Page 971 - Entertainment Culture

'Dhadak' very close to my heart: Godaan Kumar

Actor Godaan Kumar, who played Janhvi Kapoor's brother in "Dhadak", says the film is very close to his heart.

Sushant Singh Rajput to play Chanakya, Kalam in 12-series biopic

Sushant Singh Rajput is set to essay 12 real-life characters, including political strategist Chanakya, poet Rabindranath Tagore and former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam, in a series biopic. The yet-to-be-titled project will celebrate the Indian geniuses spanning 2,000 years - from 540 BC to 2015 AD. All 12 biopics will be part of season one. It will be backed by Innsaei, a venture recently launched by Sushant along with his business partner Varun Mathur. Commenting on the endeavour, Mathur said, "We are excited to bring to the audience a new series presenting the most magnificent stories of India. These 12 geniuses have made a paramount contribution in forming the India that we live in today. "Sushant has always been extremely passionate about learning new things and following the philosophies of these people, hence, he decided to bring them to life on screen." The series will be launched next year. Sushant is not new to biopics, having played former Indian cricket captain, ...

Demi Lovato too ill to discuss rehab plans

Singer-songwriter Demi Lovato is too ill to discuss going to a rehabilitation centre.

Michael Douglas says son's drug addiction was 'painful and difficult'

Hollywood star Michael Douglas says he found his son Cameron's drug addiction and incarceration ''very painful and difficult''. Cameron, whose mother is the "Wall Street" actor's first wife Diandra, was jailed for drug possession in 2010 and had his sentence almost doubled in 2011 after he was found trying to sell prescription pills to other inmates. He was released in 2016 following lengthy stints in solitary confinement and the veteran actor is pleased he has finally turned his life around. ''My son's struggle was a nightmare. It was stressful for all involved, very painful and difficult. "He has been out of prison a year and a half and he is actively pursuing his career. I am happy to say he is in wonderful shape now," Douglas told Radio Times magazine. The 73-year-old star also has Dylan, 17, and 15-year-old Carys with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones.

'Badan pe sitare' recreated, launched on Rafi's death anniversary

On Mohammed Rafi's 38th death anniversary on Tuesday, actor Anil Kapoor unveiled the recreated version of the iconic song "Badan pe sitare", sung by Sonu Nigam.

Bollywood lyricists dominate poetry list in Hindi bestsellers

In its second year, Dainik Jagran Nielsen Bookscan Bestseller list has for the first time included a separate section for poetry, dominated by Bollywood lyricists and poets like Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Piyush Mishra. The bestseller list for Q1 April June 2018 was recently released here by eminent Indian classical dancer and Rajya Sabha MP Sonal Mansingh. While Gulzar's "Pluto", published by Vani Prakashan, made it to the top, Rajkamal Prakashan's "Lava" by Javed Akhtar, "Kuchh Ishq Kiya Kuchh Kam Kiya" by Piyush Mishra and "Aapkamai" by Swanand Kirkire also featured in the top 10 poetry books list. In the fiction list, Satya Vyas' "Dilli Darbar" (Hind Yugm) topped the charts. His "Banaras Talkies" also found a place in the list. "Baat Abhi Khatam Nahin Hu" (Vani Prakashan) by Kshama Sharma, "Zindagi 50-50" (Rajpal & Sons) by Anmol Bhagwan, "Vishwas ki Hatya" (Westland Limited) by Surendra Mohan Pathak were also among the fiction bestsellers. "I hope hindi flourishes ...

Big B's samosa treat for 'Brahmastra' team in Bulgaria

Miles away from India, megastar Amitabh Bachchan treated his 'Brahmastra' team with some desi food.Terming it "quite an accomplishment', the 75-year-old arranged for vada pao and samosa while shooting "in the wilds of Sofia."Big B took to Twitter to share his joy and wrote, "Feeding the entire unit of 'Brahmastra' in the wilds of Sofia, Bulgaria with 'vada pau' and 'samosa', was quite an accomplishment, by moi."Directed by Ayan Mukerji, 'Brahmastra' also stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy and Tollywood star Nagarjuna.The flick will hit the big screens on August 15, 2019.

Mahesh Bhatt's 'Sadak 2' gets a release date

Mahesh Bhatt is all set to make a remake of his 1991 superhit movie, 'Sadak' and the flick will hit the theatres on November 15, 2019.Confirming the news, film critic and trade analyst took to Twitter and wrote,"IT'S OFFICIAL... #Sadak2 to release on 15 Nov 2019... Lead cast and other details will be announced shortly... Produced by Mukesh Bhatt... Mahesh Bhatt in association with Vishesh Films presents the film."The 1991 blockbuster starred Sanjay Dutt, Pooja Bhatt, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Deepak Tijori and Neelima Azeem.The movie was based on the life of a young man who falls in love with a sex worker. He was forced to overcome the social stigma as well as face the brothel owner and some criminal elements.

Here's why Ariana Grande renamed her upcoming song

Ariana Grande recently changed the name of the song titled (Pete) about her fiance Pete Davidson from her upcoming album 'Sweetener', and this has left her fans guessing.In response to a fan's query on Twitter, Ariana said she changed the name of her upcoming song as she was in love with her fiance's name, confirmed E!Online."I like the way it looks I love his name and I love him. I like the way it looks. I love his name and I love him. Music lasts forever. It'll outlive any tattoo, any memory, any anything, even myself so I want my love for him and how I feel to be a part of that," the singer said.Grande's Twitter interaction came some days after the singer announced that she would be taking a brief hiatus from social media after Davidson deleted all his photos from Instagram.In a rare gesture of love, Grande had earlier dedicated a tattoo to Davidson's father, who died during the 9/11 terror attack.The 'No Tears Left to Cry' singer and Davidson reportedly got engaged less than a ...

Equal pay important irrespective of gender or skin colour: Actor Stellan Skarsgard

Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard, who has been part of films like "Good Will Hunting", "Thor", "Avengers" and "Mamma Mia!", says equal pay and opportunities should be a truth for all -- irrespective of gender or ethnicity.

I am a reclusive person: Sobhita Dhulipala

Actor Sobhita Dhulipala says she is keen to play the characters of the ordinary such as farmer's wife, tailor's daughter and teacher that exist for real. Sobhita, who made her film debut in Anurag Kashyap's 'Raman Raghav 2.0' in 2016 and subsequently acted in 'Kaalakaandi' with Saif Ali Khan, adds she is naturally drawn to characters that are more layered. Born in Tenali and raised in Vizag in Andhra Pradesh, the Femina Miss India Earth 2013 noted that Raman Raghav was not a usual character for a debutant, and her second film Kaalakaandi was an experimental movie. Her Telugu debut movie 'Goodachari' in which she plays the role of a psychologist from Harward is set for release on August 3. "I look forward to playing characters where I want to play the ordinary, to be honest,...farmer's wife, tailor's daughter, the teacher characters that exist for real emotions... I want to explore as an individual and as an artist", Sobhita told PTI in an interview. She was also candid .

'Newton', 'Village Rockstars' shine at BRICS Film Festival

"Newton", directed by Amit Masurkar and Rima Das' "Village Rockstars" have bagged the top honours at the 3rd BRICS Film Festival. BRICS Film Festival took place in Durban, South Africa, along with the International Durban Film Festival (DIFF) from July 22-27. The last day of the festival was celebrated as India Country Day, followed by Awards and Closing Ceremony. "Newton", starring Rajkummar Rao in the lead, won the Best Film, while "Village Rockstars" received Best Actress (Bhanita Das) and Special Jury Award. BRICS Film Festival is aimed at celebrating world-class film productions from the BRICS nations with the objective of inspiring more collaboration from these nations. The format of the festival consisted of screening two feature films from each country in the competition category and three feature films in the non-competition category. A total of twenty-four films were screened during the duration of the festival.

Challenging to get a foothold in new industry: Jassi Gill on Bollywood debut

Punjabi singer-actor Jassi Gill, who is making his Hindi film debut with "Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi", believes it is hard to find one's footing in a competitive industry like Bollywood. "There is a challenge. It takes time to find one's footing in a new industry. There is a lot of competition in Bollywood and today if people know Diljit Dosanjh, an actor-singer from Punjab, then it is really good," he told PTI. Dosanjh, who like Jassi started as a singer-actor, has become popular in Bollywood with the success of films such as "Udta Punjab" and "Soorma". Jassi says Dosanjh's Bollywood journey is inspiring. "I respect him. He is making a name for himself. He is a sardar, representing Punjab industry, he came here and did it all. That's an achievement." Before "Happy..." there were other Bollywood offers for Jassi but the actor says they were not that good. "I felt I couldn't do justice to the work that came my way earlier. I was getting cameo roles, I don't have issues doing it but if I ..

Saif Ali Khan denies feud with Nikkhil Advani

Saif Ali Khan has dismissed reports that he and "Baazaar" director Nikkhil Advani had any argument over the release of the film. The film has faced delays and there were reports that the actor, who was recently seen in Netflix show "Sacred Games", was upset with that. But in a statement, Saif's spokesperson denied that he and Advani had any fallout. "The rumours floating are ridiculous. Everyone is excited about the film (Baazaar) and the way it's shaped up. There was no argument whatsoever as Nikkhil Advani and Saif Ali Khan are friends and share a great equation over the years," the spokesperson said in a statement. Set against the backdrop of share market, the film features Saif in the role of a businessman. The film also stars Radhika Apte, Chitrangda Singh and debutant Rohan Mehra.

Freida Pinto, Ali Fazal to attend Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Actors Freida Pinto and Ali Fazal, who have worked in several Hollywood projects, will be a part of a panel discussion at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The duo will deliver a talk on the challenges associated with being a non-American actor working in the West. Pinto will also attend the Australian premiere of her film "Love Sonia" while Ali has been elected as the jury member for the Short Film Awards category at the festival. "It's always interesting to talk to people of different countries and background. It gives you great perspective. This in fact is my first time to Australia and to get a chance to interact with film lovers and film students on a topic about crossing over is exciting and there's so much to speak about. "I'm looking forward to do this talk and discussion alongside someone talented like Freida," the "Victoria and Abdul" star said in a statement. The panel discussion will also have "Love Sonia" director Tabrez Noorani. The festival runs from August 10 to ..

'Rainbow' record saved my life, says Kesha

Singer Kesha believes her latest record 'Rainbow' helped save her life. In celebration of the one-year anniversary of her Grammy-nominated third album, 'Rainbow', the 31-year-old singer is releasing a documentary, "RainbowThe Film", with Apple Music. The documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look into the making and release of the album, and shows how the process helped the singer heal, who has been through many ups and downs over the years, including an ongoing legal battle with Dr Luke. "Sometimes things feel like, like they're too much to handle. You may be able to pull it together and put on a front in front of others, but inside, you're trapped, suffocating slowly... This record has, quite literally, saved my life," Kesha says in the trailer for the upcoming documentary. The 31-year-old singer helped to direct the film along with her brother Lagan Sebert and Kevin Hayden. "RainbowThe Film" will premiere on Apple Music on August 10.

Chris Pratt wants James Gunn back in 'Guardians of Galaxy 3'

Hollywood star Chris Pratt took to social media to reaffirm his support towards James Gunn and sought to bring back the filmmaker to direct 'Guardians of Galaxy Volume 3'.He took to Instagram to show his support.This comes after James Gunn was fired from the Guardians of Galaxy franchise after his controversial tweets on topics like paedophilia and rapeIn the lengthy post, he said, "Being in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies has been a great honor in each of our lives. We cannot let this moment pass without expressing our love, support, and gratitude for James. We are not here to defend his jokes of many years ago but rather to share our experience having spent many years together on set making Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2."He captioned it, "Although I don't support James Gunn's inappropriate jokes from years ago, he is a good man. I'd personally love to see him reinstated as director of Volume 3. If you please, read the following statement- signed by our entire cast."Further ...

Here's when 'Dangal' director will make TV shows

Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari of "Dangal" fame is also one of the minds behind the emotional campaigns of "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC), hosted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan. But a TV show helmed by him will take some time as he is yet to have his fill of directing feature films.

Pankaj Tripathi to play a south star in Shakeela biopic

Pankaj Tripathi is reuniting with his "Masaan" co-star Richa Chadha in the upcoming biopic on South star Shakeela. The film is being helmed by acclaimed director, Indrajit Lankesh. While Richa has already begun shooting for the film, Pankaj will join the team end of August in a location in Karnataka for the shoot. Tripathi, who will play the role of a '90s actor in the film, said Shakeela's story is both inspiring and heartbreaking. "I am looking forward to essay the role of an actor on screen. It's such an important story to be told as so little is known of her. Everyone has a very bleak idea of Shakeela and who she was. Her story is both heartbreaking yet inspiring. I have already begun the prep and I am looking forward to working with Richa again. They have put together an incredibly talented team," Tripathi told PTI. The actor, who had a phenomenal 2017 with hits such as "Newton", "Bareilly Ki Barfi" and "Gurgaon", is looking at an equally promising year with releases such as ...

Veteran Telugu film producer Raghava passes away

Veteran Telugu film producer K Raghava passed away here today following old-age related ailments. He was 105. He was taken to a private hospital in the city following breathing-related complaints, film industry sources said. Raghava, who started his career during the black and white era, made about 20-25 films, they said. Raghava made films with renowned directors, including Dasari Narayana Rao, Kodi Ramakrishna. Some of his famous films include 'Thatha Manavadu' and 'Jagath Kiladeelu'.