Fenil and Bollywood

Madhuri with Adinath Kothare, Mrunmayee Deshpande and Rahul Pethe on the set

The slice-of-life Marathi fi lm kicked off at a chawl in Mumbai’s western suburb of Malad
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 9, 2018)

Madhuri Dixit points out that fi lmmaking is “the ultimate team sport” as she turns producer with a slice-of-life Marathi comedy, 15th August. “The film will make you realise that freedom is a gift only you can give yourself,” the Dhak Dhak girl says, adding that the film’s unit is packed with some of the best talents from both the Hindi and Marathi film industries.

Ventilator actor Rahul Pethe and Natasamrat star, Mrunmayee Deshpande, play protagonists in the film, which has been written by Mumbai Meri Jaan and Tendulkar Not Out writer, Yogesh Vinayak Joshi. The film also features actor-producer, Adinath Kothare.

The film rolled at a chawl in Malad on February 24, with Madhuri, her husband Dr Sriram Nene and the actor’s 85-year-old-mother, Snehlata, giving the clap. The cast and crew also indulged in a small pre-holi celebration on set. The film will be shot entirely in Mumbai at real locations in a start-to-finish schedule. “After being in front of the camera for more than thirty years, it feels like a privilege to be donning the producer’s hat for the first time. I wholeheartedly believe in our talented director, Swapnaneel Jayakar, (Tendulkar Not Out) who is now leading an equally talented cast. Mrunmayee and Rahul are both fantastic actors,” Madhuri told Mirror.

Earlier this year, the 50-year-old-actress wrapped up her first acting stint in a Marathi film with Tejas Deoskar’s Bucket List, which also reunites her with her Hum Aapke Hai Koun co-star, Renuka Shahane. The film has been shot across Mumbai, Pune, Alibaug and Langkawi, and follows Madhuri’s characters going through different phases of her life. And now with 15th August, Madhuri admits that another dream has been checked off her real bucket list. “While one of the things on my bucket list was to do a Marathi film, I am finally checking off being a producer. There’s a lot more we have planned and I hope to create a lot more big-screen magic,” she says.

The film is scheduled to take the film on the floors on June 1
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 9, 2018)

After wrapping up Abhishek Sharma’s Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran with Diana Penty, which is based on the nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran in 1998, John Abraham recently started shooting for Milap Zaveri’s dark, action-packed thriller in Mumbai that revolves around a cop and a murderer and also features Manoj Bajpayee and Aisha Sharma. Mirror has now learnt that the 45-year-old actor has given his nod to Robbie Grewal’s Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) and is scheduled to start shooting for the film from June 1.

“We are excited to have John on board this film with us. The process began when we were brainstorming on whom to cast for the protagonist’s part and thought that John would fit the bill perfectly. He really liked the script and gave his nod on the same day as the narration. We have revisited the script of this espionage-drama which is set in the 1970s and we can’t wait to take it on the floors,” confirms Ajay Kapoor who is producing the spy-thriller with Dheeraj Wadhwan, Vanessa Walia and Gary Grewal.

The film will be shot in a start-to-finish 60-day schedule in Nepal, Gujarat, Srinagar and Delhi. Meanwhile, the makers have been doing an extensive recce for the past few months.

“Robbie has worked extensively as an ad filmmaker and has made three films earlier (Samay: When Time Strikes, MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar and Aloo Chaat). He has also written the script of our John-starrer and is working closely with the actor on the project. The duo gets along really well and keep bouncing ideas off each other. Robbie will start readings and workshops with John once he completes the shooting for Milap’s film,” informs Ajay, while refusing to divulge further details of the prep.

Meanwhile, Robbie adds that the film’s team has roped in National Award-winning makeup artist Vikram Gaikwad while Amera Pulwani has been entrusted with costume-designing. “John will sport a completely different look and will have multiple avatars in the film,” the director informs.

Last year, it was announced that Sushant Singh Rajput had been roped in to play the leading man in the film and was reportedly gearing up to start prep. Prod the filmmaker on what went wrong and Ajay says, “Nothing went wrong except that the dates Sushant had given us were clashing with another film so we decided to part ways amicably. Obviously one feels bad as we had finished most of the prep and were ready to roll. But everything is sorted now, Sushant is like a brother.”

Deepali Singh (DNA; March 9, 2018)

A few days ago, Radhika Apte was trolled for posting a picture of herself wearing a bikini on a beach in Goa. The actress, who received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike for her role in Pad Man, however, is unperturbed by it. “I didn’t even know I was being trolled till someone told me. It’s ridiculous! Do people expect me to wear a sari on a beach?” she questioned. And how does she deal with trolls? “I don’t know them, so I don’t deal with them,” she says.

UNCONVENTIONAL CHOICES
The actress, who is known for her eclectic choices, is happy with the reactions she has received for her latest movie. “I haven’t read all the reviews, but I knew people would like it. It’s a perfect mixture of feel-good content and mass appeal,” she says. Although she has played the village belle in a number of films earlier, Radhika isn’t scared of getting typecast as the ‘gaon ki gori’. “I might have played village girls, but all the roles have been different from each other,” she says. While the actress has appeared in short films online earlier, Radhika is all set to star in her first web series, Sacred Games, based on Vikram Chandra’s book of the same name.

Was it the script or the prospect of teaming up with actors like Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui or her role of a RAW agent, that prompted her to say yes to it? “I think it was a combination of all those things, plus the medium. Also, I had never been directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, who is helming my part. I wanted to collaborate with Saif and Nawaz as well, so it all worked out,” she smiles, admitting that she is yet to read the 900-page book. “But I have gone through the script, and it’s great!” she adds.

FILMI ROUTE
With a couple of movies in her kitty, including Baazaar and Shoot The Piano Player (working title), the actress says she is game for anything that excites her as an artiste. “I would not promote something that I don’t believe in. I should be convinced about the filmmaker’s approach to the subject. Otherwise, I have no limitations,” says Radhika, who has done movies in multiple language including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil and has explored all mediums, including theatre, television and digital.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 9, 2018)

Rani Mukerji found the perfect comeback vehicle in Hichki, which sees her play an inspiring school teacher who suffers from Tourette syndrome (a nervous system disorder characterized by tics). To lend an air of authenticity to her Naina Mathur, the actor closely interacted with Brad Cohen, whose autobiography — Front Of The Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had — has inspired the Siddharth P Malhotra-directed film. A renowned motivational speaker from the US, Cohen traced his journey of overcoming the challenges of the disorder in the book that was later adapted into a TV film.

Keen on bringing Cohen’s inspiring story to the Indian audience, Malhotra reached out to him as early as 2012 and started developing the story with his inputs. The director says that he also introduced Mukerji to Cohen so that she could understand the finer nuances of her character. Malhotra says, “Rani communicated with Brad for two weeks over Skype. He showed her how he calms himself every time he gets the tics, how he dances, how he gets excited — basically, the entire gamut of emotions. She internalized Brad and his struggles. Rani realised that in order to pull off the role with conviction, she would have to make these tics part of her body language. After every scene, she would return to the monitor to check that the tics looked effortless.”

Sources say that Cohen is quite impressed with the film’s trailer. “Brad will be promoting Hichki from the US. He wants to lend his support to spread awareness around Tourette syndrome in India and the world over,” says a source.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 9, 2018)

"Ain't I getting fishnet stockings back in fashion,” laughs Kangana Ranaut, referring to her zany look in Mental Hai Kya. Ahead of the film rolling, producer Ekta Kapoor has piqued the audience interest by sharing quirky looks of Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao from the promotional photo shoot. “The film deals with mental illness and hallucinations, but Ekta decided to take this route.”

Besides the incentive of reuniting with his Queen costar, Rao says the “unique script” floored him. “I chose this part because I’ve never heard of such a character. I get a kick from challenges. Comfort zones are boring.”

For Ranaut though, the choice was driven by a personal reason. “The way my life unfolded in the past few years, I realised there was so much stigma attached to being different. ‘Mental’ or ‘psycho’ were the terms used to shame me, but these can’t be used casually as swear words. When this script came along, I knew I had to do it to break the stigma around it. High time we made individuality aspirational.”

Ask her how will she walk the tightrope of depicting mental illness and she assures, “We won’t show people as pitiable, sympathy-seeking characters. We’ll portray the issue with sensitivity. The film takes a stand against equating individuality with madness.”

Though they’ve worked with Kapoor on separate projects before, this marks the trio’s first collaboration together. Quiz them if they are worried about creative differences and Rao says, “We are all friends. Movies are more about team work than egos.”

With three bright minds on board, Ranaut says they’ll have a fair share of creative differences. “We are like-minded people who know it’s not going to be hunky-dory. I am not a sulkpot. That’s how Raj and I have come this far in life. Strong opinions don’t mean either of us is going to act like we know it all.”

PIC: SATYAJIT DESAI

The debutante actress resumed shooting on Thursday alongside co-star Ishaan Khatter in Bandra
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 9, 2018)

Two days after ushering in her 21st birthday with family, Janhvi Kapoor resumed shooting for her acting debut, the Shashank Khaitan-directed Dhadak, on Thursday morning, with co-star Ishaan Khatter at Bandra’s Carter Road. The schedule was preceded by buzz that the debutante would be taking a break from work in the aftermath of her mother, actress Sridevi’s untimely demise. However, Janhvi surprised the team by agreeing to resume work immediately to keep the fi lm’s release date of July 20.

A source from the sets of the romance drama reveals, “Janhvi and Ishaan will be shooting in Bandra for the next couple of days where they will film some romantic scenes. In the coming week, the duo will head to Kolkata to begin work on the story post interval, when the lovers elope. They have completed the shoot of the first half which kicked off last December and was shot across Rajasthan and on a set in Mumbai where parts of the state were recreated.”

Director Khaitan, when contacted, confirmed the news, saying, “Yes, we have resumed the shoot, rumours of the team taking a break are untrue. We have started off in Mumbai and are looking forward to the Kolkata schedule.”

Dhadak is the official Hindi remake of the 2016 Marathi runaway hit, Sairat, that had featured Akash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru as the leads and was directed by Nagraj Manjule. Janhvi’s parents, Sridevi and filmmaker Boney Kapoor, had flown down to the location in Udaipur for her first day of shoot last December. Sridevi herself was scheduled to kick off Karan Johar’s next in April.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 8, 2018)

Rani Mukerji has several memorable roles to her credit. Whether it’s playing a tough cop fighting against flesh trade in Mardaani or a teacher battling all odds in Hichki, Rani has admittedly “veered towards powerful” characters on screen. Ask her about it and she smiles, “Maybe, it’s because I’m very strong-willed.” On that note, we begin our chat with the actress. She talks about why it’s important for actors to be conscious of the roles that they take up...

In the last decade, your choices have evolved...
Bengali women are strong-willed. From the time we are born, tags like ‘Maa’, ‘Lakshmi’, and ‘Durga’ are attached to us. What happens is that all of us get enamoured by strength. So, projects in which the role of the female protagonist has been strong have always attracted me. It feels unnatural for me to play weak characters.

Do you think a lot is left to be desired when it comes to roles for married actresses who return to films after a hiatus?
There is a hurdle in the industry for sure. But the mindset towards married women with babies is changing. In the West, there have been instances where whether you’re a female or a male actor, there has been no discrimination. Both individuals have led their own lives, had children, and probably married even four times (laughs)! And people have been okay with that. They are accepted as actors. We need to separate a person’s personal life from their artistic talent. It’s about how you present yourself in front of the audience. If you’re looking great, I don’t think there should be any problem.

Today, it’s said that married actresses not getting work has become a thing of the past. Comment.
I don’t completely agree with this. Yes, cinema is definitely changing. But this whole thing about actresses taking lead now is not absolutely correct. Actresses have taken the lead since the ’50s. There were actresses like Nutan and Meena Kumari doing some wonderful films even then. In fact, there were some male actors, who debuted with these heroines and later went on to become huge stars. There was Dharamji (Dharmendra) and even Amit uncle (Amitabh Bachchan) whose first film was with Jaya aunty (Jaya Bhaduri) who was a star at that time. It has been happening all along, so how can we suddenly say that we have started doing it now? It’s mostly one phase where things were different. But strong women characters and roles have been played on screen from the very beginning.

Does age become a factor when roles are offered to you or the choices that you make?
Not at all. Why should it be? What determines it is your ability to play the character and how you justify the role. Whether you look convincing as the character is all that matters. Look at Amit uncle — he played the role of a child in Paa and you can’t question it. It’s not about someone’s real age, it’s more about how convincingly you can play the part.

What influences your movie choices these days?
Today, films have a different impact on the youth and the audience of the country. First, movies were only looked upon as entertainment. Now, people also look at the messages that are put forth through them. So, I think it’s very important to be part of subjects which don’t lead the youth in a wrong direction. An actor has to have some responsibility towards the kind of roles or thoughts he/she is sharing with an audience. I will always want to be associated with a film which gives out a really powerful message. If I am doing a movie which is purely in the entertainment format, I will do it thinking of it within that sphere. But if there’s a film with a social message, then I’d definitely want to do it in a responsible manner.

Image result for judwaa 2 secret superstar

Box Office India Trade Network

SECRET SUPERSTAR did well on television getting 60 lakh impressions although remains to be seen how it goes post its premiere. The film has beaten films like BAADSHAHO and RAEES on television by a small margin which is very good as the film hardly holds any appeal for the wider audience in India.

It may not be too strong post the premiere but at least it found some sort of audience post theatrical as films of this type struggle post theatrical as they are for a limited audience and those who are interested in this cinema are a minority and watch it in the theatres.

JUDWAA 2 has maintained its crazy run post theatrical release as its fifth screening gets nearly 50 lakh impressions. It is almost the same as the first screening of SECRET SUPERSTAR. The total in five screenings is 4.21 crore, a figure only surpassed by BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION over first five screenings.

The ratings of JUDWAA 2 on its first five screenings are as follows. The numbers are impressions which are the number of television sets viewing the film.
First - 1,52,66,00,000
Second - 92,78,000
Third - 63,78,000
Fourth - 64,53,000
Fifth - 47,59,000
TOTAL - 4,21,34,00,000

Hate Story IV objectifies women from start to finish. And then in the end, it gives a‘Say No To Eve Teasing’ message! One good thing is that it is better than the recent disastrous erotic flicks like Aksar 2 and Julie 2. Often, Hindi erotic films promise a lot but fail to deliver. In this regard, Hate Story IV works as it has the required amount of skin show and is also replete with thrill, dramatic moments, nice music etc. Few moments stand out but the plot is devoid of logic when seen in totality. There are far too many twists, with each and every character having ulterior motives, even bystanders! Milap Zaveri’s dialogues are epic. Each and every line has a punch and I must say, it’s quite imaginative! Get ready for some ’10 hilarious dialogues from Hate Story IV that are unintentionally funny’ kind of listicles! Urvashi Rautela acts well and with her sex appeal and diva-like appeal, she makes for an ideal ‘Hate Story’ heroine. Vivan Bhatena is a bit mechanical while Karan Wahi looks dashing and gives a decent performance. Gulshan Grover has the most heroic entry of all the characters and gives a fine performance in a way that only he can do. Ihana Dhillon surprisingly has an important role and is like the second female lead but she needs to work on her acting. Despite the minuses, Hate Story IV has a chance to work as the frontbenchers and the audiences in B and C centres might lap it up. And the makers have taken good care about this aspect. Any dialogue mouthed in English comes with a Hindi subtitle, even something as simple and understandable as say ‘This is not right Aryan’!

My rating - ** out of 5!

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2018)

Earlier this week, Neena Gupta, along with designer-daughter Masaba Gupta-Mantena, flew to Dubai to celebrate the latter’s father, legendary former cricketer Sir Vivian Richards’ 66th birthday. “It’s been a bit astonishing how short life can be, which is why I dropped every single ‘important’ thing I was doing to come surprise my dad on his birthday today and even had an impromptu family reunion. Missing the husband, though. Happy birthday, dad — I am really trying to make this emotional, but you’re 66 now and still can’t send a WhatsApp and think a smart phone is the devil incarnate,” Masaba wrote along with a picture with her parents.

When Mirror reached out to Neena, she said, “It was nice and normal. Masaba was going for it and I was free so both of us went for a day. We didn’t give him a birthday present. We just showed up and I think that was a gift.”

The actress whose last Hindi film outing was the Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover-starrer Alone, and will next be seen in Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk with Taapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor, revealed further, “We had conversations about our work and what he (Sir Viv) is working on. Nothing special really.”

Is Sir Viv expected to come to Mumbai anytime soon? “I don’t think so. This was a once in a while thing. We don’t meet that often. Everyone is so busy, there is no time. Madhu (Mantena, Masaba’s producer-husband) was busy and so was my husband (Vivek Mehra) so they couldn’t join us,” Neena informed, adding that they don’t have any plans of another reunion anytime soon. “Nobody knows what they are doing tomorrow,” she signed off with a laugh.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 10, 2018)

Two months ago, Vishal Bhardwaj announced that he’s taking over the reins of the Deepika Padukone-Irrfan Khan-starrer from casting director Honey Trehan, who was all set to make his directorial debut with this film. Earlier, he was only supposed to produce it. As luck would have it, once Vishal decided to helm the gangster drama, he had to push it ahead due to DP’s back pain and Irrfan’s ill health.

The news of Irrfan’s illness has deeply affected the filmmaker. A source says, “Vishal and Irrfan are close friends. It came as a rude shock to him and to Prernaa Arora who’s also producing the film. So, they decided to postpone it.”

Instead, KriArj Entertainment and VB Pictures are now teaming up for another project. The source adds, “Churiya was supposed to be their second collaboration, but now, it will be shot first.” Prernaa confirms, “Yes, we are starting another venture with Vishal sir around April. I don’t want to disclose further details. We will announce the film and cast soon.”

How the Hollywood veteran made Anupam Kher’s 63rd birthday unforgettable
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2018)

When Anupam Kher was invited to meet his Silver Linings Playbook co-star Robert De Niro at his Lower Manhattan residence at 5 pm on March 7, he didn’t think the meeting would last for longer than 30 minutes. The 63-year-old actor was turning a year older on the day and had planned to take the cast and crew of a series he’s filming in New York to an Indian restaurant for his birthday dinner. When Kher had touched base with the Hollywood veteran, De Niro’s office informed him that he was doing voiceovers for Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film, The Irishman, and would work out a meeting date soon. On his birthday, Kher was warmly welcomed into De Niro’s home.

“They had a meal secretly planned for me. After David O Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook, had been snuck into the house, the lights dimmed and Mr De Niro was called into the kitchen. I had no idea what was happening till they brought out the cake. I fought to hold back my tears,” Kher told Mirror from freezing New York, adding that apart from De Niro’s wife Grace Hightower, their daughter Helen was also present at the intimate celebration.

While Russell gifted the birthday boy the book Altman by Kathryn Reed Altman and Giulia D’Agnolo, his idol presented him with two books, New York New York by Richard Berenholtz and Pete Souza’s Obama: An Intimate Portrait. Describing the evening as “the ultimate Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai moment”, referring to the TV show he hosted, Kher said, “For the son of a forest department clerk from Shimla, every achievement comes with a multitude of emotions. The De Niros planned my birthday like I was family. For an actor, affection mostly comes from where you expect it. I never expected that this legend would sing the birthday song for me.”

Since drama school, Kher had regarded Mr De Niro as the ‘God of Acting’ and when he got the opportunity to work with him, he presented him with an idol of Lord Ganesh. “In 2011, I asked him to autograph the manuscript of my yet-unreleased book, The Best Thing About You Is You, and Mr De Niro surprised me by asking for the original manuscript for his private collection,” reminisced the actor, who did not dare ask De Niro for his contact number, writing to his office instead on his next trip to New York. “They appreciated my formal approach and invited me to his 70th birthday party which had just 20 guests. That’s when I learnt how warm and affectionate he was. Since then we’ve been writing to each other and last year, while I was promoting my last Hollywood release The Big Sick, he called me over for a Father’s Day dinner his children were hosting. “Now, I have his number too,” Kher said.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 10, 2018)

He was one of the first from Bollywood to jump on to the digital bandwagon when he gave his nod to the Netflix original, Sacred Games, in June 2017. A year-and-a-half and completion of the shoot later, Saif Ali Khan says the medium, by its very nature, offers much more creative satisfaction to artistes.

"It is liberating as an actor to have a platform [like Netflix] to act on. Vikram [Vikramaditya Motwane] and Anurag [Kashyap] have been wonderful directors. With no censorship, this platform offers creative freedom. That’s what makes it so exciting,” says Khan, who plays cop Sartaj Singh, in the adaptation of Vikram Chandra’s novel by the same name.

Staying true to its theme of Mumbai’s underbelly, the gritty series that also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte, was shot in the bylanes of the city. With a 25-year-long career in movies behind him, the actor says there is a marked difference in the way a web series is shot vis-a-vis a Bollywood project. “The art directors and other technicians had a meticulous approach, which is rare to see in films. The locations where we have shot are better and more authentic than most movies that I have worked on, so far. You relate to the character differently when you are in a live location.”

His choice of films — be it the quirky Kaalakandi or the period drama Rangoon (2018) — is proof that he likes to experiment. This time too, Khan says it was his “slightly damaged character” that drew him to the script. “My character is full of angst, which has led to his dependency on sleeping pills. He chews them like chewing gum throughout the day. This is the most dynamic role of my career. So, I had to push myself as an actor. I am energetic and upbeat by nature, but I had to play a depressed character.”

Deepika Padukone only Indian actor to feature in International Women's Impact report alongside Gal Gadot, JK Rowling
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 9, 2018)

The bravado she displayed when threats to her life were made on national channels amidst the Padmaavat furore did not go unnoticed, as Deepika Padukone has found herself a spot on American publication Variety's International Women's Impact list.

Talking about the achievements of the actor, who features alongside the likes of Lupita Nyong'o, JK Rowling, Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek and Gal Gadot, among others, the publication noted that Padukone "faced death threats and verbal abuse from various fringe groups with poise and elan". Placing her on the 33rd spot, the magazine celebrated her "leap" from Bollywood to Hollywood with XXX: Return Of Xander Cage, apart from acknowledging her philanthropic work.

Talking about the honour bestowed on her, her spokesperson says, "Deepika is the only Indian actor on the list, also including other women achievers across the world. It's an honour to be featured with such strong personalities, and an acknowledgment of their contribution to society." Producer Guneet Monga is the only other Indian on the list.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 10, 2018)

After several delays, John Abraham’s film based on India’s 1998 nuclear bomb test explosions, Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran, was slated to release on April 6. However, buzz in trade circles suggests that the release may be postponed further owing to the creative squabbles between the film’s producers. A trade insider reveals, “We’ve heard that there have been difference of opinions between the producers over the promotional strategy of the film. The VFX too needs fine-tuning, which is delaying the film further.”

Prernaa Arora, one of the co-producers of the Diana Penty-starrer, rubbishes rumours of all not being well between Abraham, Zee Studios and her production house. Instead, she says that the makers are contemplating deferring Parmanu’s release to avoid a clash with Irrfan Khan’s black comedy, Blackmail. “There’s no problem between the producers. It’s true that we are looking at a new release date. We’ve been looking at options. Apparently, Blackmail is slated for release on the same day and we want to avoid a clash. Our production Pari hit screens last week, so we want to take some time before our next project is up for release.” She adds that the final decision will be taken early next week.

The trade source, on his part, insists that the film is likely to hit the marquee on May 11. “The makers are planning to coincide the release with the Pokhran test’s anniversary.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 10, 2018)

In an ironic turn of events, the shoot of Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor’s Batti Gul Meter Chalu — which revolves around electricity theft — was stalled due to power failure in Tehri, Uttarakhand, on Wednesday.

A source from the crew says, “The shooting had to be stopped mid- scene when a power cut happened. The power outage lasted for more than 12 hours. Even though the makers arranged for generators, we could resume the shoot only by early evening.”

However, the team made the most of the situation. Considering the social drama revolves around power supply, they gained more insights into the subject by conversing with the locals about the frequent power cuts in the area. “Both Shahid and Shraddha found out about the hydel projects that are pending approvals from the ministry of Water Resources. The locals told them that they face power cuts regularly, some as long as 10-12 hours. These inputs helped them make a few improvisations to the story,” adds the source.

Actress set to film a special number for Remo D’souza’s next production, a slice-of-life film
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2018)

After recreating Madhuri Dixit’s “Ek Do Teen” for Baaghi 2, Jacqueline Fernandez is set to appear in a special song in the upcoming film Nawabzaade, for which ABCD 2 duo Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor had earlier shot a recreated version of Guru Randhawa’s Punjabi hit, “High Rated Gabru”.

A source reveals, “Shooting of the film that features Punit Pathak, Raghav Juyal and Dharmesh Yelande, who shot to fame with the dance reality show Dance India Dance and went on to feature in Remo D’Souza’s two ABCD films, has already wrapped up. The team recently decided to add another starry number and Jacqueline was approached for it. The song will be shot in a club setup in Mumbai.” The film is produced by Jackie’s Race 3 director Remo, Bhushan Kumar and Mayur Barot while Remo will also choreograph the special song which be shot in two-three days by the month-end.

Nawabzaade was shot majorly in Varanasi and Mumbai with the three male leads playing small town boys with big dreams. The Jayesh Pradhan directorial is expected to hit the big screen by August. Meanwhile, Jacqueline is currently in Sri Lanka on work-ation to spend some quality time with family as well as wrap up work commitments before kicking off the Abu Dhabi schedule of her Salman Khan-starrer Race 3.

BOMBAY TIMES (March 10, 2018)

Upcoming crime drama, Raid, will witness an onscreen battle between two of Bollywood’s most talented actors — Ajay Devgn and Saurabh Shukla.

Ajay plays Amay Patnaik, a fearless Income Tax officer who conducts a series of raids at the home of Rameshwar ‘Rajaji’ Singh (Saurabh), the main antagonist. Rajaji, a Member of Parliament, is the most influential person in the state. He is feudal, slightly psychotic and corrupt, and believes that everyone has a price. While he tries every trick to stop Amay, the latter is determined to fulfill his professional duties.

The two actors have worked together in the past and are very fond of each other. Says director Raj Kumar Gupta, “It has been a great experience working with versatile actors like Ajay Devgn and Saurabh Shukla. Their camaraderie was great, though they are pitted against each other in the movie. As a director, whenever they were performing together, I didn’t want the scene to end. Such is the intensity they have lent their characters.”

Raid, a Panorama Studios production presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series, and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak, releases on March 16.

Actor to appear on the host-comedian’s new show after being stood up last year
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2018)

Mirror had recently reported (February 22) that Kapil Sharma is returning to the small screen with a game show titled Family Time With Kapil Sharma. Now Mirror has learnt Ajay Devgn will be one of the first guests on the show. The actor recently cut a fun promo with the comedian-host which had him initially avoiding Kapil’s calls to appear on his new show. “Ajay mocks him for keeping guests waiting for hours and for being out of work for a while but things end on a good note with him finally agreeing to come on the show,” informs a source from the set.

Mirror had earlier reported (August 27, 2017) that the actor had been upset with Kapil after he failed to turn up for the shoot of The Kapil Sharma Show when he was there to promote his action-thriller Baadshaho. Ajay, Ileana D’cruz, Esha Gupta and Emraan Hashmi had left the sets without shooting. Subsequently, the show had been pulled off the air abruptly last September after repeated incidents of the host-comedian not turning up for shoots and leaving other A-list Bollywood stars fuming.

Ajay is expected to shoot his episode for the new show in the coming week. It will have a mix of fun and games with interactions with regular families and celebrity guests. The show will also feature Kiku Sharda in a woman’s avatar and Chandan Prabhakar as Kapil’s friend.

Meena Iyer (DNA; March 10, 2018)

Ajay Devgn doesn’t talk about his actress-wife, Kajol, unless you ask him pointed questions about her. The actor, who is fiercely guarded about his private life, prefers not to bring up her name in a conversation. However, this doesn’t undermine the fact that he has a healthy respect for his wife’s talent and her body of work.

During a recent interview, when one asked him why he hadn’t teamed up with his biwi after U Me Aur Hum (2008), the Bollywood superstar replied, “Kajol and I are at a stage in our respective careers where we cannot play stereotypical characters. Unless a writer or a filmmaker comes forward with a script that is challenging and justifies our presence in the same film, it’s going to be hard for us to act together. When we were younger, it was a breeze doing something like Hulchul (1995), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), or Raju Chacha (2000). Years later, I directed her in U Me Aur Hum. I’d love to do a movie with her and I’m sure, if you ask Kajol, her answer would also be the same. However, a routine love story may not be the ideal script for us at this stage because we’ve been married for two decades.”

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