entertainment

Akshay Kumar on Padman, 2.0 release date: 'Why would I clash with my own film?'

Nov 062017

Akshay Kumar sent shock waves in the industry when he announced last week that his home production, Padman will hit theatres on Republic Day 2018. It was viewed as hara-kiri by many since Rajinikanth’s magnum opus, 2.0, which also stars Kumar as the negative lead, had already booked January 25 for its release.

Akshay Kumar

In an interview to mid-day as part of the conversation series, Sit with Hitlist, Kumar finally opened up on the Padman-2.0 debate. When asked if he considers pitting two of his projects against one another a wise move, he said, “There is a lot of false information that is being circulated over both films releasing on the same day. Why would I clash with my own film? It will be either Padman or 2.0.”

Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth in 2.0 poster

Does this imply that Rajini’s mega-budget film will be pushed to a later date? While rumours had suggested that Shankar’s sci-fi drama wouldn’t be able to meet the January 25 deadline as its special effects were not complete, the production house had promptly issued a statement asserting that Rajini would keep his date with the fans.

Akshay Kumar in Padman

On being probed if 2.0’s release will be postponed, Kumar diplomatically maintained, “While Padman is a film that I have produced, 2.0 belongs to Shankar, Rajinikanth and Lyca Productions. They will decide whether they want to release the film on Republic Day. If they do, I will postpone Padman and if they don’t, I will go ahead.”

The actor added that his decision to advance Padman’s release from April 13 to R-Day stemmed from the fact that a holiday release is an advantageous business proposition. “I am certainly having a release on Republic Day because if I don’t do it, there are many others who are waiting in line. So I might as well take advantage.”

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Maanayata Dutt named in Paradise Papers, claims innocence

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s wife, who is named among those in the ‘Paradise Papers’ for parking their wealth in secretive tax havens abroad, says that all her financial dealings are declared as per legal requirements.

Dilnashin figures among the 714 Indian links named in the ‘Paradise Papers’, said the Indian Express in a banner story done as part of a global probe carried out by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Maanayata Dutt was previously known as ‘Dilnasheen’ before she joined Bollywood. She did an item song in Prakash Jha’s film ‘Gangajal’

Her spokesperson said in a statement: “As per the requirements of provisions of Income Tax Act, 1961, all the properties, company or body corporate or shares in any company are declared in the balance sheet.”

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been named as part of the leaks, regarding shareholding in a Bermuda company acquired before the 2004 Liberalised Remittance Scheme kicked in.

A day before the big story broke, Amitabh had penned his thoughts on being named in the Bofors scandal and the earlier Panama Papers leaks.

On the Panama Papers of last year, he wrote in a blog post on Sunday: “We were asked for reactions, for responses, for justification or not, for replies to their investigative queries… Two instant replies were given out by us… Of denial and misuse of name. They were printed… but the questions continued.

“The fullest cooperation has been extended at all hours as dutiful citizens.. And even after, if there is any more query that needs to be addressed, we shall comply.”

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Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi rushed to hospital as her condition worsens

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Acclaimed filmmaker of films such as ‘Rudaali’ and ‘Daman’, Kalpana Lajmi has been rushed to a hospital as her condition worsened. The 61-year-old filmmaker has been battling kidney cancer for the past few months. On the morning of 6 November, the 61-year-old filmmaker was rushed to a hospital in the Mumbai suburbs as her condition worsened.

According to a report in The Quint, Kalpana’s mother Lalita Lajmi confirmed the news and said that the filmmaker is critical and has been admitted to the ICU in a Mumbai suburban hospital. She also said that her daughter has been going for dialysis four times a week as she doesn’t have two kidneys anymore – one kidney was operated on and the second one is also affected.

According to filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, all the medical expenses incurred by Kalpana Lajmi have been taken care of by the Indian Films and Television Directors Association, Aamir Khan and Rohit Shetty.

Kalpana Lajmi, who was also legendary singer and music composer Bhupen Hazarika’s partner for 40 years, wanted to make a biopic on his life, but that has now taken a backseat now with her deteriorating health. Previously Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had offered Rs 1 lakh assistance to filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi. Gogoi, in a statement, announced the financial assistance to her from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

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Ekta Kapoor awarded as 'Sterling Icon of Indian Entertainment' at the ITA Awards

Celebrities

Nov 062017

From being the Czarina of Indian television, being a producer who changed the game to now being the only woman entrepreneur to bring a revolutionary change on the digital platform, Ekta Kapoor is truly a force to reckon with! Hence it comes as no surprise that the Balaji head honcho was recently awarded the ‘Sterling Icon of Indian Entertainment’ award at the 17th edition of the Indian Television Academy (ITA) Awards.

Ekta’s colossal contribution to television, movie entertainment and now in the digital space with Alt Balaji, she continues to shape and have a huge impact on the Indian culture. The successful producer has explored a variety of genres, set trends and given actors and directors an opportunity to showcase their talent. With some of the longest running shows in the history of television to her credit, the ITA award solidifies the fact that the power producer is synonymous with Indian entertainment.

While thanking everyone on stage, Ekta said, “Thank you Smriti Irani, Indian Television Academy, mom and dad. No award is complete without thanking my parents, my family, channel partners and the most important person in my life, Laksshya.”

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'Thor: Ragnarok' beats 'Ittefaq' at box-office, makes Rs. 27 crores in India

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Thor’s mighty hammer continues to shatter records at Box-office, as ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ blazed past crime-thriller ‘Ittefaq’ at Indian box-office.

The third movie in Marvel’s ‘Thor’ franchise grossed Rs 27.66 crore at Indian box-office in the opening weekend.

‘Thor: Ragnarok’

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the news. Chris Hemsworth-starrer made Rs 7.77 crore on Friday, Rs 9.43 crore on Saturday, and Rs 10.46 crore on Sunday.

The third film in the `Thor¿ series has already passed the lifetime grosses of the previous two Thor movies in India.

‘Ragnarok’ is roaring in the U.S. too as the flick opened to a thunderous USD 121 million in North America.

The movie also grossed USD 151.4 million in its second week of international release, taking the movie’s worldwide total to USD 427 million.

Meanwhile, Sidharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha’s ‘Ittefaq’ made Rs 16.05 crore.

The movie started its week with a lukewarm collection of Rs 4.05 crore on Friday. It picked up pace on Saturday with Rs 5.50 crore and a Sunday collection of Rs 6.50 crore.

Mostly positive reviews helped the film from its second day.

Directed by Abhay Chopra, the film also stars Akshaye Khanna in a pivotal role.

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Aahana Kumra sizzles in a colourful, strapless bikini

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Aahana Kumara made it to the headlines with her outstanding performance in the critically acclaimed film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’. She played the role of a beautician who struggling to balance out her love for her boyfriend and her fiance, whom she meets through an arranged set-up. Aahana has a fondness for bikinis and the last time she posted bikinis pictures, she was body shamed for it. However, it now looks as if Aahana doesn’t really bother about social media trolls and has gone ahead and posted some amazing and stunning bikini photos of herself, as she holidays in Goa.

Aahana Kumra has appeared in the television show ‘Yudh’ where she played Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter. She has also appeared in the Amazon web series ‘Inside Edge’ a show based on IPL.

Even for an actress who has in the past worked with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan in Yudh, her role in ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, made her nervous. “I was doing sex scenes for the first time. I don’t think even my co-star, Vikrant (Massey) had done anything like that before. I remember, during one of our initial scenes, we just sat there for 15 minutes staring at each other, wondering how to get started,” she laughs. There was also the time when she had no idea which co-star had left her slightly bruised. “I had a few intense making out scenes with both Vikrant and Vaibhav. And they had all to be filmed in a single day. The next morning I was cribbing about my ordeal when Plabita (co-star) pointed out that my lips had turned blue! And, I had no idea if it was Vikrant or Vaibhav.”

Aahana was nervous about her mother seeing the film. “I told her she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to. I was greatly relieved when she told me she enjoyed it.” This is the first time that Aahana was working with a female director, and she describes Alankrita as a hard taskmaster. “She’s very inspiring, and she’s never easily satisfied with a scene. When you feel you have done your best, she’ll keep nudging you for a better take. It was exhausting, but, I guess it all paid off.”

READ MORE: Aahana Kumra’s Special Surprise For A 98-Year-Old Amitabh Bachchan Fan

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Sara Ali Khan to take on Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh during Christmas 2018

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Sara Ali Khan’s debut film, Kedarnath, has a new release date. Over the weekend, the makers announced that Abhishek Kapoor’s directorial venture will release on December 21, 2018. The film, which also stars Sushant Singh Rajput, was originally slated for June 2018.

Sara Ali Khan

There are already two films lined up for Christmas Eve 2018. Aanand L Rai’s untitled Shah Rukh Khan-starrer and Rohit Shetty’s action thriller with Ranveer Singh had earlier booked the Xmas slot. King Khan has been shooting for Rai’s film for a while now. Ranveer’s project, a remake of the Telugu film Temper, will roll next year. With buzz that Sara cannot take on any other projects till the release of Kedarnath, her wait just got longer. This festive clash will make Santa Clause’s sack of gifts even heavier.

Aanand L Rai and Rohit Shetty

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41-year-old Sushmita Sen shows off her abs in this sexy photo

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Sushmita Sen turns 42 on November 19. Age is just a number for the yummy mummy. The actor posted a snapshot on Instagram recently to showcase her abs.

Sushmita Sen

She wrote, “Slowly but surely, I begin training again to meet the body I want for my 42nd birthday. I’ll keep it simple and just do it. My body… my rules (sic).” We’ll be watching you, Sush.

Sushmita Sen

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Ranveer Singh's film on 1983 cricket World Cup set for April 2019 release

Celebrities

Nov 062017

“’83”, a Bollywood film which will tell the story of India’s incredible 1983 cricket World Cup victory, will release on April 5, 2019, its makers Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films in association with Vibri Media and Kabir Khan Films, announced on Sunday. The Kabir Khan directorial will feature actor Ranveer Singh as star cricketer Kapil Dev.

Ranveer Singh

The film follows how, under the captaincy of then newbie Kapil Dev, the Indian cricket team defeated West Indies. It tracks the coming-of-age of not just a cricketing team, but of a young nation in the eyes of the world. Khan said in a statement: “As a young school boy, when I watched India win the 1983 Cricket World Cup, I had no idea that from that day onwards cricket in India will change forever. As a filmmaker, for me, the journey to that win, filled with raw energy and sheer passion of that young Indian team, is probably one of the most exciting stories I have worked on.

“And it’s great to have Ranveer come on board to play Kapil Dev, as honestly, I could see no one else for the role, ever since I started finalizing the script.” Shibasish Sarkar, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Entertainment, said: “Winning the ’83 cricket World Cup was a very proud moment for us as Indians and we at Reliance Entertainment aim to bring back those glorious moments for the current and future generations through this film.”

According to Madhu Mantena of Phantom Films and Vishnu Vardhan Induri of Vibri Media, “it’s a story waiting to be told” and one that the “country needs to know”.

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Amitabh Bachchan tells us what's inside SRK and Salman Khan's vanity vans

Celebrities

Nov 052017

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says as compared to earlier times, the vanity vans have changed and those belonging to superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have most tastefully done up interiors. “I have seen and been invited to a few. Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone — they all have most tastefully done up their interiors and equipped the interiors with almost all home facilities,” Amitabh wrote on his blog on Friday.

Amitabh Bachchan

The cine-icon said that SRK’s vanity van consists of a drawing room fitted with a large TV console and added that he has been invited on occasion to watch football. Amitabh said that the concept of individual make-up rooms of earlier times has almost disappeared as personal vanity vans have taken over. He also remembered that the first vanity van that came to the industry was that of filmmaker Manmohan Desai.

“He had two made. One for himself and one for me. It was a gift, but one that I cherish till date. A bed, toilet, chairs, drawing room … like to relax on and music and TV systems in place, but difficult to operate,” he wrote. “I do not have that vanity now.” Amitabh, 75, has a “simple rented” vanity van now. “I am happy with its presence. Nothing elaborate, just enough needed for a shooting day,” he said.

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