Zaira Wasim

Aamir to throw a grand party for Secret Superstar's 600 crore feat in China

Feb 152018

Giving in to team’s demand, Aamir Khan to host bash as Secret Superstar tops Rs 600 crore in China

Aamir Khan

With Secret Superstar having made over Rs 600 crore in China within four weeks of its release, Aamir Khan has been busy fielding messages from the film’s team, all reading the same thing – party toh banti hai! Jubilant over the film’s runaway success himself, the producer-actor has finally decided to pop the bubbly. mid-day has it that he, along with wife Kiran Rao, will be hosting a bash on February 21 at his Bandra residence to celebrate the movie’s success.

Zaira Wasim and Meher Vij in Secret Superstar

Says a source close to Khan, “The film’s team had been demanding a party for some time now. Since Aamir was busy with the shoot of Thugs Of Hindostan, he kept stalling it. He first told them that he will throw a party when it crosses the Rs 100-crore mark in China. When it did, he good-naturedly joked that he’ll wait till it makes Rs 500 crore. Now, he has zeroed in on a date.”

Knowing Khan’s proclivity towards keeping things low-key, the do too will be an intimate affair. Besides Secret Superstar actor Zaira Wasim, director Advait Chandan and the crew, the actor has also extended invitations to some of his Bollywood director friends including Rajkumar Hirani and Nitesh Tiwari among others.

“Aamir is currently shooting at nights for Thugs Of Hindostan. However, he will change it around and shoot through the day on February 20 and 21, so that he can host the party on Wednesday night,” adds the source.

The small-budget film hit the screens in China on January 19. While the movie had made R64 crore upon its Diwali release in India, it has emerged the top-grossing imported film of 2018 in China, thus continuing Khan’s success streak in the neighbouring country after PK, 3 Idiots and Dangal.

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Secret Superstar doing steady business in Taiwan

Celebrities

Dec 152017

Aamir Khan’s “Secret Superstar” has minted $700,681 in Taiwan since its release

Aamir Khan’s “Secret Superstar” has minted $700,681 in Taiwan since its release. The film, which also features Zaira Wasim and which lit up the box office in India on Diwali, opened in Taiwan on November 24. Zee Studios International took the film to the foreign market, read a statement.

Aamir Khan and Zaira Wasim in Secret Superstar

In “Secret Superstar”, Zaira, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, plays a teenaged girl named Insia who dreams of becoming a singer. The film is about how she fulfils her dreams by keeping her identity hidden. Vibha Chopra, Head – Zee Studios International (Film Marketing, Distribution and Acquisition) said: “Content is what wins hearts worldwide and ‘Secret Superstar’, which is heavy on content is a proof of that. So much so that it is the widest Bollywood film release in Taiwan. We are happy to see how positively international markets are reacting to the film.”

“Secret Superstar” has amassed a total of $700,681 in Taiwan. “Given that ‘Secret Superstar’ has connected with various audiences across the globe, we are excited to see how well the film does in the coming months, in other territories as well,” Chopra added. ‘”Secret Superstar” is written and directed by Advait Chandan and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. The film has also released in markets like the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UAE and other Gulf countries as well as Pakistan.

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Zaira Wasim molestation case: Kareena Kapoor Khan speaks out

Celebrities

Dec 112017

Top Bollywood actors, including Kareena Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Madhuri Dixit, have condemned the alleged molestation of National Award-winning actor Zaira Wasim

Top Bollywood actors, including Kareena Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Madhuri Dixit, have condemned the alleged molestation of National Award-winning actor Zaira Wasim. The 17-year-old actor, known for her roles in films like “Dangal” and “Secret Superstar”, was allegedly molested on a Delhi-Mumbai flight on Saturday night. The actor later narrated her ordeal on Instagram via a live video.

Zaira Wasim

Wasim said she was on an Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai when a co-passenger sitting behind her put up his feet on her armrest. The man was arrested by police in Mumbai last evening. When asked about the incident, Pednekar said she was shocked to know about the alleged molestation but the actor was happy that Wasim showed courage to speak up about her ordeal. “I am appalled. She is a child. There is a problem in our culture where people think, especially if you are an actor, that you are their property. This is hugely problematic.

“But I am very happy that she put it out on social media. I am glad she took that step because it needs a lot of courage to speak, to come out and take a stand like that. More power to her,” Pednekar said. Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan said women are far superior than men and the females can rise above any difficulty. “I definitely feel women are way more superior than men. We are fighters and whichever situation it is in our life, personal or professional, we all come out as fighters. When we talk about God, we talk about goddess. So, we look from the perspective of a woman. When we talk about the earth, we say Mother Earth. So, whenever we talk about anything, we talk about women. Women are far superior (than men). So, they can fight out of every situation,” Khan said.

Actor Taapsee Pannu, who has always raised her voice against violence against women, said, “I just hope she gets justice. It is good that at least she has raised her voice.

She deserves to get justice.” Noted actor Madhuri Dixit said, “This should not happen, neither in India nor in any other part of the world.” Television actor Mouni Roy said she was deeply saddened by the incident, which is an act that stems from a poor mentality. “Now, what should I say about this country. On one hand we talk about women empowerment, on the other hand we hear about all these incidents. But I think it is very important not to just stand against it and talk about it, but also to educate people against this,” she said.

“I genuinely don’t know what to say. It deeply saddens me. The kind of life we lead, the kind of education we all are getting, in fact, the levels of education in towns and villages have gone up. This is just really sad. I think this reflects a poor mindset,” Roy added. When asked for his opinion on the incident, actor Sushant Singh Rajput said, “We talk a lot (but) I think at the right place and in the right time, we need to take action also. We are intelligent and responsible enough as a country to see to it that these things don’t happen.”

The celebrities were speaking at the red carpet of Lux Golden Rose Awards here last night. Actor Zareen Khan said there should be a focus on preventing such incidents rather than attending to “minuscule” things. “I really don’t know what to say about it because such incidents keep happening in our country. Rather than focusing on issues like these, I don’t know why our country is behind minuscule matters,” she said.

“The way we talk about women empowerment and safety, I don’t think only talking about it is needed. We also need to take some action to stop all of this,” Khan added. In the video, which Wasim recorded immediately after deboarding the flight, she broke down several times. “This is not done, I am disturbed… Is this how you’re going to take care of girls? This is not the way anybody should be made to feel. This is terrible!” she said. “No one will help us if we don’t decide to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing,” she added.

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Zaira Wasim receives National Child Award from the President

Celebrities

Nov 162017

BC8_za In December 2016, Zaira Wasim made her Bollywood debut as a child artist in Dangal along with Fatima Sana Sheikh, Sanya Malhotra and Suhani Bhatnagar in the main leads with Aamir Khan. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari the film was highly received by the critics and viewers and within few weeks, it was also stated as a blockbuster film.

Post Dangal she featured with Aamir Khan in Secret Superstar that released on October 19, this year. The kid in the age of 17 not only made presence feel in the film industry but, also inspired many with her strong performance in both the content-driven films. She has surely won many hearts with her deep work.

The president takes it to his Instagram account to share the picture of him presenting the medal to the Zaira and captions it as, “President Kovind presents @zairawasim_ National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement 2017, in the field of Performing Arts.

Zaira Wasim, born on 23rd October 2000, is already an actor of repute. At such a tender age, she has featured in various films drawing attention to burning issues such as child marriage, sexual abuse and above all gender parity. Through her art, Zaira has propagated the message of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao very strongly. She has been successful in conveying a powerful message of transcending social barriers and achieving one’s dreams and thereby has served as a source of inspiration for many young girls, who are aspiring to make their mark in the world. Zaira is a winner of the National Film Award and Zee Entertainment Award for The “Best Child Artist” 2017.

#ChildrensDay #RashtrapatiBhavan #PresidentKovind” (Sic).

Aamir Khan to hold screening of Secret Superstar for the crew of Dangal

Celebrities

Oct 132017

secret Amir Khan is currenty working on promotion of “Secret Superstar”. His last movie, “Dangal” was a blockbuster and tasted a huge success on box office. The actress Zaira Wasim, who played young Geeta Phogat in “Dangal”, was loved by every one. Now is playing lead in “Secret Superstar” and ready to rock the screen again. This will be her second movie with Aamir.

Reportedly Aamir khan will be organizing a special screening for the enitre crew of “Dangal”. For Zaira, it would be a reunion, as she will be meeting her former cast and crew.

In “Secreat Superstar” Zaira Wasim’s charcter is named, Insia, a teenage girl, who sets out to follow her dream of being a singing superstar under the confinement of anonymity. Aamir will be in his never seen before look and charcter, Shakti Kumarr, a music composer.

The movie is directed by Advait chandan and will hit the theaters, on 19th Oct 2017.

Aamir Khan on pay gap in films: We are trained to see men as heroes

Celebrities

Oct 122017

The gender pay gap in Bollywood results from the patriarchal mindset of society, which does not see women as heroes, superstar Aamir Khan has said. The 52-year-old actor, who has been at the centre of some of Bollywood’s biggest money-spinners, said he “strongly believes” in equality but change will happen only if there is a paradigm shift in society’s attitude.

Aamir Khan

“Unfortunately, what has happened is that most of our stars are male. The people who draw crowd are male and it is a result of the patriarchal influence on our society,” he said in an interview yesterday. The actor said children are conditioned to look at men as heroes from a young age. “We don’t see women as heroes. We start planting these thoughts in our heads since childhood. There has to be a paradigm shift in that. I am someone who strongly believes in equality whether you are man or a woman. But ultimately in the economics of cinema anyone who pulls people in will be paid higher. There is no question about it,” Aamir said.

He added that he would not mind his female co-actors getting a bigger pay cheque. The actor’s last film ‘Dangal’ had strong women characters and his upcoming ‘Secret Superstar’ also has a teenage girl at the centre. Asked whether he would be okay if his female co-actors got a bigger pay cheque than him, Aamir said, “Anyone who has the ability to fill seats gets a bigger share in the fee. So the day she (Zaira Wasim who has acted with him in both films) will be able to fill more seats then me I won’t mind her getting a bigger paycheck than mine.”

“And that is not going to be determined by her gender, it is the market that will determine that. As a producer, I will want her if she is benefiting my film, gender doesn’t matter. I will give her value, from a purely economical point of view,” he added. Every film, Aamir stressed, has only “two or three” people in the whole cast and crew, who can bring people to the theatres. And that has nothing to do with gender.

“…That benefit they are bringing to the film is unique to them, not anyone else. That is what we describe as stardom. That could be Salim-Javed as writers and Rahman as a music director.” Aamir also batted for equal pay for technicians as he feels their contribution to the film is equal to that of actors. “I feel even technicians should get equal money as actors. I don’t understand why is a cameraman’s or an editor’s work less important than an actor’s. I strongly feel all the people in the creative team are contributing equally and should be paid equally. Everyone should be valued equally. There are only two people, who can be valued a little higher – the director and the writer,” he said. As far as he is concerned, Aamir said, he does not charge advance fee for his movies but takes a percentage of the profit. “I take a percentage of the profit. And that is assuming the fact that the film makes a profit. Fortunately, my films have made profit. But if they don’t, I am the guy who takes the hit as I get paid in the last.

“So, I follow the oldest method of asking for money in performing arts. Which is that you perform for everybody and you take out your cap and if people like your work, they give you money and if they don’t, they turn their back at you and leave.” The actor said there may be a pay gap, but there is no gender inequality in the film industry in terms of work.

“I feel the industry doesn’t differentiate on the basis of gender. If we look at a film crew we will see a lot of women doing important jobs. My wife (Kiran Rao) is a director, Reema Kagti and Farah Khan are also there and they are not looked any differently from a male director. Their gender is unimportant. We have equal status, in terms of gender, when it comes to a film crew.”

Aamir said he is happy the industry has started making more women oriented/centred films. “There are films coming out which have powerful women characters. There was ‘Queen’ which Kangana had done, then there was ‘Simran’. I also did two films ‘Dangal’ and ‘Secret Superstar’. The films are being made for women. We are moving in the right direction.”

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'Dangal' actress Zaira Wasim did not use glycerin for emotional scenes in films

Celebrities

Sep 262017

Zaira Wasim has become one of the most talked about youngsters in the country. In an exclusive interview to mid-day.com, Zaira admits that never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would star in a movie. Zaira says that she owes all the love and adulation she received from the audiences to her first film ‘Dangal’ and also that she never imagined that she would get a chance to star in another film so soon.

“I was never fond of films or watching films. But now that I am into acting, I am enjoying this phase of my life.” Bollywood is also abuzz with news that Zaira Wasim does not use glycerin for her emotional scenes. She says, ” Yes, it is true. I do not use glycerin for emotional scenes in films. When I face the camera, I feel a surge of emotions and all my emotions come rushing out of me.”

The teenager who plays the role of a singer in ‘Secret Superstar’ adds that she considers superstar Aamir Khan as her mentor and that she is always ready to take his advice. Currently, Zaira completed her 10th class studies and plans to study further.

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'Main Kaun Hoon' song out: Meet Aamir Khan's new 16-year-old 'Secret Superstar'

Celebrities

Aug 212017

'Main Kaun Hoon' song out: Meet Aamir Khan's new 16-year-old 'Secret Superstar' Zaira Wasim in ‘Main Kaun Hoon’ song (Pic/YouTube) and singer Meghna Mishra (Pic/Jagran New Media)

The first song titled ‘Main Kaun Hoon’ from Aamir Khan and Zaira Wasim’s upcoming film ‘Secret Superstar’ is out! The track has been crooned by 16-year-old Meghna Mishra, who Aamir Khan has tagged as the new ‘secret superstar’.

Singer Meghna Mishra makes her Bollywood debut with the song ‘Main Kaun Hoon’ for ‘Secret Superstar’. The song has been composed by Amit Trivedi and penned by Kausar Munir.

Watch ‘Main Kaun Hoon’ song video:

[embedded content]

The song was launched by Aamir Khan and team in Mumbai. 16-year-old singer Meghna gave a live performance at the event.

At the event, Aamir Khan said, “Meghna is a gifted child. Best of luck to her for her future. She will shine.”

Talking about music composer Amit Trivedi, Aamir Khan said, “I am a fan of Amit Trivedi. I always wanted to work with him. I had approached him earlier to work with me, but he didn’t agree. But this time it worked.”

Aamir Khan and 'Secret Superstar' team at 'Main Kaun Hoon' song launch
Aamir Khan and ‘Secret Superstar’ team at ‘Main Kaun Hoon’ song launch. All pics/Jagran New Media

Aamir Khan said, “The film is a musical. But I haven’t sung any song in the movie.”

Aamir Khan was diagnosed with swine flu earlier. Speaking about his health, Aamir Khan said, “I’m feeling better now after swine flu.”

He also spoke about his look for ‘Thugs of Hindostan‘. He said, “When I did piercing the first time, it pained. Now I am fine.”

Aamir also spoke about Zaira Wasim. He said, “Zaira has no connection to music. Just as how she trained for ‘Dangal’, she practised hard for this film. She spent a lot of time with Meghna.”

While interacting with the media, Aamir Khan said that he wants to learn tabla from singer Meghna’s parents.

Aamir Khan also said that he was shocked to learn that Meghna was rejected at a talent hunt contest.

Speaking about the release date of ‘Secret Superstar‘, Aamir Khan said, “We wanted to release the film in August, but couldn’t as we had some work left. During Diwali, people usually don’t go to watch a film. But the day is auspicious to release the film. For us, box office collections are not important for this movie.”

On his film releasing the same day as ‘Golmaal Again’, Aamir Khan said, “Golmaal is an entertainer. Our film is a musical. There is no question of clashing.”

Aamir Khan also spoke about the Khan stardom. He said, “It’s wrong to only take the name of three Khans as stars. There are many stars in Bollywood. Everyone is loving Akshay’s film (Toilet: Ek Prem Katha). So please stop saying that stars mean only three Khans.”

Meghna Mishra singing at the event

‘Secret Superstar’ is a story of a girl who dreams big to be a singer, but is held by the pressure of her family, therefore, secretly reaches her audience on social media. The role of the aspiring singer Insu has been played by Zaira Wasim, who earlier was seen alongside Aamir in ‘Dangal’.

The film has been helmed by debut director Advait Chandan.

Produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Zee Studios, and Akash Chawla, ‘Secret Superstar’ is slated to release this Diwali.

Also see: Inside Photos: Riya Sen’s intimate haldi and wedding ceremony
Inside Photos: Riya Sen's intimate haldi and wedding ceremony

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