Producer Bhushan Kumar is keen to make sequels of popular hits, including Aamir Khan's "Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi" and Ajay Devgn's "De De Pyaar De", but says the scripts of the films aren't ready yet.
Bhushan said it would be interesting to take some of the films T-Series has backed ahead as a franchise, like the blockbusters "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety" and "Aashiqui".
"There are some films we have made that I think would have the same entertainment value and interest by the audiences like the first part.
"If given a chance I would like to definitely make few of our productions into a franchise like 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety', 'Aashiqui', 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi' and 'De De Pyaar De'. But none of them are at the stage of going on floors with scripts ready. Once we have a good script we will announce," Bhushan told PTI.
Before the lockdown was implemented, the producer had several films in production, including "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2", "Bhuj: The Pride of India" and "Satyameva Jayate 2".
Bhushan ...

'De De Pyaar De', 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi' franchise not yet ready to go on floors: Bhushan Kumar

PTI Automatic

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members were placed under home quarantine after they reached Budhana town here from Mumbai, police said on Monday.
Siddiqui, along with his family members, reached his hometown on Saturday after getting necessary permission for travel from the authorities in Maharashtra, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Nepal Singh said.
He said the actor and the family members were tested for COVID-19 but their reports came negative.
However, they have been placed under mandatory 14-day home quarantine, Singh said.
Nawazuddin's brother Ayazuddin Siddiqui said the actor came to his ancestral place to celebrate Eid with his family.
He, however, said the actor will not meet anyone outside the family in the wake of the situation arising out of coronavirus.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui arrives in Budhana for Eid, placed under 14-day home quarantine

Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey says he is delighted with the response coming his way for his digital directorial debut "Special Ops" and says the team is aware of the responsibility with the franchise going ahead.
The Hotstar Special espionage thriller, featuring Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker among others, began streaming in March.
While talking with Tacker and Menon as part of the live chat on Instagram to celebrate the success of the show, the director hinted at the second season of the show on Saturday.
"'Special Ops' is the biggest show right now but there soon will be another show bigger than this. That's the nature of the beast but the fact that people have loved the show so much is what matters.
"We put this in a box, live with the fact that the audience has loved it and has given us the responsibility that when we go ahead with this franchise forward. We carry even more responsibility and onus on us," Pandey said.
Co-directed by Shivam Nair, the series revolves around a manhunt for a ..

Neeraj Pandey drops hints at season two of 'Special Ops'

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins says when he saw Die Hard and Aliens for the first he was moved.
The director, known for coming-of-age films like Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, said these films have a great balance of art and entertainment.
''I remember watching 'Die Hard' for the first time and that moved me. I was like, 'Wow, this is really fun, but it's also art'.
The same thing for 'Aliens'. I didn't take cinema seriously in the way that maybe is useful for this interview until I was well into film school, Jenkins told Empire magazine.

Barry Jenkins says he was moved' after watching Aliens' and Die Hard'

Actor Tara Reid is in talks to star as Carole Baskin in the upcoming live-action movie adaptation of "Tiger King", the Netflix documentary series.
"Tiger King" is a true crime docu-series revolves around the life of Oklahoma zookeeper Joseph Exotic and the events that culminated in an alleged murder-for-hire plot against Baskin, the animal rights activist.
According to her manager and business partner, Philippe Ashfield, the "Sharknado" star is in touch with the producers of the anticipated film.
"We are in talks with the producers and she is being considered, that is all I can say at the moment as casting is on hold.
"Tara loves 'Tiger King' and found the documentary extremely interesting. She feels she could get into the character of Carole Baskin very well and she has a similar look to (Baskin)," Ashfield said in a statement to The Post.
There are currently several scripted "Tiger King" productions in the works - including a series starring Nicolas Cage as Exotic and another with ..

Tara Reid in negotiations to play Carole Baskin in 'Tiger King' film

Hollywood action star Dwayne Johnson says it's a proud moment for him to see his daughter Simone following in his footsteps and join WWE.
Johnson, who had a long career in professional wrestling before becoming a Hollywood star, said Simone, 18, will be the youngest signee in the history of WWE.
"She signed her contract with the WWE, it just blows my mind," Johnson told Jimmy Fallon via video chat on The Tonight Show.
"First of all, I mean, what an honour that my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps. But more importantly, follow in my footsteps sounds clich, but she actually wants to blaze her own path, which is just so important. She wound up being the youngest signee in the history of the company, by the way, he added.
Johnson, who shares Simone with former spouse Dany Garcia, said his daughter started training at the age of 16.
"She was working her a** off. Quietly, under the radar, in the ring, getting thrown around, and all the bumps and bruises that go with pro wrestling. ...

Dwayne Johnson says he is proud of daughter Simone for joining WWE

"Friends" star Lisa Kudrow says if the popular sitcom were created today, it would be "completely different", starting off with a more inclusive cast.
With the reruns on TV and memes on social media, the younger generation which has discovered the show in recent years has accused it of having "problematic" storylines, with many describing it as transphobic, homophobic, sexist, and lacking diversity.
The actor, who played the oddball Phoebe Buffay over the 10-season run of the cult NBC series, defended the show saying that "Friends" was a "very progressive" show when seen in the context of the year 1994, when it aired.
Asked what the show be like if it was created today, Kudrow told The Sunday Times, "Oh, it'd be completely different. It would not be an all-white cast, for sure. I'm not sure what else, but, to me, it should be looked at as a time capsule, not for what they did wrong."
"Also, this show thought it was very progressive. There was a guy whose wife discovered she was gay ...

'Friends' was progressive at the time: Lisa Kudrow

Actor Sonu Sood says he is pained by the plight of migrant workers who are unable to go back home amid the nationwide lockdown and he will do everything he can to arrange for transport for them.
On Saturday, Sonu arranged more buses for the migrants after obtaining special permissions from the government of Uttar Pradesh.
The actor had earlier organised multiple bus services for many such workers heading to Gulbarga, Karnataka from Maharastra.
"It has been an extremely emotional journey for me as my heart pains to see these migrants staying away from their homes walking on streets.
"I will continue sending migrants home until the last migrant reunites with his family and loved ones. This is something really close to my heart and I will give it my all," Sood, 46, said in a statement.
As per arrangements, multiple buses left from Wadala and various parts of UP, including Lucknow, Hardoi, Pratapgarh and Siddharthnagar, as well as to states like Jharkhand and Bihar.
The "Happy New Year" ..

Will continue sending migrants home until the last one reunites with family: Sonu Sood

Music icon Little Richard will be laid to rest at Oakwood University's Oakwood Memorial Garden.
The rock n' roll giant died of bone cancer on May 9 at the age 87.
The Oakwood Memorial Gardens' representative told Entertainment Tonight that the private funeral will be held at the university in Huntsville, Alabama on May 20.
The burial place is significant as the musician, whose real name was Richard Penniman, attended Oakwood University and studied theology in the late '50s.
Artists who have cited Little Richard as a primary influence include rock legends Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Little Richard to be buried at Oakwood University in a private funeral

Actor Gul Panag says the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the "inconvenient truth" of the socioeconomic divide in our society and her latest project "Paatal Lok" drives home the very point.
The neo-noir series, also starring Jaideep Ahlawat and Neeraj Kabi, takes a deep dive into the hinterland India in the form of an investigative thriller, while talking about crime, politics, caste, and class divide.
Gul said the Amazon Prime Video Original series isn't an "empty entertainer".
"It'll leave you with a lot to think about things which otherwise you wouldn't think about... With the migrant crisis that has come out post COVID-19, the inconvenient truth that we would barely talk about or refer to... It's exactly the kind of truth that 'Paatal Lok' has brought home to all of us," the actor told PTI in an interview.
"The timing couldn't have been more apt. There's a layering of society we see on the show and there's a layering of society that the COVID crisis has revealed," she added.
Gul 

Like COVID crisis, 'Paatal Lok' also unravels inconvenient truth of society: Gul Panag

Actors Sakshi Tanwar and Seema Pahwa will be seen together in a Netflix crime thriller series, backed by Bollywood star Anushka Sharma.
The series is being directed by Atul Mongia and Anushka will be producing via her banner Clean Slate Films.
"Sakshi Tanwar is playing the main role in the series. There is Seema Pahwa playing a different role, something which she hasn't done before. There are many other actors as well," a source close to the show's production told PTI.
According to the insider, the series is set in the underworld.
The team had begun the work on the series in Lucknow, but the shoot had to be stalled due to the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown, which was announced on March 24.
"We had just started shooting for it in March, but due to the lockdown we had to come back to Mumbai from Lucknow," the source added.
Anushka made her digital debut as a producer with Amazon Prime Video's latest web series "Paatal Lok", which started streaming May 15.

Sakshi Tanwar, Seema Pahwa to star in Netflix crime thriller series

Actor Satyajeet Dubey says his mother is "recovering" from the coronavirus after testing positive for the infection, adding that he, along with his sister, are currently following the advised isolation.
Satyajeet, who recently featured in Sanjay Dutt starrer "Prassthanam", said his mother tested positive on Thursday, after she had a "severe migraine attack, high fever, and excruciating body ache".
"She's been kept under observation in an isolation ward in Nanavati hospital and I'm sure she'll come out better and stronger. Me and my sister are in absolute isolation in our house with no symptoms so far.
"I want to thank all my caring wonderful friends, empathetic neighbours, the BMC, the brave corona warriors and the amazing Doctors. Their love and support has been overwhelming (sic)," the actor wrote on Instagram last week.
In a health update on Saturday, Satyajeet said his mother didn't show reported COVID-19 symptoms like breathlessness or constant high fever.
The actor said his ...

Satyajeet Dubey's mother tests positive for COVID-19; actor in isolation along with sister

Cinematographer-turned-director Laxman Utekar says while his upcoming film Mimi is almost complete, the team is yet to shoot one song and finish the post-production work, which may result in some delay in release of the movie.
The film, featuring Kriti Sanon, is inspired by Samruddhi Porey-directed movie "Mala Aai Vhaaychya", which won the National Award for best feature film in Marathi in 2011.
We have one introductory song left to be shot with Kriti. We have actors from the UK as part of the song and we won't be able to shoot the song till the time the international flights are inactive, Utekar told PTI.
The director said considering the scale of the song, it is not possible to film an at-home version.
We have shot almost the entire film with the actors from the UK, only a song is left. They are there in the whole film. We haven't thought of any alternative. We will wait and see what happens.
We can't do it at home. It is a big song with several dancers. Once the lockdown is lifted .

Mimi' director Laxman Utekar says film yet to be completed, makers planning to push the release

If a biopic is ever made on the life and career of veteran singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, he says he would love actor Rhys Ifans to play him on screen.
During an interview with BBC Radio Two's "Steve Wright in the Afternoon", the musician was asked to take his pick about who should portray him in a potential film.
"I was thinking the other day about who would play you in a movie. Now obviously, you could play yourself now, but who would play you as a younger man?
"I would be thinking of Rhys Ifans," Wright said.  To which, Stewart, 75, agreed, calling it "a very good idea".
Ifans is best known for his roles as Spike in the romcom "Notting Hill", Xenophilius Lovegood in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1", Dr Curt Connors / The Lizard in "The Amazing Spider-Man", among others.
However, the singer said his 14-year-old son Alastair has offered to play him at that same age.
"There's a remarkable similarity," he added.
Stewart also praised "Bohemian Rhapsody", the 2018 ...

Rod Stewart wants Rhys Ifans to play him in his biopic

TV actor Manmeet Grewal, who worked on shows like "Aadat Se Majboor" and "Kuldeepak", committed suicide after struggling with dwindling finances amid lockdown, family friend-producer Manjit Singh Rajput said.
Grewal, who was originally from Punjab, hanged himself on Friday night at his Kharghar residence here where he lived with his wife. He was 32.
Rajput, who had known Grewal for nearly seven years, said the actor was facing "financial crisis" and wasn't able to earn due to the lockdown.
"He was going through a major financial issue and he was also in depression. The added pressure of not being able to repay loans amid this (no work phase) got to him. His wife is completely shocked and devastated," Rajput told PTI.
The producer said last rites of the actor were performed on Saturday.
Grewal was working on projects like a webseries and some commercials, which were put on hold due to the nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

TV actor Manmeet Grewal commits suicide

French star Vincent Cassel isn't interested in watching superhero films as the actor believes they are more suited for children.
The remarks of the "Westworld" actor come months after veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese stirred up a huge debate when he likened the movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a "theme park experience" and "not cinema".
Cassel, who plays trillionaire Engerraund Serac on the HBO sci-fi Western series, said although he was big fan of comic books as a child, he doesn't subscribe to these films.
"Honestly, these are not movie movies I watch anymore. When they came up with the technology and the fact that suddenly Iron Man or Spider-Man could look real and not tacky in the special effects, I was interested. Then, it became normal.
"I was a big fan of the comics at the time when I was a kid. Nowadays, I think these are movies for kids, really. And even though I still have a part of me who's a kid, I would say no. I wouldn't watch it" the 53-year-old actor told .

Superhero movies are for kids, says Vincent Cassel

This was no contest.
Shut down by the coronavirus crisis, Europe's annual musical spectacular that pits countries against one another instead sought to unite them Saturday.
The Eurovision Song Contest whose final was scheduled for Saturday night was cancelled amid restrictions aimed at reining in the global pandemic.
So rather than judging songs from 41 artists from Albania to the United Kingdom and having countries allocate points to elect a winner, organizers created a two-hour show called Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light that was broadcast in more than 40 countries.
Underscoring the effects of the coronavirus, the show opened with a montage of videos of the deserted streets of European cities before cutting to an almost empty studio in the Netherlands.
It was a stark contrast to the frenetic scenes of flag-waving, screaming fans that form the backdrop for normal Eurovision finales.
Part of the Ahoy convention center in the port city of Rotterdam that was to have hosted the contest .

No contest: In corona era, Eurovision seeks to unite Europe

Front-line doctor Henry Law, an anesthesiologist from New Jersey, is set to feature in actor-comedian Kevin Hart's next film.
Hart had auctioned off the role as part of the "All-in Challenge," which raises money to feed those in need during the coronavirus pandemic and Law emerged as the winner.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the minimum bid to compete for the prize was USD 10 and there were more than 10 million entries.
Law said he donated "a few hundred dollars" to win a speaking part, a trailer, assistant, car service, wardrobe and a stay in a five-star hotel for a future film with the Jumanji star.
This is big, man. This is bigger than big. This is huge. You will be in my next movie. I repeat, you, Henry, you, Henry, will be in my next movie, Hart told Law in a FaceTime call.
When Hart asked Law how he feels, the front-line worker said he was excited about the opportunity.
So excited to meet you. I don't know if you heard I live in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. My home city is ...

Kevin Hart ropes in front-line doctor to feature in his next movie

Pop star Britney Spears is celebrating 20 years of her second album 'Oops!... I Did It Again' and she says it's unbelievable how time flies.
The 38-year-old singer, who is said to have influenced the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s, shared a fan-made compilation of her interviews and behind-the-scenes from the recording studio at the time of the album's making on Instagram.
"Thank you to whoever made this. I just nearly dropped my phone I wasn't expecting it! 20 years since the 'Oops!' album. The anticipation and the butterflies I felt before it came out were crazy. All of my expectations were exceeded! And it's all thanks to you folks," Spears wrote on Saturday.
"Thank you for sticking with me and growing with me. I am one Lucky girl," she said in a reference to her track "Lucky" from the same album.
"God bless and thank you all! PS you see even 20 years ago I still liked to twirl," she added.
'Oops!... I Did It Again' released on May 16, 2000 and it held ...

Britney Spears celebrates 20th anniversary of 'Oops!... I Did It Again' album

Veteran actor-comedian Fred Willard, best known for his performance in Everybody Loves Raymond and Modern Family, has died at the age of 86.
The star passed away on Friday at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes, his daughter Hope Willard confirmed in a Twitter post.
"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever, she tweeted.
His death comes nearly two years after the passing of his wife of 50 years, playwright Mary Willard, who died in 2018.
Willard, who was known for his deadpan cameos, was nominated four times for Emmy Awards -- three of them (in 2003, 2004 and 2005) for playing Hank on Everybody Loves Raymond and the fourth in 2010 for his recurring role as Frank Dunphy, the father of Ty Burrell's Phil Dunphy, on Modern Family.
His character received a send-off in a January .

'Modern Family' actor Fred Willard dies at 86

Actor Elisabeth Moss, who is going behind the camera in the fourth season of "The Handmaid's Tale", has admitted that she has potentially caught the directing bug.
Series lead Moss is set to make her directorial debut with the new chapter of the multiple award-winning drama and she said she loves her new role.
"I have caught the (directing) bug... This is a unique experience," the actor, who won Emmy for lead actress - drama series in 2017 for the show, told Deadline.
Based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name, the Hulu show is set around the dystopian country of Gilead where women are stripped of their rights and forced into sexual slavery.
Moss, who plays June Osbourne/ Offred in the series, said the show was the best opportunity for her to make her directorial debut.
"I know the show very well, I know my character very well. I'm coming at it from a very good place, I'm in the best possible place you can be if you're going to be a first-time director."
Production on ...

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