modern Love Hyderabad’ is all set to release on Amazon Prime Video on July 8.

K’taka Vaastu expert murder: Could not tolerate his torture, claim accused during the probe

0

The two men, accused of killing Sarala Vaastu fame Chandrashekar Guruji in Karnataka, have revealed during the investigation that they committed the crime because they were ‘tortured’ by him and his supporters.

Mahantesh Shiraoora and Manjunath Marewad, who stabbed Guruji to death at a private hotel lobby, claimed that he did not let them lead their life peacefully.

Chandrashekar Guruji, the popular Vaastu expert in Karnataka was brutally killed by two former employees in Hubballi on Tuesday. The accused were nabbed by the police within four hours after the incident.

The accused told police that after quitting their jobs, they were self-employed and also carried out real estate business. However, Guruji and his associates tortured them on a daily basis. Not being able to bear the torture, they took the drastic step, police sources said.

The police have been grilling the accused persons at an unknown location to find out the exact cause and conspiracy behind the murder.

The accused maintained that Guruji troubled them at every step and did not let them live peacefully. The police have taken them into their custody for six days.

The post-mortem report has suggested that the accused stabbed Guruji 42 times. The accused also slit his throat.

Guruji was regularly featured on television and was one of the known faces in the state.

Police sources said that Guruji had bought properties in the name of former employee Vanajakshi, who is Mahantesh Shiraoora’s wife. Guruji’s firm suffered losses during the Covid-19 pandemic and asked Vanajakshi to return the property to him.

However, Shiraoora did not want to return the property. Guruji had been pressurizing them to return the property and had threatened to kill them, police sources said.

 

PFI members arrested in Telangana for training youth

0

Police in Telangana’s Nizamabad town has arrested three alleged members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) for allegedly training youth to create religious animosity.

Police booked Shaik Sadullah, 40, Mohammed Imran, 22, and Mohammed Abdul Mobin, 27, for allegedly training gullible youth in the use of lethal weapons to target people from other communities.

The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act (UAPA).

Nizamabad police commissioner K.R. Nagaraju said so far four persons have been arrested in the case. About 30 people were identified and efforts were on to arrest the remaining.

Abdul Khader, 52, was earlier arrested by the police for allegedly imparting training in martial arts. According to police PFI members had hired Khader to impart the training. Sadullah allegedly offered Rs 6 lakh to him for the purpose.

Police registered a case under IPC sections 120 b (conspiracy), 153 a (promoting enmity between groups), and also under section 13 (1) (b) of UAPA.

Police also claimed to have seized ‘nunchucks’ (karate sticks), knives, and literature with content to instigate religious animosity was seized from the PFI members, who are all residents of the town.

The commissioner said that though PFI is not a banned organization, the activities of its members attracted penal action. The organization reportedly spread its network to other districts like Jagtiyal and Warangal in Telangana and to Kadapa and Kurnool districts in neighboring Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Nizamabad MP D. Arvind alleged that certain police officials were behind the training of youths. He said despite knowledge of the training being imparted to youths, the police did not take action.

The BJP MP demanded that the Nizamabad police commissioner be immediately removed from the post. He claimed that following the pressure from the Central intelligence agencies, the police took action against PFI activists.

 

PM leaves for Varanasi

0

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday embarked on a trip to Varanasi to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth Rs 1,800 crore aimed at boosting ‘Ease of Living’.

Detailing the agenda of his trip, the Prime Minister said in a series of tweets: “Leaving for Varanasi to attend various programs. Always a delight to be among the people of Kashi. At around 2 p.m., will inaugurate the Akshaya Patra Mid-Day Meal Kitchen which will have a cooking capacity of 1 lakh. Many students will benefit from this.”

At about 2.45 p.m., the Prime Minister will visit the International Cooperation and Convention Centre-Rudraksha, where he will inaugurate Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on the implementation of the National Education Policy.

“At 4 p.m., I will attend a program in which development works worth Rs 1,800 crore will either be inaugurated or their foundation stones would be laid. These projects include those relating to urban development, re-development of Namo Ghat, the heritage of Kashi, and more.

“The projects whose foundation stone would be laid include road infra works to ease traffic congestion, development work under the Sarnath Buddhist Circuit, tourism development works in old Kashi, and other such projects aimed at boosting ‘Ease of Living’,” Modi added.

India logs 18,930 new Covid-19 cases, 35 deaths

0

In the last 24 hours, India logged 18,930 new Covid-19 cases, an increase against the 16,159 infections reported the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

In the same period, there were 35 additional deaths due to the virus which took the nationwide death toll to 5,25,305.

The active caseload increased to 1,19,457, accounting for 0.27 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

The recovery of 14,650 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,29,21,977. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.52 percent.

The daily positivity rate also marginally increased to 4.32 percent, while the weekly positivity rate stood at 3.86 percent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,38,005 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 86.53 crores.

As of Thursday morning, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 198.33 crores, achieved via 2,59,53,259 sessions.

Over 3.71 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of the vaccination drive for this age bracket.

 

Samantha, and Vijay Deverakonda are all set to shoot for the second schedule of ‘Kushi’

0

Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, whose item number in ‘Pushpa – The Rise’ was a pan-India sensation, will be seen opposite ‘Arjun Reddy’ fame Vijay Deverakonda in ‘Kushi’, and the duo is all set to shoot for the second schedule of the movie.

The second schedule will be shot in picturesque beach locations in the city of Vizag.

The duo will be shooting a love song, which is expected to be one of the major highlights of Shiva Nirvana’s upcoming directorial.

Murali Sharma, Lakshmi, Ali, Rohini, Jayaram, Sachin Khedakar, Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Srikanth Iyengar, and Saranya will be playing pivotal roles in ‘Kushi’.

Hesham Abdul Wahab of ‘Haridayam’ fame has been brought on board to compose the soundtrack. Kushi’s production team has already finished a considerable schedule in Kashmir.

‘Kushi’, starring Samantha and Vijay Deverakonda, will release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam on December 23.

Samantha, on the other hand, will appear in ‘Yashoda’, the Hindi film ‘Citadel’ alongside Varun Dhawan, and the Hollywood film ‘Arrangements of Love’.

Vijay Deverakonda will next be seen in film director Puri Jagannadh’s ‘Liger’, which is slated to release soon.

 

SRK’s monochrome picture takes over the Internet

0

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s latest black and white picture shared by his manager Pooja Dadlani has caused a tizzy on social media.

The picture was shared by Dadlani on Instagram and seemed to be King Khan’s recent image. In the photograph, the superstar looks at the camera and smiles.

Sharing the picture, Dadlani wrote: “In a world full of Trends – A Timeless Classic!”

On the work front, SRK, who has completed three decades in the Hindi film industry, will be next seen in director Siddharth Anand’s upcoming ‘Pathaan’.

He will share screen space with his ‘Chennai Express co-star Deepika Padukone and it also features John Abraham in a pivotal role.

He is also joining hands with Tamil filmmaker Atlee for ‘Jawan’ and has Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Dunki’, which also stars Taapsee Pannu.

 

‘Koffee With Karan’: Ranveer opens up on his relationship with his in-laws

0

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who is set to open the seventh season of chat show ‘Koffee With Karan’ along with his ‘Gully Boy’ co-star and Alia Bhatt, shared how his life and wardrobe have changed ever since he married Deepika Padukone, on the first episode of the show.

Talking about the same, he said: “I am still managing. I am still figuring it out. For starters, I have two wardrobes now. When I go to Bangalore, there is a special wardrobe -A white t-shirt and blue jeans. I don’t want to throw them off.”

Quibbling about his daring fashionista wardrobe and exuberant personality, Karan Johar asked: “But are there difficult moments when it comes to adaptation?” To which Ranveer Singh confessed: “Yes, of course. But now we have been together for 10 years.”

Revealing what the initial phase of his relationship with Deepika and was like, the ‘Dil Dhadakane Do’ star shared: “Initially, they were completely thrown away like who is this, what is this? Especially Deepika’s mom. She did not know what to make of me, honestly. We took time to warm up to each other but now she is like my mom.”

‘Koffee with Karan Season 7’ is set to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from Thursday at 7 p.m. with new episodes dropping every Thursday in the following weeks.

 

Naga Chaitanya’s touching ‘Thank You’ post makes his followers emotional

0

As part of the advertising campaign for his next film ‘Thank You,’ Naga Chaitanya utilized his social media handle to thank some of the most important people in his life.

The message, in which Naga Chaitanya honored the three most significant persons in his life, moved his admirers to tears. Naga Chaitanya’s post reads, “Thank you – A word I use often but not often enough where it matters the most. My next release #thankyouthemovie reflects this thought .. something that has moved me through the journey of the film.”

“I’m dedicating this post to some of the people who matter the most to me .. saying thank you to them is never enough .. would also love for you all to share pictures of people who mean the same to you .. tag #themagicwordisthankyou let’s come together on this one!”, Naga Chaitanya went on.

He shared a photo with his mother, Lakshmi Daggubati, and thanked her for her support. “Amma – for being my core, rooting me from time to time and being unconditional in every way possible”, Naga Chaitanya’s message to his mom reads. “Nana – for showing me a direction and being my friend that no other friend can be”, Naga Chaitanya wrote, as shared a photo of himself with his father, Nagarjuna, and thanked him for being his best friend.

Finally, he thanked Hash (pet dog) for making him feel, showing him how to love, and simply keeping him human. Hash is a pet dog that he adopted with his ex-wife Samantha when they were still together. Hash has moved in with Samantha, post their divorce.

 

Ali Fazal takes to wrestling as part of action prep for ‘Mirzapur 3’

0

As the entire cast and crew begin preparing to start shooting for the third season of ‘Mirzapur’, actor Ali Fazal is busy with his own prep to bring back his character Guddu on screen.

The actor has taken to the method of learning the basics of wrestling to apply the methods of combat and hand-to-hand combat to apply the skills for his character.

According to a source, “Ali Fazal is currently prepping for the action sequences that are part of the script of this upcoming season.”

“The training is currently underway and he’s been doing this for a few weeks now ahead of the start of the shoot which is set to commence soon. Ali Fazal is giving all his efforts to this role and has already started taking basic wrestling lessons for the same”.

On the other work front, Ali was recently seen in the international murder mystery, ‘Death On The Nile’ and will soon be seen in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Khufiya’ with Tabu and ‘Kandahar’ with Gerard Butler.

 

Trailer of Aishwarya Rajesh-starrer ‘Driver Jamuna’ released

0

A hard-hitting trailer of director P. Kinslin’s eagerly awaited action thriller, ‘Driver Jamuna’, featuring actress Aishwarya Rajesh in the lead, has been released in four languages, namely Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

While actors Sivakarthikeyan and Sasikumar were among those who released the Tamil version of the trailer, Suresh Productions released the Telugu version and actor Kishore released the Kannada version. The Malayalam version of the trailer was released by actor Unni Mukundan.

Aishwarya Rajesh, who is known to break stereotypes, seems to have played yet another role in this film that may well be a first for an actress. Aishwarya Rajesh plays a cab driver in ‘Driver Jamuna’ that’s been directed by Kinslin, whose earlier film, ‘Vathikuchi’, was a critically acclaimed box office success.

The trailer gives away the fact that the story takes place during a particular trip involving passengers who opt for a shared drive. The trip, Aishwarya undertakes, is between Walajabad and East Coast Road. The gripping trailer gives a glimpse of how the cab driver gets caught in the crossfire between a gang, that is out to kill a man, and the cops.

The film has cinematography by Gokul Benoy, music by Ghibran, and editing by Ramar.

Malayalam actor Sreejith Ravi arrested under POCSO Act

0

Malayalam actor Sreejith Ravi was arrested in Thrissur on Thursday under the POCSO Act on a charge of indecent exposure.

Sreejith, son of popular actor T.G.Ravi was arrested for a similar offense in 2016, but he managed to wriggle out after the police allegedly registered the case on flimsy grounds.

On July 4, two children aged 14 and 9 complained to police about a man who came in a black car behaving indecently at a park in Thrissur – the cultural capital of the state.

Soon the Thrissur West police got into the act and screened the CCTV visuals and managed to zero in on the car. After reaching the accused’s house they realized that it belonged to actor Sreejith.

He was taken into custody and a detailed probe into the case has been launched.

Forty-six-year-old Sreejith is a mechanical engineer by profession and also holds a degree in management. He entered the Malayalam film industry in 2005 and has acted in over 70 films.

Alia talks about fitting into Kapoor family in ‘Koffee With Karan’ Season 7 opener

0

The seventh season of the popular chat show ‘Koffee With Karan’ is set to premiere on July 7 and will see Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt gracing the couch for the first episode.

During the episode, show host Karan Johar and ‘Gully Boy’ co-stars Ranveer and Alia touched upon celebrity relationship trajectories, supporting their partners and their lives after marrying the love of their lives.

Alia Bhatt took the conversation further with her experience of fitting into the Kapoor clan.

Tracing her journey of shifting from a nuclear family and adapting to the majestic celebrations of Bollywood’s First Family, she said, “I have been brought up between me, my mum, my sister, and my father. That was it. Our interaction was very limited. We were a very close family, but we were not a big family. We did not have these massive celebrations or get-togethers.”

Chalking out the difference between her home and that of her in-laws, Alia mentioned, “Everybody did their own thing. Enter the Kapoor family, where everyone does everything together. You eat together, do aarti together, everything is done together. It was cute. I have been through so many moments of culture and family because of the Kapoor family that it has given me a totally new layer in my life.”

Season 7 of ‘Koffee with Karan’ will air on OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar, with new tattletale games including Koffee Bingo, and Mashed Up, along with the all-time favorite rapid-fire — bringing fans closer to their favorite stars. The first episode will drop on the streamer on July 7 at 7 p.m. (IST) with every new episode coming up every Thursday.

Urfi Javed calls Rakhi Sawant a ‘legend’ to shut down the trolls

0

‘Bigg Boss OTT’ fame Urfi Javed was recently compared to Rakhi Sawant by netizens on social media. While responding to them, she in fact called Rakhi a ‘legend’.

In her Instagram story, she shared the screenshot of the comment written by a user, saying: “Totally agree with you! She’s like the next Rakhi.”

Urfi, who is often known for her style statement gave a befitting reply by mentioning: “Just because you know a few international brands, just cause you to add a vintage filter to your photos, you think you’re way above me that you can insult me.”

Later calling Rakhi, a ‘legend’, she comments: “Also Rakhi is a legend, the way you guys insult her for being herself and then talk about feminism. The fact that you think being compared to her will be an insult shows a lot about your character and the way you think! Putting other women down unnecessarily only makes you a mega loser!.”

Urfi recently had also slammed those circulating her fake suicide pictures, wishing death upon her in the comments.

Urfi is known for playing the role of Avni in ‘Bade Bhaiyya Ki Dulhania’. She was also seen as Aarti in ‘Meri Durga’, Bella in ‘Bepannaah’ and Mira in ‘Punch Beat’, and many more.

Fan gifts 100,000 crystal-studded portrait to Ranveer Singh on his birthday

0

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh recently received a special surprise from one of his fans on the occasion of his birthday. Ayesha Gandhi, an artist, designed a portrait of Ranveer bedazzled with 100,000 crystals in a span of almost 3 months. The artiste made the incredible artwork to gift Ranveer on behalf of her mother Shagun Chaudhry, who is a huge fan of the actor.

She took to her Instagram to share a picture of Ranveer posing next to his portrait.

Ayesha wrote in the caption: “For those reading this, let me begin by saying that my mother @shagunchaudhry is a die-hard fan of Ranveer Singh, and makes sure that she catches all his movies and that’s not the case with any other actor. So, I wanted to do something special for my mom’s favorite actor, on his birthday. It took me almost 3 months to create.”

About the portrait, she added: “This is a resin rhinestone portrait, made out of approximately 1 lakh stones! I’m so happy that Ranveer loved this sweet surprise and was kind enough to have clicked this image for my mother. She is thrilled! looks like he made her day on his birthday! She truly loves you, Ranveer Singh!!!”

Meanwhile, Ranveer has Cirkus, Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, and south director S. Shankar’s retelling of his cult classic Anniyan in the pipeline

Badshah brings 80s synth-pop alive with ‘Chamkeela Chehra

0

Indian rapper and singer Badshah released his new track titled ‘Chamkeela Chehra’ on Wednesday. The track is a part of Badshah’s ambitious album ‘Retropanda Part 1’ and has been produced in the 80s synth-pop genre. It features percussion designed on the drum machine, a prominent 80s-style synth with a moist snare in the loop as Badshah crooned in an autotuned treated voice.

The music video of the song begins with a robbery in the ‘Royal Bank’. A female robber wearing an arcade design mask lays siege to the bank with her gang. Badshah is seen in the role of a nerdy bank teller, who falls in love with the female robber.

The robber holds him, hostage, before walking into the bank chest. Badshah’s character in the video is shown to be suffering from Stockholm syndrome and ends up paying heavily for it by the time the video ends.

‘Chamkeela Chehra’ created by Badshah and produced by Hiten, is available across audio streaming platforms.