Page 605 - Entertainment Culture

Priyanka, Nick celebrate Thanksgiving with family in Delhi

Ahead of their wedding, actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas celebrated Thanksgiving with their families here.

'Housefull 4' is four times funnier, says Riteish

Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who has just wrapped up shooting for "Housefull 4", says every shoot in the upcoming comedy film has been fun, adding that it was four times funnier.

'The Girl in the Spider's Web': A run-of-the-mill edgy thriller (IANS Review, Rating: **)

Film: "The Girl in the Spider's Web"; Director: Fede Alvarez; Cast: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield, Sverrir Gudnason, Vicky Krieps, Stephen Merchant; Rating: **

Justin Timberlake secretly signs copies of his autobiography

Singer Justin Timberlake has been sneaking into book stores and secretly signing copies of his autobiography.

Dolly Parton wants to die on stage

Country music legend Dolly Parton has no plans to retire and would like to die on stage mid-performance.

Don't have any regrets about my film choices, says Govinda

Actor Govinda, who is gearing for the release of his forthcoming film 'Rangeela Raja', says he doesn't have any regrets about his film choices and that ups and downs are a part of everyone's life.

Bhaiaji Superhit Is goofy zany outrageous fun (Movie Review ***)

Bhaiaji Superhit: Starring, Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi, Ameesha Patel, Shreyas Talpade; Directed by Neerraj Pathak. Rating: ***(3 stars)

I'm a gangster at heart: Vishal Bhardwaj

Vishal Bhardwaj on Wednesday said he considers himself a "gangster at heart", a signature that reflects in his filmography. The director-music composer was asked how he was able to deviously score melodious songs and yet show violence in his films. To this he replied, "I think I'm a gangster at heart. And the violence is more captivating on screen. If two movies are been released side-by-side, say one of Vivekananda and Dawood Ibrahim, everyone will go and see Dawood Ibrahim." He said that like all people, his past experiences have moulded him but now the violence that had seeped into his being has "subsided". "But I try to find poetry in violence and there are many factors which had happened with me and which happen with everyone. Everyone goes through so many experiences in life. I think violence has now subsided within me. What I have experienced as a child that has taken shape of some violence within me. The best way was to take it out on screen rather than in life... To unburden .

CBI registers preliminary enquiry against Anurag Kashyap Films, say sources

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against Anurag Kashyap Films, other film companies and unnamed officials of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) of India over an alleged financial irregularities matter, sources in the investigating agency said.According to sources in the CBI, the enquiry was registered on a complaint by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The PE was filed last month and a notice has been issued to NFDC chairman as part of the probe.Earlier this year, Anurag had to dissolve Phantom Films, which he co-owned with Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena, in the wake of sexual harassment allegations against Bahl.

Priyanka 'welcomes' Nick Jonas to India

Ahead of his wedding with actress Priyanka Chopra, American singer Nick Jonas has arrived in India on Thursday.

This year brought me both worst and best experience of my life: Janhvi Kapoor

Janhvi Kapoor Wednesday said the year 2018 was a mixed bag for her as she had both the "worst and best experience" of her life in the same breath. The young actor's mother, Sridevi, passed away earlier this year, while she was still filming her debut, "Dhadak". Jahnvi said her personal growth has been tremendous and she has emerged stronger in the trying times. It's harder to say anything... When I say growth', I mean personal growth, I don't know about artistic. This year brought me both the worst and the best experience of my life. It's a little strange... Our family is now united, so that is very big thing for me. But whatever happened that too was very heavy (tragedy). We are still in shock, so we haven't been able to process it properly. I'm really thankful for all the love that we have received and I got a chance to work, which is a big thing for me. I got a chance to make my parents proud, which is most important for me, she said during a session at the ongoing International ..

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work: Abbas Mustan on 'Race 3'

Director duo Abbas Mustan, who directed the first two films in "Race" franchise, said a movie's success or failure depends on the audience. The "Race" franchise featuring Saif in the lead, has made business at the box office. Thee third installment saw a change in the team including the actors and director. "Race 3" had Salman in the lead with Bobby Deol, Saqib Saleem, Daisy Shah, Freddy Daruwala joining him. Though the film did well at the box office, it was not received as warmly as the previous installments. When asked if there is little disappointment with "Race 3", Abbas said, "They are all our friends, we share good equation with Salman Khan, Ramesh Taurani (producer). We wanted the film to do well. We did wish the film should do well commercially as it was our franchise. And the film did well commercially." When pointed out that "Race 3" was below expectation, Mustan said, "It all depends on the audience, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't work." The two were speaking .

Don't know if my character will be prominent in Sacred Games' season 2: Pankaj Tripathi

After a tantalising glimpse as the mysterious Guruji in the first season of Netflix's India Original "Sacred Games", Pankaj Tripathi's fans are hoping that his character comes to prominence in the second season. But Tripathi says he is yet to have a clarity about Guruji's fate. "I don't know if my character will be a main one in the next season. I got a call last night that I have to meet Varun Grover (the writer), so the team is trying to get our busy schedules matched. We may be in the clear about the role by next week, hopefully," he told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The show, starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles, became a runaway success. Guruji's character was the cliffhanger on which the first part ended. Whe asked about the curiosity surrounding his character, Tripathi said Guruji was supposed to be kept a secret initially. "My character was kind of kept hidden. I shot for the series for just ...

CBI registers preliminary enquiry into alleged embezzlement in NFDC

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a preliminary enquiry to probe alleged embezzlement in National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), officials said Thursday. The PE has been registered to probe allegations of excess payment made to certain known film directors and the amount spent on advertisements, they said. Incorporated in 1975, the NFDC was formed by the government of India with the primary objective of planning and promoting an organised, efficient, and integrated development of the Indian film industry. NFDC has so far funded /produced over 300 films. The move comes months after NFDC's head Nina Lath Gupta was sacked from the post by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting over alleged procedural lapses, the officials said. Manoj Kumar Pingua, Joint Secretary in the I & B Ministry, is holding additional charge of the post of Managing Director of the body, according to its website. CBI officials said the agency's enquiry will ascertain ...

Filmmaker Deepa Mehta to direct Netflix's Indian original 'Leila'

Filmmaker Deepa Mehta has been roped in by Netflix to direct its upcoming Indian original series 'Leila', starring Huma Qureshi.Deepa Mehta, who is known for critically acclaimed trilogy 'Fire', 'Earth' and 'Water', will also serve as the creative executive producer for the show. The team of directors also includes Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar.According to the Hollywood Reporter, Urmi Juvekar, whose past credits include 'Oye Lucky! Lucky! Lucky Oye!' and 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy', will serve as Leila's showrunner.Based on a book by Prayaag Akbar, Leila is set in the near future and focuses on a mother's search for her lost daughter.Netflix recently unveiled a bunch of original series and feature films for its Indian market including 'Sacred Games', 'Typewriter', 'Bulbul' and 'Chopsticks'.

Nice end to the year: Saif on success of 'Sacred Games', 'Baazaar'

With back-to-back success of "Sacred Games" and "Baazaar", Saif Ali Khan is in happy space and hopes next year turns out to be equally good. "Baazaar" received mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics and is still running in theatres. The team celebrated the success of the film on Wednesday. The success of "Baazaar" comes after a string of disappointments for the actor. Calling "Baazaar" a slightly different-themed film, Saif said, "It was a brave subject, it was about stock markets. People have praised my performance. Some people concerned have made money and the numbers are decent. It is a nice end to the year, I am happy with this I look forward to a nice next year. The past has not been great. So I am happy with this." The 48-year-old actor also has garened positive reponse for his role of a troubled police officer Sartaj Singh in Netflix original series "Sacred Games". "I love acting and I had a great role (in both) and I think there was a lot of appreciation for the role ...

Saif feels happy when Kareena calls him 'beautiful'

Saif Ali Khan says he feels very happy when his actor-wife Kareena Kapoor calls him 'beautiful'. Kareena recently said, that both Saif and his daughter Sara Ali Khan, who appeared together on a chat show "Koffee with Karan", are a deadly combination of beauty and brains. When asked about the same, Saif, told reporters here Wednesday night, "I feel very happy whenever she calls me beautiful." Kareena is making her debut as a radio show presenter and has launched the show called 'What Women Want'. "She is excited. They (makers) come home discuss issues and scripts. I saw little bit of it yesterday and it looks like she is enjoying it," Saif said. When asked if he knows, 'what women wants', Saif said, "We all try to figure that out. Sometimes they just want us to listen." When prodded further about what Kareena wants, Saif said, "I guess many things. Maybe (some) nice emotional things. (But) Time is the main thing." The actor was talking at the success party of his latest film "Baazaar".

CASIO introduces CT-X Series Keyboards

A musical instrument fair was recently organised in Tokyo where an array of products were showcased by world's leading musical instrument manufacturers. During the event, Casio introduced CT-X series electronic keyboards that have several new features.Casio has been developing electronic instrument since 1980, with core concept of "expressing various tones electronically", that was conceived from the philosophy of "what is a musical tone" as starting point.Takashi Niida of Casio said: "CT-X3000 and 5000 series produce excellent sound quality. They contain 800 tones and 235 rhythm patterns, so you can enjoy these rhythms while accompanying them."At the venue there were concerts where several musical instrument companies played their instruments. The concert also saw the latest keyboard by CASIO being used and it attracted a lot of attention. "Mr. Paksin", a professional keyboard player of a popular rock band amongst young people in Japan, played the Casio instrument.Pakshin, keyboard .

My daughter Kaveri nudged me into music again: Suchitra Krishnamoorthi

Multi-talented personality Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, who released her new single "Sawan barse" after 18 years, says though she lost her confidence in singing, her daughter and family friends encouraged her to sing all over again.

Dick Van Dyke had paid Disney USD 4,000 to play another role in 'Mary Poppins'

Screen legend Dick Van Dyke, who famously starred 1964 film "Mary Poppins", has said he bribed Disney chief Walt Disney to secure another role in the children's classic. During a conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda for promoting the upcoming sequel, "Mary Poppins Returns", the 92-year-old revealed how he came to play banker Mr Dawes Sr in the film, in addition to playing the chimney sweeper Bert in the film. "I said, 'I'll do it for nothing.' Actually, I had to give him USD 4,000 dollars. I had to pay him to do the part," the veteran actor said. When Miranda asked whether Van Dyke ultimately paid Disney to play the banker, he quipped, "And I'd do it again". The playwright, who is portraying former apprentice of Van Dyke's Bert in the new film, said not many people are aware of this fact that the veteran star had dual roles in the original. "I always, when I tell my friends you're in it. They go, 'Oh, he's playing Bert,' I go, 'Remember he played two parts in that movie'. It's funny ..