Page 788 - Entertainment Culture

I was frightened to talk about my cancer: Danniella Westbrook

"EastEnders" actor Danniella Westbrook says she was initially afraid to talk about her cancer diagnosis after having seen her friend, "Big Brother" star Jade Goody's deterioration. The 44-year-old actor, who is battling womb cancer, initially turned to cocaine to help her cope with the diagnosis. Westbrook said she collapsed in pain while in the UK and was taken to hospital by Kerry Katona, and it was when she flew to Spain that she had the devastating news. She admitted she turned to cocaine at first because she wanted to "numb everything and get drunk", but now she is focused on fighting the disease. "After what happened with Jade I was frightened to talk to anyone about my cancer at first. She was my friend and what happened was so awful. I've tried to commit suicide before but getting this diagnosis has made me realise I don't want to die. "I want to live and sort out my health. I know I have to fight, I know I have to get up and battle it," the actor told The Mirror. Westbrook ...

Bharat team heads to Abu Dhabi for third schedule

Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are heading to Abu Dhabi for the third schedule of their upcoming film 'Bharat'.Director Ali Abbas Zafar took to Twitter and shared a few glimpses from the next destination, writing, "All set for Abu Dhabi, next destination Team @Bharat_TheFilm"The location looks quite fascinating and to keep the excitement of fans growing, the team has been actively sharing behind the scenes pictures and glimpses from the sets of the film.The cast had recently wrapped up the Malta schedule last month and shared some amazing pictures from the location, while the first schedule of the romantic thriller was wrapped up in Mumbai.'Bharat' is Zafar's third collaboration with Salman after the 2016 film 'Sultan' and the recent 'Tiger Zinda Hai'.The 'Dabangg' star will be seen sporting five different looks spanning over 60 years, including a crucial part which will showcase the actor in his late 20s, looking much leaner and younger.After Priyanka Chopra decided to .

Kajol wishes mother Tanuja on her birthday

As veteran actor Tanuja turns 75 today, daughter Kajol wished her in the sweetest way possible by posting a throwback picture on photo-sharing application Instagram.Kajol's photo also featured her great-grandmother- actor Ratanbai Shilotri.Her post read, "Happy happy birthday to my super awesome mom who still has the same zest and love for life that she did fifty years back...... a difficult example to follow but the most important influence in my life! Also in the picture is her grandmother and my great grandmother who was also one of the biggest influences in my life ! Ratanbai Shilotri!"In the picture, Tanuja looks beautiful and elegant dressed in a red saree and big nose ring (Nath). Kajol's great-grandmother also looks gracegul in a saree.The 'Dilwale' star hosted a pre-birthday bash for her mother yesterday, and shared a picture from the ceremony, captioning it, "Friends family loved ones ....... a life well spent. A deserving 75th birthday! Pre pre but not any less ...

Police book actor for taking out protest in prohibited area

: A case has been registered against Malayalam actor Joy Mathew and 24 others for taking out a march in a prohibited area here in support of the nuns who had held a sit in protest in Kochi, demandingthe arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun. The march was taken out on September 12 in the recently renovated 'Mittayi Thiravu' (sweet street), despite a prohibitory order being in force in the area. Despite being told not to take out the march, the actor and the others flouted rules and did so, police said Sunday. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including unlawful assembly, breach of peace, rioting and obstructing public way, police said. Reacting to the development, Joy Mathew said he had taken out the march to express solidarity with the protesting nuns. "This is an attempt to scare me for supporting the nuns', he said. The actor said he was not told by police about the prohibitory order in the area. "We took out a .

Separation with Jennifer Aniston was kind of the most gentle: Justin Theroux

Justin Theroux has opened up about his divorce with Jennifer Aniston for the first time and the actor says the separation was "most gentle" and the former couple bore "no animosity" for each other. In February, the duo announced that they parting ways after two-and-a-half years of marriage. In an interview with The New York Times Saturday, the 47-year-old actor revealed that the end of the relationship was "as painless as it could be". "The good news is that was probably the most - I'm choosing my words really carefully - it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity. "Again, neither one of us is dead, neither one of us is looking to throw hatchets at each other. It's more like, it's amicable. It's boring, but, you know, we respected each other enough that it was as painless as it could be," Theroux said. But the actor added the end of their marriage also brought along a change in their friendship, which he hopes will evolve gradually. "It was ...

Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi dead at 64 (Third Lead)

Filmmaker and screenwriter Kalpana Lajmi, niece of the legendary Guru Dutt and acclaimed for making women-oriented films like "Rudaali", "Ek Pal, "Daman" and "Chingaari", died here on Sunday following a multiple organ failure at the age of 64.

'Kingsman 3' to release in 2019 with Matthew Vaughn attach to write, direct

The third film in the "Kingsman" franchise is officially in works with Matthew Vaughn returning as writer and director of the film. Fox Studios has set November 8, 2019 as the official release date for the untitled Kingsman 3, reported Entertainment Weekly. "Kingsman: The Secret Service", which released in 2014, introduced Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a young street-smart English ruffian handpicked by agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) to join a secret academy that would train him to become part of Kingsman, an organisation filled with super suave super spies. After saving the world from villain Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), Eggsy returned for "Kingsman: The Golden Circle", which brought in Julianne Moore as drug kingpin Poppy. Firth, Mark Strong, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, and Pedro Pascal also starred in the second film. The movies are based on the Kingsman comics by Mark Millar, whose other works are being developed into a series of Netflix films, television, and comic projects.

Biography on Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant in works

Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant will be the subject of a new biography. The book titled "Bring It On Home Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin & Beyond: The Story of Rock's Greatest Manager", and is written by Mark Blake. Acknowledged as the "fifth member of Led Zeppelin," Grant steered the band to huge success in the '70s. The Grant family have allowed access to previously unseen correspondence and photographs to detail the life of a man who was a pioneer of rock music management, reported Entertainment Weekly. The release of the biography will coincide with Led Zeppelin's 50th anniversary. According to the publishers Little, Brown Book Group, "'Bring It On Home' charts Grant's rise from wartime poverty through his time as a nightclub doorman, wrestler and bit-part actor to the birth of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s. From here, it explores his pivotal role in the formation of Led Zeppelin and charts the impossible highs and lows of life on the road with rock's most outrageous band. "It's the

Channing Tatum ready to resume work

Channing Tatum says he is ready to come back to the movies after having a relatively quiet 2018. This year the actor's only release is animated feature Smallfoot. According to Variety, Tatum said he took the time out to attend to his daughter, Everly with former wife, Jenna Dewan. In April, the couple divorced after nine years of marriage. I have a kid, man. That is the biggest job that I have, he said. The Magic Mike star, who voices Smallfoot's main character Migo, said he is ready to go "back to work. I don't know what I'm ready to go do yet, as far as, is it acting, is it directing, is it producing, writing Maybe I'll come and start interviewing people, I don't know, he joked. I have no clue what I'm going to do, but I'm having fun though, he added. The actor was speaking at the premiere of Smallfoot. Tatum will reprise his voice role as Superman/ Clark Kent in "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" next year.

Kalpana Lajmi deserved much more recognition: Raveena remembers 'Daman' director

"Daman" established Raveena Tandon as a powerhouse performer, and remembering director Kalpana Lajmi, the actor says the filmmaker deserved much more recognition than she received. Lajmi, who was suffering from chronic kidney disease and liver failure, passed away Sunday morning. She was 64. "Daman", which released in 2001, touched upon topics like domestic violence and caste divide. The film also won Raveena her first National Film Award for Best Actress. "For me there is a lot that I learnt from her as she was a pioneer in making women oriented films 25 years ago when it was a challenge to make these kind of movies and see them through. "But she picked up the challenge and brought out women issues strongly and in a way, she was working towards women empowerment. She deserved much more recognition than what she got," Raveena told PTI. The actor says, even though Lajmi was strong-headed filmmaker, she always respected the individuality of the artistes. "As a director she gave actors ..

Kriti Kharbanda shares screen space with Ranveer Singh

Actress Kriti Kharbanda, who was seen on the big screen in "Yamla Pagla Deewana : Phir Se", will now share the frame with actor Ranveer Singh -- but for an ad commercial.

Bhupen felt both of us should celebrate our love story: Kalpana Lajmi

Cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika always felt that he and Kalpana Lajmi should celebrate their love story as it was special and unique given the conservative construct of society, the filmmaker wrote in her memoir. Lajmi, who was suffering from kidney ailment, passed away early Sunday morning at a hospital in Mumbai at the age of 64. She was Hazarika's companion for nearly 40 years. Hazarika predeceased her in 2011. Lajmi was just 17 when she met Hazarika for the first time. He was 45 then. My eyes sparkled with love at first sight and I saw their reflection in his eyes just when the light of his life was about to be extinguished - 40 years later, she wrote in her just-released autobiography Bhupen Hazarika: As I Knew Him, co-authored with Sunanda Shyamal Mitra. Our lives, from youth to old age, were a continuous journey of mutual passion and love. We stepped into various chapters of our lives, sliding in and out of relationships with men and women, making memories along the way. We ...

Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi cremated

Critically-acclaimed director-writer Kalpana Lajmi was cremated Sunday in the presence of family, friends and loved ones. Lajmi, who was suffering from chronic kidney disease and liver failure, passed away Sunday morning. She was 64. Her younger brother, Dev Lajmi performed the last rites at Oshiwara Crematorium amidst a gathering of close friends and family members, including mother Lalita Lajmi. From the Hindi film industry, actors Shabana Azmi, Soni Razdan and director Shyam Benegal, who is also Lajmi's uncle, paid their last respects to the filmmaker. Razdan, who was among the first ones to arrive, got emotional when the pyre was lit. A wreath was sent by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to pay respects to Lajmi. Lajmi debuted as an assistant director under renowned film director Shyam Benegal, who was also her uncle. She went on to work as an assistant costume designer in Benegal's "Bhumika: The Role" (1977), starring Smita Patil, Amol Palekar and Naseeruddin Shah, among ..

We are not pushovers: Shilpa Shetty alleges racism at Sydney Airport

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra has alleged that she had to face racism at Sydney Airport as she encountered a 'grumpy' ground staff when she was all set to board her flight to Melbourne.A furious Shilpa took to Instagram to narrate the entire story, of how her bag was called oversized to be carried as cabin luggage. The 'Dhadkan' star further wrote how the ground staff named Mel decided it was "OK" to speak curtly to "brown people.""Travelling from Sydney to Melbourne and at the check-in counter met a grumpy #Mel ( that's her name)who decided it was "OK" to speak curtly to "US" ( Brown people!!)" read her post.The 43-year-old further called out to the airline for the bad behavior of its staff and said that 'tone cannot change with preference to color.'"The point is .. This piece is only for #quantas airlines to know and take cognisance .. that their staff must be taught to be helpful and TONE can't change with preference to #COLOUR ."WE" are NOT #pushovers and they MUST know ...

For Kajol, acting is learning on the go

From understanding the craft of acting to the importance of body language and on-screen chemistry, Kajol learnt the basics of her profession one film at a time over her two decade-long career. In an interview with PTI, ahead of her upcoming film "Helicopter Eela", Kajol, one of the most spontaneous actors in the industry, talks learning the ropes of acting on set. The actor lists down three films -- her 1992 debut "Bekhudi", "Udhar Ki Zindagi" (1994) and "Dushman" (1998) as her favourites. While the first two films may not have been blockbusters, but they helped her grow as an artiste. "All the films are completely different from 'Bekhudi' to Udhar Ki Zindagi' to 'Dushman' to 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. There was no connect but that's what drove me to take up these films as I learnt something new every time as an actor," Kajol says. "Bekhudi", directed by Rahul Rawail, marked Kajol's entry in films and the actor credits the movie for teaching her the basic essentials of filmmaking - from ...

Yami's dad took time to accept her short hair look

Bollywood actress Yami Gautam, who had to chop her hair for upcoming film "Uri", says her father took some time to accept her new look as she had long and thick hair earlier.

Music labels tend to interfere in creative content: Nikhita Gandhi

With a series of songs in recently released films like "Manmarziyaan", "Mitron", "Stree", "Sanju" and "Beyond the Clouds", Bollywood playback singer Nikhita Gandhi is on a roll. She believes that while Bollywood music is becoming diverse for new talent, indie music is still a tough place to survive for newcomers.

Danniella Westbrook battling womb cancer

Actress Danniella Westbrook has been diagnosed with womb cancer. She says she is scared of dying.

Playing villainous roles never bored me: Govind Namdev

Govind Namdev has made a name for himself in Hindi cinema as a villain and the actor says with every project, he has always tried to play the negative roles differently. The 68-year-old actor has played the antagonist in films such as "Bandit Queen", "Prem Granth", "Virasat", "Satya", "Sarfarosh" and "Oh My God!", among others. Namdev says he is happy he decided to play negative roles early in his career. "There is no similarity in the roles that I have played. I never felt bored playing the villain. Every character has a 'sur' (tone). I have always tried to bring newness to every character - be it language, body language or characterisation," he said PTI in an interview. When Namdev made his foray into Hindi cinema, the actor says he observed there were only three main roles in a film - hero, heroine and a villain, everything else was secondary. "... I wanted to be in the main circuit. I played villainous roles by choice. But today the focus has shifted to positive and secondary ...

Louis Tomlinson in tears on 'X Factor'

Singer-songwriter Louis Tomlinson was moved to tears on "X Factor" after a contestant gave a powerful audition in tribute to his late mother.