Page 525 - Entertainment Culture

Efforts on to register channel name: Rajinikanth

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth said Saturday efforts were underway to register a name with the registrar of trademarks for the launch of a television channel floated by his forum, Rajini Makkal Mandram. Ahead of his visit to the United States, where the actor is slated for a brief stay with his family, Rajinikanth told reporters at the airport that the forum would be registering the name for the television channel. "We came to know that somebody is going to start (a television channel) in that name. Ahead of them, we are going to register that (name)," Rajinikanth said to a query on whether there was a plan to launch a television channel on his name. On Friday, Rajini Makkal Mandram had said it filed for a TV-channel trademark with the registrar of trademarks. The actor informed in a letter to the registrar of trademarks that an application made by the forum be processed and he had no objection to the use of his name and photo in the logo of the proposed television channel. To a query on

Arjun is too busy for me: Ranveer Singh

Seems like Ranveer Singh is missing his 'Baba' Arjun Kapoor and his recent Twitter post is proof of the same.During an #AskSimmba chat session on Twitter on Saturday, a fan told Ranveer that he was missing #RanJun and asked him when will he share screen space with Arjun Kapoor. The 'Dil Dhadakne Do' star replied, "even i miss him a lot. baba's become too busy for me."He also cleared that Arjun is focusing on his upcoming release 'Panipat' saying "he is gonna kill it" with his performance in the movie.From dancing together at a wedding, to laughing at chat shows, the two actors have shared a brotherly bond with each other even before their Bollywood debuts. They also sparked off their bromance on-screen with the 2014 film 'Gunday' and have got closer over the years.Interestingly, Ranveer is also the maternal second cousin of actress Sonam Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor.On the work front, Ranveer Singh is all geared up for his upcoming movie 'Simmba' which also stars Sara Ali Khan while Arjun .

Demi Lovato is "sober", "grateful to be alive"

American singer-songwriter Demi Lovato, who recently returned from rehab following a drug overdose, said she is "sober" and "grateful to be alive."Lovato was admitted to hospital in July after an apparent drug overdose. She later underwent rehab treatment. Ever since she got discharged from the rehabilitation centre, the 'Sorry Not Sorry' singer has been focusing on her health and wellbeing.Lovato, in her recent tweets, made it evident that she is very focused on her health and urged fans not to trust "tabloid reports."She wrote, "I love my fans, and hate tabloids. Don't believe what you read. People will literally make up stuff to sell a story. Sickening.""Someday I'll tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today but until I'm ready to share that with people please stop prying," she added, asking for more "space and time" to heal.Lovato, who has largely remained out of the public eye and off social media amid her treatment, was spotted spending

Women should be given equal importance in film industry, says Suniel Shetty

Actor Suniel Shetty has said that women should be given equal importance in the film industry like in every other working sector in the country.

Suniel Shetty advises son Ahan to become producer's actor

Suniel Shetty has advised his son Ahan Shetty, who is making his Hindi film debut with Hindi remake of Telugu film 'RX 100,' to become a producer's actor because producer is the one who invests money in films.

Music director Ilayaraja dragged to court over royalty issue

Veteran music director Ilayaraja has been dragged to court by a group of film producers against his claim of copyright ownership for film songs composed by him. In their civil suit filed in the Madras High Court, the producers said it was they who held all the rights of a movie, including those of the songs. The group of six producers including, PT Selvakumar and R Chandrasekhar, submitted that Ilayaraja cannot claim copyright ownership for songs for which he had scored the music in films made by various producers. They contended that the producer always has been the first owner of all copyright of the film including rights over the songs featuring in the films, both audio and visual. The plaintiffs said it has been over 80 years in the Indian cinema industry, the technical works, the artistes' performance and musical works have not been independently claimed by technicians or artistes or musicians. They also submitted since the past few years Ilayaraja had been claiming that he was ..

Intellectuals express concern over cancellation of Naseeruddin

Eminent intellectuals Saturday said it was a matter of grave concern the way the organisers of the Ajmer Literature Festival called off an event, set to be addressed by Naseeruddin Shah, after protests by right-wing groups over the actor's recent remarks on mob violence. The veteran actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month. In a statement issued here legendary actor Soumitra Chatterjee, Bengali actors Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Paran Bandyopadhyay, theatre personality Kaushik Sen, director Kamaleswar Mukherjee, director Anik Dutta, and others said, "The way an actor of Naseeruddin Shah's stature was being humiliated and institute was deplorable." The statement further said "Those who want to divide the nation and trigger riots to suit their own narrow political gains are behind this ugly personal attack against Shah." It urged all those who want to strengthen the ...

Bollywood stars praise government's move to reduce GST on film tickets

Bollywood actors including Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan, and filmmaker Karan Johar have hailed government's decision to reduce GST on cinema tickets and said its a "welcome move" which will benefit the industry and the audience. Producers Guild of India issued a a statement, where it mentioned that the industry is happy with the reduction of GST on film tickets, exceeding Rs 100 to 18 percent from 28 percent and up to Rs 100 to 12 percent from 18 percent. "This will help the industry move forward positively with increased investments in both exhibition infrastructure and creative development, enabling even better cinema and greater screen density across the country. "We look forward to continuing to engage with the government on initiatives that will help to unleash the full potential of the film industry," Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of Producers Guild of India said in a statement. The move comes after a Bollywood delegation, including Aamir, Ajay, Akshay, Karan, Kapur, ...

B-Town thanks PM Modi for GST reduction on movie tickets

Bollywood actors and producers lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the reduction of GST rates on movie tickets after the 31st Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting.The reduction was announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, drawing praises from the Hindi film fraternity.Jaitley said that the GST rates on movie tickets up to Rs 100 have been brought down to 12 per cent and above Rs 100 have been brought down to 18 per cent from 28 per cent. The new GST rates will be effective from January 1, 2019.Taking to Twitter, director Karan Johar, actors Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn and film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh praised the Prime Minister for the decision.Here's what they wrote:Anupam Kher: Superb news for #IndianFilmIndustry. Cinema tickets upto Rs. 100 which were under 18% GST slab is brought down to 12% slab. Tickets above Rs. 100 were under the 28% slab. These tickets will now be under 18% slab. Thank you PM @narendramodi & officials for this great ...

SRK's 'Zero' mints Rs 20.14 crore on day 1

Even after an extensive release, Shah Rukh Khan's 'Zero' opened to an underwhelming response at the box office by earning just Rs 20.14 crore on its opening day.While SRK enthralled his fans with his charm, but for others, the film was a tedious watch as the movie, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, opened to mixed reviews.Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh revealed the first-day collection of the week's solo Bollywood release, writing, "#Zero has underperformed on Day 1, despite extensive release [4380 screens] + #Christmas vacations... Sat and Sun biz extremely crucial... Fri ? 20.14 cr. India biz."However, King Khan's friend and producer Karan Johar lauded the performance of the leads in the film. He took to his Twitter and wrote, "ZERO is a must watch for the towering performance of @iamsrk who proves that he is truly the bonafide king of intense romance! His bravado as a performing artist warrants a salute and all the applause! @AnushkaSharma is so

Twitterverse goes berserk over Elon Musk's 'Bajirao Mastani' tweet

Turns out, Elon Musk is a Bollywood fan!The technology entrepreneur showed his love for Bollywood's power-packed performer Ranveer Singh as he shared a GIF of the actor from his historical biopic 'Bajirao Mastani'.Musk tweeted a GIF featuring Ranveer from the song 'Malhari' and accompanied it with a YouTube link of the song 'Deewani Mastani'. Along with it, he wrote, 'Bajirao Mastani' with two yellow hearts.Deepika Padukone also retweeted Musk's post.Musks fans went berserk after seeing the post and couldn't keep calm. Check out some of their reactions below."Therapist: What's bothering you today?Me: Elon Musk tweeted Ranveer Singh's GIF without context.""Grimes made Elon watch Bollywood.""Marvel: Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover event in historyElon Musk: Hold my Beer.""When you thought 2018 had already reached it's PEAK Indian American crossover but then...""I never thought something could top Priyanka's and Nick's wedding, or Hilary dancing with SRK, or Beyonce at the ..

Reduction in ticket prices to aid cinema industry growth: MAI

The government's decision to reduce the GST rate on cinema tickets would make movie viewing more affordable, increase footfall and aid the growth of the industry, the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) said Saturday. The government Saturday brought down the GST rates on cinema tickets costing up to Rs 100 to 12 per cent from the existing 18 per cent, while tickets above 100 would attract 18 per cent GST against 28 per cent earlier. "This move would help in reduction in prices and make the cinema viewing much more affordable," Multiplex Association of India President Deepak Asher told PTI. "Lower ticket prices would attract more people to cinemas, which means more footfalls and our occupancy level would go up." Asher, who is also Director of Inox Leisure, said that it would also improve the viability of the cinema exhibition industry and attract "more investments in the sector". Moreover, collection would also increase and which means more pay back to distributors and content ...

B-Town hails decision by government to cut GST on movie tickets

Movie tickets costing more that Rs 100 have been brought down from 28 to 18 per cent, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced on Saturday. Celebrities like Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn have hailed the move.

'Manikarnika...' actor launches his production house

Actor Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, who is sharing screen space with actress Kangana Ranaut in the upcoming film "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi", will now don the producer's hat.

Jake Gyllenhaal dating model Jeanne Cadieu

Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal is currently dating model Jeanne Cadieu. According to Us Weekly, the 38-year-old actor and Cadieu, 22, are doing their best to keep their relationship under wraps. "Jeanne is very mature for her age. She's quirky, smart and loves history, reading; she's a really great and well-rounded person. She and Jake really took things slow, but are now pretty serious,"a source told the publication. Over the past summer, the couple was spotted spending some quality time in London in July and Greece in August. Gyllenhaal dated pop star Taylor Swift in 2010 for three months. He was previously linked to Reese Witherspoon, Kirsten Dunst and Natalie Portman.

Bonding with co-stars is important for performance: Rajesh Tailang

Veteran actor Rajesh Tailang, who is sharing screen space with young actors in Netflix's upcoming original "Selection Day", says bonding with co-actors helps him to bring out the best performer from him.

Gyllenhaal dating a model 16 years younger

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, 38, is reportedly dating 22-year-old model Jeanne Cadieu.

Turned into singer to promote happiness: Sara Khan

Actress Sara Khan, who has lent her voice to the song "Black heart", says she took a break from acting and turned into a singer to promote happiness.

Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai loved Shah Rukh Khan's "Zero"

Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is all praises for superstar Shah Rukh Khan's performance in his latest release "Zero" in which he plays vertically challenged man Bauua Singh. Malala watched the film on Friday and in a video message doing the rounds on social media she said she and her family loved the movie directed by Aanand L Rai. "Hello Shah Rukh Khan, it was very nice to watch your movie, it was very entertaining and my whole family Loved it," she said. Malala, who in the past has expressed her desire to meet the 53-year-old superstar and had also invited him to deliver a lecture at the Oxford University, once again requested the actor to meet her. "I am a big fan of you and it was a nice chat with you on Twitter. I hope one day you can come to Oxford or anywhere in the UK and we can meet in person, and it would be my big big day to see you. You are the best and amazing, superb and awesome. Everybody says this to you so I will just repeat it again that you are amazing," she ..

KP govt plans to buy 25 pre-partition era buildings, ancestral houses of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar

The provincial government in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa plans to buy 25 pre-partition era buildings, including the ancestral houses of legendry Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, which have been declared as the national heritage, sources said. Raj Kapoor's ancestral home, known as Kapoor Haveli, is situated in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar. It was built before the Partition of British India, between 1918 and 1922, by the legendry actor's grandfather Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor. Raj Kapoor and his uncle Trilok Kapoor were born in the building. It has been declared national heritage by the provincial government. Veteran actor Dilip Kumar's over 100-year-old ancestral house is also located in Peshawar's Qissa Khawani Bazaar. The house is in shambles and was declared as national heritage under the Federal Antiquities Act in 2014 by the Nawaz Sharif government. The provincial government has allocated Rs 61 crore for buying 25 pre-partition era buildings, having archaeological ..